.
“A person is of more value than a world.”This passage from a poster I read in Sto Rosario church in Cebu and the photograph of footprints that accompanied it led me to the Contemplatives of the Good Shepherd.
I learned that it was St. Mary Euphrasia, foundress of the Good Shepherd Congregation who uttered those words. The footprints in the sand reminded me that the Lord lifted me up when I was in trouble.
I was a student then in Cebu, and my curiosity gave me courage to visit the Contemplatives in Banawa Hills. One visit led to another, until I felt the strong call for me to follow the Lord.
I worked at Wendy’s Hamburger part-time while pursuing my studies. My schedule allowed me to get involved in other activities like campus ministry and its outreach programs. In 1995, the store manager even gave me permission to be on leave for two weeks to attend the 10th World Youth Day in Manila. My original plan to work only on a five-month contract changed when I was offered to be Junior Manager.
The thought of religious life never left me. In 1996, I asked for my parents blessings to enter the convent but they refused. They urged me instead to accept the offer to be transferred to a Wendy’s branch in Manila. I enjoyed the job at Wendy’s, its adherence to quality and implementation of the International Standard Operational Procedure, but the responsibilities as manager kept me away from direct service to the poor. I missed the outreach programs, and the occasions to be one in prayer with our suffering brothers and sisters. I felt again the sense of urgency to join religious life.
Six years after I first asked permission from my parents to enter the convent and which they declined, I again knocked at the doors of their hearts. This time, they gave me their blessing.
I am grateful to God for that. I hope and pray that I will be formed so that I may be one with the mission of the Good Shepherd Sisters, as a contemplative.
(Ronafel De Leon is from Sipalay, Negros Occidental. She finished Bachelor of Science major in Biology at the Southwestern University in Cebu City. Prior to her entrance to the Good Shepherd congregation, she was manager at Wendy’s Hamburgers, Pasay. At present, she is a pre-novice of the Contemplatives of the Good Shepherd.)
