Sisters of the Holy Cross Vigil and Final Profession, part 1, 2011

This is footage from a perpetual profession (final vows) ceremony for three Sisters of the Holy Cross — Sister Jacinta Kausabe and Sister Lillian Nakaisiki (both from Uganda) and Sister Veronica Fajardo (from Nicaragua). It spans two connected liturgical events:

Vigil service (evening before): Opens with prayers (in English and Spanish) asking for strength for the three women preparing to profess vows. A reading from 1 Corinthians on the "varieties of gifts" from one Spirit sets up a reflection on vocation and discernment, referencing theologian Michael Himes' three questions for discerning a call: joy, talent, and service. Each of the three sisters then shares her vocation story:

Sister Jacinta speaks of childhood curiosity about women in religious life, her father's guidance to finish her studies first, and gratitude to her formators, describing her decade-long formation journey as being "like roads in Uganda" — smooth stretches, sharp corners, and potholes. Sister Lillian speaks (partly in English, partly Spanish) of finding a "home" in Holy Cross after years of imitation and small rituals as a child, describing her journey as one shaped by doubt, temptation, and God's steady presence "one day at a time." Sister Veronica (bilingual English/Spanish) reflects on being drawn to Holy Cross for its diversity and international mission work, choosing it over another congregation, and shares memories of formation in Los Angeles and at the motherhouse's history room.

The vigil closes with a blessing over the three women and a communal prayer.

Profession Mass (the following day): Held at the Church of Our Lady of Loretto, this Mass includes baptismal water blessing, readings (Isaiah's "Spirit of God is upon me," Philippians on unity — read partly in Spanish, and John's "I am the vine" Gospel). The homilist connects these readings to Holy Cross's founding charism, particularly founder Basil Moreau's image of the vine and branches representing unity in diversity across the congregation's international membership. The three women formally profess perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, are welcomed by the assembled professed sisters ("We wish to live and die with you"), and the presider shares a mentor's line: "the dying with each other is not the hard part — it's the living with each other that will challenge you." The service closes with a Litany of Saints and further prayer, though the final segments of the transcript become fragmentary/inaudible.