On March 25, 2021 Sr. Verónica Castro Nolasco, MSBT made her First Profession of Vows as a Missionary Servant of the Most Blessed Trinity in the Fr. Judge Memorial Chapel at the Motherhouse in Northeast Philadelphia. As with many MSBTs before, she made her vows on the Feast of the Annunciation.
Reflecting on this connection, Sr. Verónica says, “Just as Jesus was Incarnate in the Blessed Virgin Mary for her to share with all the world, so too is He alive in us to share with others. This is what I want to do in living out my vows.”
Born in Chalco, Mexico Sr. Verónica was raised alongside her brother Oscar and had an early devotion to Mary, frequently praying the rosary. What initially attracted her to religious life was seeing the Church in mission. She watched how her pastor, Fr. Aurelio, was present and responsive to the needs of parishioners, treating them as family, as he strived to meet their needs both spiritually and materially. She wanted to be an intimate part of that mission.
While working as a parish secretary she heard about monthly retreats for young adult women offered at the MSBT cenacle in Chimalhuacán. For about a year she participated in these retreats becoming familiar with the unique charism and spirituality of the MSBT. She also met frequently with Sr. Olivia Montejano, MSBT to learn more about life within the community during this time of personal discernment.
After writing to the General Custodian asking permission to enter the community, she began living, praying and working in mission alongside MSBTs in Mexico while studying about religious life as a Candidate. “As Sr. Verónica´s Candidacy Director, it was edifying to see the hand of God working in her. Her missionary spirit was evident as I witnessed her interaction with the people she served at the parish. Her love for our community has blossomed and grown,” says Sr. Virginia Ann Wagner, MSBT.
As a novice, Sr. Verónica came to live and work with our sisters in Philadelphia and Barrington, NJ in 2019. She provided First Communion preparation for children at Annunciation Parish in S. Philly and assisted Sr. Mary Matthew Labunski’s outreach through Catholic Charities of Salem County in the Diocese of Camden. Missionaries are called to go out to the people, so the spread of COVID-19 significantly changed her daily life in formation. Like many of us, she found creative ways to reach people and soon adjusted to virtual meetings. COVID-19 changed how she connected with people, but it did not dampen the missionary fire that burns within her.
During a ten day private retreat leading up to her vows, Sr. Verónica opened herself in an extended period of reflection on God’s call in her life. The experience confirmed for her God’s call to give herself freely and purely to the service of others in the love of God. Standing before General Custodian, Sr. Barbara McIntyre, MSBT, Sr. Verónica pronounced her vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and received a blessed pin with the emblem of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity. This pin is an outward sign of her religious profession.
“I’ve found Sr. Verónica is serious about her call to be a missionary in service to God’s people. Her love of God is visible in her prayerfulness and in the kind and loving manner in which she treats people. Plus living with her is fun!” says Sr. Barbara McIntyre, MSBT.
Receiving the pin for Sr. Verónica feels like a symbolic way all the sisters are saying, “Yes” to her. The circle on the pin symbolizes for her the infinite love of God and the dove in the center represents the Holy Spirit who goes before us always, leading us in mission. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide Sr. Verónica in wisdom and fortitude as she begins her vowed religious life.
