Alumni Magazine Issue 5

RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS The Sisters of Life visit Down Under Earlier this year, Notre Dame was delighted to welcome four sisters fromThe Sisters of Life to the Fremantle and Sydney Campuses. The Sisters, Antoniana Maria, Jeanne Marie, Zelie Maria and Mary Grace (alumna, Jessica Langrell) delivered a series of sessions and forums, for students, staff and alumni. Each activity was designed so that participants could experience an authentic encounter of God’s love for them and to find a renewed sense of hope and meaning in their lives. The Sisters of Life has 110 Sisters based in convents in Canada and New York. The Visitation Mission is considered their most important work, where they provide both emotional and practical support each year to more than 1,000 women who are experiencing crisis pregnancies. Sr Mary Grace is an alumna from the Sydney Campus. On 4 August 2018 she made her first profession of vows as a Sister of Life in Connecticut, USA. Fr Chris de Sousa makes history Fremantle alumnus, Fr Chris de Sousa, made history this year, becoming the first Australian Somascan to be ordained a priest. Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton presided over the ordination, which took place at Perth’s Spearwood Parish St Jerome’s with over 1,000 attendees. Before joining the Somascans, Fr Chris studied law and commerce and worked as a lawyer for six years. With a passion for humanitarian law, Fr Chris would work in his spare time to legally represent migrants and refugees who were in difficulty. In 2012, Fr Chris entered the Somascan community while he undertook a Masters of Arts in Philosophy at Notre Dame. His vocational journey also took him to Rome, where he obtained a Masters in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Alumni Magazine – Page 18 V O C A T I O N S