By Catholic Sabah
KOTA KINABALU – The Carmelite Monastery of Our Lady of Mt Carmel and St Therese of the Child Jesus was packed with close to a hundred people who witnessed the love and faithfulness of God as Sr Elizabeth of the Trinity made her Solemn Profession during the morning Mass on Mar 1, 2025.
The Mass was presided by Archbishop John Wong, concelebrated by Fr Primus Jouil and Fr Mattheus Luta. Both parents of Sr Elizabeth, Donis Bujal and Bibiana Dadong and her siblings of two elder sisters and elder brother were present for the joyous occasion.
“We witness the love and mercy of God as Sr Elizabeth is going to make her Solemn Profession just like the psalmist says: The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold Him in fear. The holy fear of God helps us to maintain a good relationship with one another, with the universe and most important with God, the Creator.”
Through the Gospel of St Mark, the prelate continued to point out Jesus welcoming the children as they speak about the Heavenly Father. The children have full trust in their parents. Sr Elizabeth has shown a child-like faith and trust in the mercy of God through her bond of Solemn Profession.
Sr Elizabeth responded positively to the five questions asked by the celebrant to ascertain her readiness to dedicate herself totally to God and to seek perfect charity according to the Rule and Constitutions of the Order after the homily of the prelate.
The Prelate confirmed the intention of the candidate to be professed by saying: “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfilment before the day of Christ Jesus.”
After the examination of the candidate, the prelate invited the congregation to pray to the Heavenly Father to strengthen His servant in the purpose He has inspired in her by chanting the Litany.
After the heart of the candidate had been prepared for consecration to His service, the candidate made her Solemn Profession in the following words: “I, Sr Elizabeth of the Holy Trinity make my solemn profession and I promise Obedience, Chastity and Poverty to God our Lord, to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and to you, Reverend Mother Prioress and to your successors, according to the primitive Rule of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and our Consitutions, until death.”
Then the newly professed sang an antiphon, “Sustain me O Lord, according to your promise, and I shall abound in grace, and You will not fail to do Your Holy will in me, for I have put my trust in You.”
The prelate gave his solemn blessing upon the newly professed so that she will be always in loving fidelity to Christ, her only Bridegroom and cherish the Church as her mother and love the whole world as God’s creation, teaching all men to look forward in joy and hope to the good things of heaven.
After the blessing of the professed, the prelate presented the veil to the professed as a sign of her consecration to Christ and His mystical Body, the Church, at the communion window.
The Mass continued as usual and at dismissal, the celebrant blessed the newly consecrated religious that she may fulfill the duties of her vocation faithfully and be a witness and sign of God‘s love for all people by God’s grace before he gave his blessing to the congregation.
Coming from a Catholic family in Tambunan Nambayan, Nancy Donis taking the religious name of Sr Elizabeth of the Trinity, being the youngest in the family of four children, with the consent of both parents, entered the monastery on Aug 3, 2019 and was clothed Jul 15, 2020. She took her simple profession Jul 16, 2021.
After Mass, the Secular Carmelites prepared the breakfast fellowship and celebrated the 16th Anniversary canonical erection of OCDS cum celebration of the solemn profession of Sr Elizabeth by having a simple cake-cutting ceremony.
