On March 21, 2025 the junior professed Sisters of the NAC conference met together for a weekend of formation where Sr. Katie Flanagan, FMA and Sr. Christina Chong, FMA gave a workshop on the Theology of the Body, a series of talks given by St. John Paul II on human sexuality and the gift that each person is called to be.
On Friday, the Sisters arrived from their various communities around the United States and Canada with many of them attending a youth adoration night in the diocese of Brooklyn, NY where Sr. Jessica Castillo, FMA, gave her witness talk to the young people gathered there. On Saturday, Sr. Katie and Sr. Christina gave an introduction to Theology of the Body through the lens of the vocation to consecrated life. The topic of Theology of the Body was enriched and deepend with moments of prayer and reflection as well as time for the Sisters to share with one another their experiences in the classroom and working with the young.
On Sunday the Sisters finished their formation weekend with a practical workshop during which they created age-appropriate ToB lesson plans for the various apostolic realities of NAC. These ranged from a middle school retreat centered on the goodness of the body, to short classroom lessons for 2nd graders on how to receive our bodies as a gift from God. The Sisters prayed a special Theology of the Body Rosary, and participated in the last presentation reflecting on Theology of the Body through the lens of Salesian Life and the Marian Dimension.
Throughout the weekend, Sr. Colleen Clair, FMA, Provincial of St. Joseph Province (SEC) and Sr. Thuy Huong, FMA, Provincial of Mary Immaculate Province (SUO) made themselves available for personal encounters with the young Sisters. The Sisters finished the day with Adoration and an expression of gratitude for all those involved in the making of such a beautiful and rich formation weekend.