Final Vow Ceremony

On May 10, 2012, two of the original members of the Workers of the Vineyard made their Final Vows after five years of service to the Diocese. The community, founded by His Excellency, Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, began with three members and have now grown to six. The mission of the Workers of the Vineyard is to teach through schools and the media.

The two sisters who made their final vows were Sister Miskenta and Sister Tarbytha. During the ceremony, Sister Anahyd made her temporary profession and Eman Rofaeel made her postulancy promise. The ceremony itself was charged with joy and excitement. The final profession of the two sisters is the first in the history of the order and was an emotional and happy occasion for all who were present. It is a rare opportunity to witness women dedicate themselves completely to the service of the Lord and become his Brides.

The Cat­e­chism of the Catholic Church states in para­graph 923, “‘Vir­gins who, com­mit­ted to the holy plan of fol­low­ing Christ more closely, are con­se­crated to God by the dioce­san bishop accord­ing to the approved litur­gi­cal rite, are betrothed mys­ti­cally to Christ, the Son of God, and are ded­i­cated to the ser­vice of the Church.’ By this solemn rite (Con­se­cra­tio vir­ginum), the vir­gin is ‘con­sti­tuted … a sacred per­son, a tran­scen­dent sign of the Church’s love for Christ, and an escha­to­log­i­cal image of this heav­enly Bride of Christ and of the life to come.’”

During his homily, Bishop Sarhad spoke of how the women who dedicated themselves that day were not wanting in anything of the world before they chose to live a consecrated life. They had complete access to all the world had to offer, but they felt a desire for a deeper fulfillment, one that can only be found in God.

Before the final blessing, Sister Tarbytha thanked the Bishop, priests and clergy for their presence and support, as well as the benefactors and all who were present to share that special day with them.

After the Mass, there was a reception in the Hall of the Church for all who were gathered. The album includes photographs of the ceremony and reception.