A vocation to missionary religious life is not something I chose for myself; it is a gift that gently found me. It is God’s loving initiative, calling me to belong totally to Him and to serve His people with a heart set on Jesus and hands open to humanity. This call was never about prestige, success, or self-fulfillment. It was an invitation to step beyond comfort and certainty, to cross borders of geography, religion, caste, and culture, and to walk where love is most needed.
God called me not because I was worthy or perfect, but simply because He loved me. That truth continues to humble and sustain me. The words of St. Paul echo deeply within my heart: “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.” These words remind me daily that my life is no longer my own, it belongs entirely to God and to His people. Vocation is a deep and life-shaping journey. It begins in the heart of God long before it stirs in the human heart. As the prophet Jeremiah assures us, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I consecrated you.” My own journey has been a slow unfolding of this mystery: learning to trust, to surrender, and to say “yes” again and again, even when the path is unclear or demanding.
At the center of my vocational response are the challenging words of Jesus: “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” These words constantly realign my priorities, calling me back to what truly matters. Missionary life, I have discovered, is beautiful and demanding, sacrificial and deeply loving. It is a life not lived for oneself, but poured out for God and His people. To say “yes” to this call is to witness, with one’s whole life, to the values of the Gospel. After my religious profession, the Lord entrusted me in a special way with the mission of serving the poor and the marginalized especially women, youth, and children whose voices are often unheard. Since 2017, through my collaboration with the Swiss League of Catholic Women, I have been deeply touched by grassroots realities. In villages and urban slums across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, I have encountered lives marked by poverty, discrimination, and silent suffering but also by extraordinary resilience and hope.
Working alongside diocesan NGOs, religious congregations, and committed lay people, I have been involved in empowering Dalit and tribal communities. Through education, advocacy, skill training, organic farming, and income-generation programs, I have witnessed small but powerful transformations. I have seen dignity restored, confidence reborn, and hope slowly take root where despair once lived. In these moments, I realize that proclaiming God’s Kingdom is not only about words, it is about presence, solidarity, and standing courageously with the poor, becoming a voice for the voiceless.
Religious life, like every path of deep love, is not free from struggle. There are moments of loneliness, exhaustion, and doubt. Yet it is often in these fragile moments that God draws closest. These become spaces of growth and deeper trust, where faith matures and hope is renewed, where I am reminded that the One who called me first to be with Him is also the One who sends me forth. The joy of touching wounded lives, of witnessing hope rise again in broken situations, and of experiencing God’s quiet faithfulness each day gives my life a meaning beyond measure. My vocation is a life lived for a greater purpose; rooted in faith, nourished by prayer, and expressed in loving service to humanity. Like Mary, I continue to place my life in God’s hands, whispering each day with renewed trust: “Here I am, Lord; let it be done to me according to Your Word.”
Sr. Tessy Paul, Hyderabad
