Madrid, Spain, Jan 8, 2006 / 22:00 pm
During a Mass offered by Bishop Jose Vilaplana of Santander, Spain, Sister Esperanza Zorroza Landia, 94, celebrated her 75 years as a professed religious with a moving renewal of vows. The ceremony was witnessed by numerous fellow Cistercians, diocesan priests and family members of Sister Esperanza.
Sister Esperanza entered the Cistercian monastery in 1929 at the age of 17, and four years later she made her perpetual vows. 75 years later, the Spanish nun renewed her commitment “with the same fervor as 75 years ago, reading the document with an explosion and tone of vitality, thus demonstrating her lucidness,” reported the Ivicon news agency.
In his homily, Bishop Vilaplana expressed gratitude for the witness of fidelity of Sister Esperanza and emphasized that “the secret of fidelity is love.”
After renewing her profession, a crown of white lilies and garland was placed on Sister Esperanza’s head as a sign of “her faithful combat in the service of the divine,” said members of her community.