Servant Sisters

CLIFTON  More than 3,600 miles separate the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey from Lima, Peru, but two religious sisters — Sister Jessica Wong of Hong Kong and Sister Ximena Perez of Ecuador — made the long journey from South America to speak to the faithful about their order’s mission. Members of the Servants of the Plan of God, the two sisters visited the Diocese earlier this month speaking at weekend Masses at St. James of the Marches Church in Totowa and Holy Spirit Church in Pequannock. They stayed with the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Joseph Home for the Elderly in Totowa during their visit.

The two sisters, who are based in Peru, spoke about their order, which was formed only 19 years ago on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother on Aug. 15. The order was inspired by the Holy Spirit as “an answer for the new millennium.” The Servants of the Plan of God is a community of consecrated women who live in full apostolic availability, living in community and giving themselves to God through evangelization and solidarity in service. They evangelize youths, families and cultures, with a special emphasis on the fragile, the ill, the poor and the suffering.

The order serves on five continents — North and South America, Africa, Asia and Europe with 17 houses in several countries.

“We fulfill the material and spiritual needs of the people in the countries we serve,” said Sister Jessica. “We do this through education and formation, whether it’s preparing the youth for the sacraments or future catechists to continue the mission of the Church.”

The order also hosts health campaigns, particularly in Peru. There, it can be something as simple as collecting shoes for those who live in the highlands or mountain regions of the country. They also have schools for the handicapped.

For both sisters, finding their vocation with the Servants of the Plan of God was similar. Both were college educated, both were seeking something deeper in their lives and both had encounters with the order that made them feel at home.

Born in Hong Kong, Sister Jessica grew up in a Catholic family, who later moved to Canada when she was 13. “During college I would attend vocation retreats looking for a community to join. A priest told me about the Servants of the Plan of God and I felt right at home. I felt like I found my place in the world. I didn’t even speak the language, which was Spanish that the members were speaking.”

Sister Ximena was finishing up her master’s degree in business administration, but said there was something missing in her life. She started to look for ways to help her community.

“I began assisting a friend who led a youth group, which connected me with an invitation to help the sisters. I saw how they were so happy and really happy to follow God. I realized God was calling me to be his hands, his words and his heart,” said Sister Ximena.

One of the interesting ways that the Servants of the Plan of God share their joy for their faith is through music. Calling themselves “The Siervas,” 12 sisters from the order are members of a musical group. They gained popularity with one of their songs, “Confia en Dios,” which means “Trust in God.” It has had nearly a million views on YouTube. Because the song was a hit, they toured in Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Peru in 2015. A year later, they were invited to sing at a concert for Pope Francis during his papal visit to Mexico.

Sister Jessica said, “It is our way to show our love of God to different places of the world. We make our music upbeat with pop/rock and Latin sounds and still include classical instruments.”

Grateful to be able to visit the Paterson Diocese for its mission appeal program coordinated by the Diocesan Mission Office, Sister Ximena said, “We are grateful to the Paterson Diocese for welcoming us for our appeal. Thank you to all those who are able to assist us so we may be able to continue to assist those in the countries we serve.”

[Information: www.siervasdelplandedios.org.]