The consecrated life of Sister Isabel Cristone Setimane is expressed in a journey of faith and dedication that she wishes to share with deep gratitude and hope. From her childhood in Mozambique to her current training in Canon Law in Rome, her story intertwines the faith received in her family, the discovery of her religious vocation, the service to the smallest and most vulnerable, the social difficulties of her country and the generous support from the CARF Foundation, which allows you to better prepare for serving the Church and his Congregation.
Born in Quelimane in 1987, Isabel is in her third year of her degree in Canon Law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Her vocation of service to the most vulnerable is coupled with a deep gratitude towards those who make her formation possible, especially the CARF Foundation, who accompanies her on her academic and spiritual journey.
She is the fifth daughter of a deeply religious family. Since her childhood she has known the path of faith: she received catechesis, the sacraments and actively participated in various parish ministries.
After her First Communion, she joined the vocation group, moved by an early desire to consecrate herself as a religious and serve the most vulnerable, especially children in poverty and abused women. After three years of vocational formation, she met the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Victories, a congregation founded in 1884 on the island of Madeira (Portugal) by Venerable Mary Jane Wilson.
In 2007, she was admitted to the Congregation, where she began her aspirancy. She is especially grateful that her parents respected her decision to to consecrate herself as a religious sister. During the years of formation, her formators accompanied her and guided her in the following of Jesus Christ, inspired by the example of Venerable Mary Jane Wilson and of the Venerable Mary Jane Wilson. St. Francis of Assisi.
After three years of preparation, on December 8, 2011, by the grace of God, she made her first vows in the chapel of St. Francis of Assisi, in the novitiate house in Mozambique. Shortly after, she was sent on mission to the diocese of Gurúè, in the province of Zambezia, where she took care of 125 children, some of them orphans. «There I was able to live, learn and experience the love of God reflected in the faces of the little ones,» she says.
The direct contact with the suffering of those children - many of them marked by the death of their mothers during childbirth - profoundly transformed her way of looking at life. This experience taught her to value everything and to discover the beauty that remains even in the midst of pain. «I learned to live with the essentials and to cultivate simplicity with them. In that reality, marked by poverty but also by a generous and loving dedication, I discovered in every glance the beauty of my vocation: to be consecrated to serve, and not to be served, following the style of Jesus,» she says with a smile.
The Congregation took on this mission in response to the cry of the people of the diocese of Gurúè. With deep gratitude to God, the sisters continue to devote themselves to the care of the little ones, especially in the orphanage. Mary Jane Wilson, in Lioma. Despite the difficulties, they remain firm in their commitment, always seeking the good of the children.
In this context, she is grateful to her Congregation for the opportunity to have been part of this mission. «Since I was very young, I felt the desire to work and defend the most fragile, those who are excluded and have no voice. I live my vocation as an active collaboration in the mission of Christ, seeking to do as much good as possible».
A family marked by hardship
In 2024 he lost his father, an event that deeply marked his family. Since then, his situation has changed significantly. His mother, a farmer with no access to formal education, has managed the family in a very difficult environment.
Although her siblings have completed their studies, they are currently looking for work, a particularly complex task in the context of Mozambique. This situation causes her moments of discouragement, but, sustained by God's grace, she remains hopeful that they will be able to succeed.
«The reality of the country exacerbates these difficulties: poverty, food shortages, unemployment and the conflict in the north have further hardened living conditions. In spite of everything, my family continues to struggle with fortitude, relying on faith and the trust in God".
Formation for service: a mission at the service of the Church
Six years later, she made her definitive commitment to the Franciscan Congregation of Our Lady of Victories. A short time later, she took on the mission of formator of young people in the first stages of their vocational journey. Although demanding, she lived this responsibility with depth, to the point of being able to affirm: «I feel happy and fulfilled in the mission».
At present, the Congregation welcomes vocations mainly from Africa and Asia. Faced with the challenges posed by the mission of the Church, especially in the places to which they are sent, a solid preparation is necessary, also in the juridical field. Despite limited resources, the Congregation seeks to train its sisters to better respond to this service.
In this context, he is currently in Rome, at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, where he studied Canon Law. There she experiences a close and demanding academic environment, which favors learning and personal growth. As she herself expresses, «I feel accompanied, helped and understood by the professors».
His stay in Rome was in response to his desire to better prepare himself to serve the Church and his Congregation. For this reason, he expresses his deep gratitude to the CARF Foundation, whose help has made his formation and training possible. sustains its academic path.
Gerardo Ferrara
BA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Responsible for the student body Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
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