Answering God’s call: Religious sisters mark milestone anniversaries in Miami

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | Twenty-five years ago, Danielle Therese Teti received a call. She felt called by God to religious life. In September 1998, at the age of 22, she entered the convent of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pennsylvania and began her initial formation as a postulant.

“It is a call from God that is often out of step with today’s culture and society, something many people do not easily understand,” she said.

Twenty-five years later, Sister Teti is celebrating 25 years of religious life.

“When you open your heart to God’s call, trust that He will lead you exactly where you are meant to be. A true vocation is never forced or confusing — it is marked by a deep peace, a quiet contentment, and a growing sense of purpose that unfolds day by day,” Sister Teti said.

She was among four honorees recognized for their lives of service during the Mass for the World Day for Consecrated Life, celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski at St. Mary Cathedral in Miami Mar. 8, 2026.

The Mass was celebrated in honor of the World Day for Consecrated Life and recognized jubilarians celebrating 50 and 25 years in religious life.

“This celebration highlights the value of consecrated life as a stable and supportive presence alongside the most vulnerable people. Yours is a light that shines brightly,” he said in his homily.

Although the four jubilarians are from different countries, they share the same mission: serving God’s people. They are from Colombia, Vietnam, Syria, and the United States, and all chose to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and enter a consecrated life.

Together, the four jubilarians represent 125 years in religious life. The honorees were:

• Sister Bianca Hernandez, Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, 50 years
• Sister Danielle Therese Teti, Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 25 years
• Sister Therese Vu, Daughters of Our Lady of Visitation, 25 years
• Sister Sadeh Abed Alnour, Salesian Sister, 25 years  

Asked to reflect on her vocation and its greatest joy, Sister Teti spoke of love at the center of her religious life.

“It begins with the love of God the Father, who called me into this vocation and, in doing so, filled my life with a profound sense of peace and happiness. In His generosity, God placed me within a community where love is lived daily — through support, encouragement, and the shared desire to grow in holiness together,” she said.

“My vocation is sustained and strengthened by this continual exchange of love: received from God, nurtured in community, and offered to those I serve,” added Sister Teti.

For Sister Therese Vu, the greatest joy of her religious life is seeing faith grow in the hearts of the people she serves.

“When I see a child understand God’s love, or when someone receives the sacraments after preparing in RCIA, my heart is filled with gratitude,” she said.

“I am also deeply moved when visiting the poor, the sick, and those who do not yet know Christ. Being able to bring them comfort, prayer, and the message of God’s love is a great blessing in my vocation.

Sister Vu added: “I have a great love for children and for the mission that God has entrusted to me. Serving the Church, especially through teaching and accompanying young people in their faith, has been a beautiful part of my vocation.”

The celebration was established in 1997 by Pope St. John Paul II through his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata. It is linked to the feast of the Presentation of the Lord on Feb. 2, also known as Candlemas.

Sister Ana Margarita Lanzas of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who serves as archdiocesan director for Religious, explained in previous celebrations the threefold purpose of the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life, “to thank God for the gift of consecrated life, to promote awareness and esteem for it within the Church, and to encourage consecrated men and women to rejoice in their vocation.”

Some 300 Apostles of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, members of other religious orders of women and men serving in the Archdiocese of Miami, gathered for the celebration, along with members of the Church community, students, and family members of those being honored.

The hymns were sung in different languages, and the readings were proclaimed in English, Spanish, and Creole, reflecting the diversity of the archdiocese.

After the Mass, the Apostles of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary welcomed members of consecrated life to St. Mary Cathedral School’s cafeteria for a celebratory dinner.

The Apostles formed two lines and applauded as the religious processed down the aisle between them. Students from Cristo Rey High School in Miami handed out Mass programs and served dinner alongside the Apostles.

During his homily, Archbishop Wenski told the consecrated men and women that they are great examples for young people.

“Perhaps there are seeds of vocation among the Cristo Rey students,” Archbishop Wenski said.

Sister Teti also shared a message for young women who may be discerning a religious vocation today.

“In the life you are discerning, you will encounter God not only in prayer, but in the faces and stories of the people you serve. Your ministry becomes the place where you meet Him daily — sometimes in joy, sometimes in challenge, always in love,” she said.

Following are brief biographies of the jubilarians:

GOLDEN JUBILEE — 50 YEARS

Sister Bianca Hernandez, Dominican Sister of the Immaculate Conception

Sister Hernandez was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and has served in Ecuador and Miami. She has taught catechism, ministered to the sick, and worked with immigrants through Catholic Charities. She currently serves at Immaculate Conception Church in Hialeah.

In Ecuador Sister Hernandez taught first-grade children for nine years. In 1984, she was assigned to Miami, where she taught catechism at Marcelino Champagnat School in Hialeah. She later returned to Ecuador and studied religious sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador.

After that, she was assigned again to Miami, where she worked at St. Robert Bellarmine Mission, ministering to the sick. In 2000, she served in Dade City, Florida, with Catholic Charities, ministering to immigrants. In 2002, she returned to Ecuador as bursar.

In 2004, she returned to Miami to work in catechesis at San Lazaro Parish in Hialeah. Since 2010, she has served at Immaculate Conception Parish ministering to the sick and other pastoral work.

SILVER JUBILEE — 25 YEARS

Sister Danielle Therese Teti, Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,IHM

Sister Teti was born in Echelon, New Jersey, in 1976, to Italian parents, Barbara Fabrico and Joseph Teti. An only child, she attended Immaculata University, where her love for her religious vocation and the IHM sisters grew even deeper. She entered the community in 1998 and did her first profession in 2001 at Villa Maria House of Studies in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

fter her profession, she began her teaching ministry at St. Joan of Arc and Holy Innocents A.C.E.S. elementary schools in Philadelphia, where she served for seven years. She later moved into high school theology, teaching at Villa Maria Academy in Malvern and at Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. She currently serves at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami.

Sister Therese Vu, Daughters of Our Lady of Visitation

Sister Vu first heard God’s call to religious life at the age of 9, in her native Vietnam, nurtured by her parents’ faithful example and the lives of the saints, especially St. Martin de Porres, whose humility and love inspired her deeply. Although family responsibilities briefly delayed her discernment, she ultimately chose to follow Christ. After her parents welcomed a son, she entered religious life with peace and gratitude.

Sister Vu made her first vows on Aug. 22, 2001, and her final vows on Aug. 22, 2007, with the Daughters of Our Lady of Visitation. She later served in the United States, at the Vietnamese community of Our Lady of La Vang Mission in Hallandale, dedicating herself to catechesis, RCIA education, and outreach to the poor and non-Catholics.

Her congregation was founded in Vietnam more than 100 years ago. Sister Vu isfrom Hue, Vietnam, where themotherhouse is located. About 7 percent of Vietnamese are Catholic, she said.

Sister Sadeh Abed Alnour, Salesian

SisterSister Sadeh is a Salesian sister from Syria and a faculty member at Immaculata-La Salle High School in Miami. She is celebrating 25 years in religious life.

She has served in Syria, Rome, Israel-Palestine, and Egypt, dedicating her life to guiding young people in the spirit of St. John Bosco and St. Mary Mazzarello.

 Andoni Biurrarena, Florida Catholic Editor, contributed to the story.