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Sr. Maria Angélica received her habit as a Cistercian nun this past January 15 at the monastery of Our Lady of Fatima in Itataré, a town in the southern Brazilian state of São Paulo.
Part of the ceremony involves the novice’s hair being cut short. A video of that moment, shared on Facebook by Michael Ledesma, has now received nearly 430,000 views, thanks in great part to the radiant joy that the young woman transmits with her smile and her gestures.
Ledesma explains, in the text accompanying the video:
The beauty of Catholicism: Vocation to the consecrated life — A novice full of joy on the day of her reception of the habit. The ceremony of the haircut is a symbol of her consecration to Christ, detaching herself from the finery of the world and from vanities, since in the world so much emphasis is placed on a woman’s hair. It’s a sign of total self-giving, that she is giving all her natural beauty so that her life may be hidden in Christ. Her hair becomes an offering to God and will be replaced by the veil, a sign of her total surrender to Our Lord.
If you are looking for a biblical basis, read Acts 18:18 and Numbers 6:1-18…
Her cut hair is placed in a basket and symbolically offered to Christ.
In the video, Sr. Maria Angélica has a captivating smile, and shows visible emotion and contagious enthusiasm, so the images have inspired hundreds of thousands of Internet users both in Brazil and around the world.
It’s not clear who recorded the video. The name, date, and location of the ceremony were reported by ChurchPOP in Portuguese.
Ledesma, who according to his Facebook profile lives in New York City, has publicly shared many other Facebook posts on “the beauty of Catholicism,” showing everything from children praying to the beautiful architecture of Catholic churches around the world.
And today we celebrate...