Sr. Georgiya Mariya Shchavij, SSMI, of our Serbian Province of St. Joseph, renewed her commitment to serve the Lord in the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, on August 8, 2009, at Mount Mary Retreat Center in Ancaster, ON. Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the chapel of the school building, by Rev. Myron Chimy, OSBM. Sr. Georgiya renewed her vows before the Blessed Sacrament, just before the distributing of Holy Communion.

Sr. Georgiya, born in Ukraine, entered the Serbian Province of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate. True to her missionary spirit, she volunteered to come to Canada, to experience mission life overseas. She arrived shortly after Easter, and had been in Toronto and Ancaster, helping in various areas of service and learning English, until late August. In the time surrounding her renewal, she was part of the support services team, for the week of our Provincial Chapter, which was then in session.

Sr. Georgiya is missioned at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Winnipeg, MB, for the 2009-10 school year. She is a teacher's assistant to Sr. Anne Pidskalny, SSMI, in the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes. Her facility with crafts and her fondness of and ease with children will serve her well, as she continues her Canadian mission at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, the only school in Canada presently owned and operated by the SSMI.