For most of us, birthdays are milestones, seen both as the accomplishment of completing another year of our lives and as an opportunity to consider what we desire for the years to come. For Sr. Iluminada Soto, O.S.F., every day is a gift.
On Oct. 31, Sr. Iluminada celebrated her 106th birthday at the St. Francis Home for the Aged in Santa Ana. Bishop Kevin Vann and Joan Patten, Delegate for Consecrated Life, joined Sr. Iluminada and her community for a birthday celebration with her community and the residence of the St. Francis Home. She was given a special lunch and then entertained by a Mariachi band and dancers. She also received a Certificate of Special Recognition from the United Stated Congress House of Representatives.
Sr. Iluminada Soto, O.S.F. has been a Franciscan Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Conception for 82 years. She is most grateful for “the love of God which has been with me always and who invited me to move into my vows so I could serve Him. My vocation is a privilege.”
The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception have served the elderly at the St. Francis Home for the Aged for over 80 years in Santa Ana. They are also present in Mexico and throughout California.