Dear young woman,

For you who are wondering about life, and what is best; maybe you’ve even wondered what God’s plan is for calling you to life, and how you can discover it.To you, young woman, who feels full of life and dreams to achieve, I want to share a bit of my life with you. Sometimes it’s interesting to hear stories of other people who, like you, asked the same questions and now grateful and happy for the way they found their path.

I’ll start by saying that I’m 83 years old and belong to the generation that has lived through the most numerous changes in history. And for that, I feel grateful. Religious Life has evolved a lot, and I experienced it as an advocate for change and adapting to the new needs of our world.

My vocation story begins in my childhood. A book by Saint Therese, “Story of a Soul,” fell into my hands. She was a woman in love and fascinated by Jesus. I identified with her and from then on, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to God.

There were no nuns in my village, but I met Maria Luisa, who became my best friend. Together, we shared our dreams of becoming nuns and missionaries like Saint Therese, who became the Matroness of Missionaries without ever leaving her convent. Therese was passionate about making Jesus known and loved.

To attend high school, we moved to Chihuahua City, where I enrolled in my beloved school, Instituto América, run by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. There were many young sisters in the community who were always cheerful and approachable.

Later in high school, a good friend appeared, and I told him about my call to be a nun. He said it didn’t matter, and that we should try to be a couple. I agreed because I was attracted to the idea of having a boyfriend. We dated for a year, but since he was older, his intention was to marry and take me to New York, where he had his business.

At the same time, my philosophy teacher, who was Italian, offered me a scholarship to study in Italy. My parents knew about my three options after high school: join the Sisters of my school’s congregation, accept the scholarship, or get married.

I fell in love with my boyfriend and was attracted to the scholarship, but a small light inside me told me that I knew what my heart longed for the most. At the end of May, there was a ceremony at school for the crowning of Mary. Those who had taken communion all month were chosen to carry her large mantle, under which all the students would pass while praying the Rosary. I hadn’t taken communion for the entire month, so I sadly watched, knowing I wouldn’t carry Mary’s mantle. The Principal, who was a Sister told me I should carry the mantle anyway. I believe it was God’s providence. I walked in that procession with great tears, feeling unworthy to be there but grateful that Mary allowed me to be. I don’t know how it happened, but at that moment I made my decision with great strength. I decided to join our congregation that Fall.

After that, I felt so happy that everything seemed transformed. Ending my relationship with my boyfriend was tough, and the scholarship didn’t matter anymore. It was hard to see my parents cry, as I was their eldest daughter. But I can’t describe the joy I felt thinking that my greatest love was Jesus and that I would dedicate my life to Him. My years in the novitiate were delightful. We were a large group. The day of my profession brought great peace to my heart.

The story of my life in the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word could fill a book. I can say that my relationship with Jesus carried me through all. I found my family in the Community, and my life passed through all the ministries our Congregation. I worked in our schools, in small mission towns like the Tarahumara and Veracruz. I longed to be with the poorest and most vulnerable, and those years in Popular Pastoral deeply marked my life. I also worked in hospitals doing health pastoral care, in the formation of new members in the Novitiate, and in leadership teams of our Congregation.

Our charism is to embody the compassionate and merciful love of God as Jesus, the Incarnate Word. Each ministry came with great graces from God, always with a focus on the most needy. I thank the Lord for allowing me to work for God’s Kingdom. I believe this is the Congregation God chose for me, and I love it with all my heart.

Now, Saint Therese, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross, all doctors of the Church, are my great teachers, especially my Founder, bishop Claude Maria Dubuis, who had a great missionary spirit. I didn’t get a scholarship to Italy, but I did in Spain, where I studied Pastoral Theology. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world, including some countries in Africa.

Now I dedicate myself to giving spirituality workshops, mainly via Zoom, to the collaborators of our various Ministries, and I am part of the RAHAMIN Network which is a network of nuns against human trafficking. As long as God gives me life and health, I want to pass on the torch of our Spirituality and charism to the many lay people who become part of the great family of the Incarnate Word. Additionally, I live in the central house in Mexico, where I did my novitiate, and I have more time to be with Jesus in prayer and visit my sisters who are sick.

Dear young woman, I know that each person is unique, and the task is to be the best version of oneself possible. I wish that whatever your vocation is, you live it with love and great passion.