DAY 4

A deep and serene gaze upon life makes it easier to live the events and experiences that will come from the heart… and to notice the signs of God’s presence there. God walked before Raphaela and Dolores. They were convinced of his presence in everything they experienced and he illuminated the eyes of their soul to see and understand in the depths …

There were some events that marked their lives in especially profound ways: the death of their mother and of their brother Enrique were among these. In a way, these events prepared them and instructed in the way of dispossession, of not grasping or clinging to anything but Christ. They learned to live with open hands and hearts before God and others and, following Christ in the Church, poured themselves into prayer and service to those most in need.

On February 13, 1874, they left their town definitively and went to the convent of the Poor Clares of Santa Cruz to discern their vocation. The diocese of Cordoba offered them two different paths: one led to a boarding school run by the Salesian Sisters, and their invitation to “be the last.” The other was a new mission with the Society of Mary Reparatrix … At this juncture they again said “yes”; the total gift of their lives and of their goods was constant as they walked deeper into their vocation.

On March 1, 1875, they began their religious life in their own house that gave rise to the new convent. There, within 19 months, together with other young women -some hailing from wealthy families and others who had been servants- they learned what it meant to live the vows and about life in community, all within the spirituality of Saint Ignatius. It was a new Institute, not subject to the traditional cloister but rather with an apostolic purpose in the service of the universal Church.

Difficulties arose and the Reparitrix Sisters left. The group of young women continued to seek to respond to God’s will for them. Raphaela was chosen to lead the group, while Dolores also played a key role.

When the diocesan Church wanted to modify important features of the fledgling Institute, the young sisters respectfully but firmly held their ground. Among them there was a unanimous understanding: their Rules were those of Saint Ignatius and they did not want to give that up, because they felt that that was what God was calling them to.

When the bishop insisted, they agreed to seek out a place where they could live out what they felt God was calling them to. Fearless, brave, and guided by the constant and discerned response to God’s invitation, those 14 young women set out secretly one night bound for Andújar and taking refuge in the Hospital of the Daughters of Charity. Dolores and another sister stayed behind and faced the Bishop’s questions and exasperation when he discovered that they had left the house of San Roque. The sisters’ trust was in the Lord and that sustained and strengthened them during those uncertain and challenging early days.