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Daughters of Mother Thecla Merlo In Love with Christ, Fueled By God God Chose Me A Continuous Magnificat We Are An Offering Treasured Memories of My Youth The Flowering of A Vocation My Parents' Greatest Gift Thank You, God, For Our Parents To The Daughters of St. Paul Through St. Joseph Journey of A Special Nun He Sets His Eyes On Her Three For The Lord Mother Thecla Merlo - My First Teacher God's Gift To Me Why A Daughter of St. Paul |
A Continuous MagnificatSr. Maria Pierina (Luz) Enriquez is one of the pioneers in the Philippines foundation of the Daughters of St. Paul. She was young girl of 17 when she fell in love with Christ and with the apostolate and lifestyle of the Congregation.
I was attracted to the mission of the sisters. But not just the mission, but I also admired their simplicity, humility, life of prayer and sacrifices. I remember that they visited the families until late in the afternoon, then they would still go to the church to pray for one hour. I saw that they were very tired, but they were very happy.
I entered the convent hardly with the blessing of my parents. In fact, I escaped from home and joined the sisters who were then in San Jose, Batangas. I was not yet 18, but my family could not convince me to go home, even with all their promises to let me study, go to places, and so on.
Some time after my religious profession, I was assigned in the mission. I stayed for a short time in Bombay and Rome. I was sent also to London, then to Nigeria. After that, I was transferred to Uganda, where I stayed for seven years. I returned to Rome to prepare for my assignment in Tanzania, but the visa was delayed in coming so I was sent back to the Philippines where I am spending the rest of my years.
One of my memorable experiences was my mission in London. I went visiting homes, offices and schools with an Irish sister. We were so energetic and enthusiastic that, at the end of our mission, there was not one street in London that we have not conquered.
Looking back, I have no regrets. In fact, I am very happy even now that I am already old. I celebrated my Golden Jubilee on March 19, 2000. It is such a great blessing to be in God's service and to be able to serve others through our Pauline mission. My life is a continuous magnificat to God for my vocation. I pray that young ladies may also respond to God's invitation to consecrate themselves to Him.
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I came to know about the mission of the Daughters of St. Paul through their visits to the families. They brought pamphlets and rosaries to every home. People said they were selling books but it did not appear selling to me. I saw them as God's messengers bringing the Word of God to all.
Although I entered young, I have not really missed study. In the Convent we had courses in Catechism, Scriptures, Religious Life, Vows, Morals, Apostolate and Italian. For me, they were sufficient for our kind of life and mission. I was really happy. In 1949 Father Alberione and Mother Thecla visited the Philippines for the first time. We managed to talk with them in Italian and I felt so blessed. Some months later, on March 19, 1950 Sr. Teresa Orgas and Sr. Pia Faller and I made our first profession.