We are delighted to share this testimony, originally published on the Facebook page of Vida Cristiana en Cuba, which, as it explains, tells the story of two Spanish Daughters of Jesus who, now in their retirement years, said \u201cyes\u201d to Cuba.<\/p>\n\n
The text: \u201c\ud835\udde5\ud835\udde2\ud835\udde6\ud835\uddd4 \ud835\uddec \ud835\uddd8\ud835\udde1\ud835\udde5\ud835\udddc\ud835\udde4\ud835\udde8\ud835\uddd8\ud835\udde7\ud835\uddd4, \ud835\uddd9\ud835\udddc: \ud835\uddd8\ud835\udddf \ud835\uddd6\ud835\udde8\ud835\uddd4\ud835\udde5\ud835\udde7\ud835\udde2 \ud835\udde9\ud835\udde2\ud835\udde7\ud835\udde2 \ud835\uddd8\ud835\udde1 \ud835\udddf\ud835\uddd4 \ud835\uddd8\u201cFROM THE JUDICIAL BRANCH,\u201d written by Raquel N\u00fa\u00f1ez Caro<\/strong>, is shared in its entirety below.<\/p>\n\n \u201cTelling the story of Rosa Orts Gonzalvez and Enriqueta Seva Ortu\u00f1o\u2014in broad strokes, the two nuns of the Daughters of Jesus congregation, known as the \u2018Jesuitinas\u2019\u2014is a task filled with admiration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Both are originally from Elche, in the Valencian Community, and they share many similarities\u2014or \u201cdiosidences\u201d: they were born in the same place and entered religious life in Granada on September 24, 1981, where they spent their postulancy, novitiate, and juniorate together\u2014the three initial stages of formation in any order or congregation. Once these stages were complete, they never again served in the same community, although they carried out nearly identical pastoral work: serving in rural areas, with Romani and migrant communities, and at the congregation\u2019s schools and public schools. <\/p>\n\n However, a challenge they had never imagined awaited them: coming to America, as they say in Spain, after having already reached retirement age\u2014at least officially speaking.<\/p>\n\n This is where the fourth vow comes into play. In religious life, there are the three canonical vows, known to all: chastity, poverty, and obedience. For some congregations, however, there may be a fourth vow; for example, the Jesuits\u2019 vow of obedience to the pope is well known. Well, the Daughters of Jesus also have one: the vow of availability. <\/p>\n\n That is why, when faced with the assignment offered by their Superior General, they said yes, quite naturally and without doubting that Cuba was where God wanted them in this new stage of their lives. It is curious that, months earlier, the Mother General had sent letters to the communities asking for volunteers to come to Cuba; they did not respond, and yet they were the ones chosen. In this, we believers see the light of the Holy Spirit in the discernment of the superiors. It was symbolic that the Mother General communicated the decision regarding the new mission to them on December 3, the feast day of Francis Xavier, the great missionary and patron saint of those who go to bring Jesus Christ to distant lands. <\/p>\n\n And in Cuba\u2014which sounds easy to say, but those of us who make our way through this land know it isn\u2019t\u2014we are living through the worst social, economic, political, and migration crisis of the past sixty years.<\/p>\n\n Rosa and Enriqueta arrived on this island on July 28, 2023. They were welcomed in Havana by Sr. Raquel Amigot, FI, and quickly made their way to Bayamo, where the Jesuit Sisters live and work. As I spoke with them, I asked about their first impressions: when they arrived at the Bayamo bus terminal, it seemed to them like a place ravaged by war, and one of them recalled the stories her father used to tell her about the Spanish Civil War. Despite this, however, they were happy and confident. <\/p>\n\n Today, they carry out a wide range of pastoral work. Rosa works at the diocese\u2019s formation center, where she serves as coordinator, and she travels to the outlying neighborhoods for celebrations of the Word and adult catechumenate programs. As she puts it: \u201cI also devote myself to managing everyday life: standing in line, running errands, making the most of the hours when the power is on, and everything else that we ordinary Cubans know is part of getting through the day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n Enriqueta\u2014Enri, as she\u2019s called\u2014also devotes herself to \u201cmaking everyday life work,\u201d but not her own or her sisters\u2019, rather that of many vulnerable elderly people, for whom she stands in line at the pharmacy\u2014often getting up as early as 4 a.m.\u2014and brings them Holy Communion. Above all, she dedicates her time to ministering to them: spending time with them, especially those who are most lonely. In addition, she helps out at the cathedral, in the choir, and with whatever else is asked of her. <\/p>\n\n And, as if all that weren\u2019t enough, every fifteen days they go up to Buey Arriba, a large town in the Sierra Maestra, and spend the weekend at the parish, doing everything that needs to be done there, alongside Fr. Karol, a Polish missionary.<\/p>\n\n At the end of the article, each of them shares a few words with us\u2014whether as a wish, a piece of advice, or, why not, even a rallying cry. <\/p>\n\n Enri’s are: <\/p>\n\nTwo Lives United by \u201cDifferences of Faith\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
The Fourth Vow: Availability<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
Arrival in Cuba<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
The Pastoral Work of Rosa and Enriqueta<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
Words That Remain<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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