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SUMMER 2010
The people of Louisiana, especially those in the Gulf Coast
region who make their living from the sea, have weathered many
storms. One of the greatest storms that happened recently was
Hurricane Katrina. Two things that everyone learned about
the people of Louisiana from this storm were 1) the courage of
the people and 2) their faith. Throughout history, it has been
the faith and courage of Louisiana’s people that have seen them
through difficult times, both personal and climatic.
Today, we are weathering another storm – a storm that will
leave devastation in its path. As usual, our people will use their
experience, their moral strength, their down-home common
sense, and their exceptional trust and faith in Our Lord to see
them through.
The Lord will not abandonHis people. He has not abandoned
them from the beginning of time and He will not now. His love
is great for all His children, especially for His Louisiana children
who through centuries of trial and tribulation have shown faith,
obedience, strength, courage and even their sense of humor
whenever danger threatens.
Papa says to all his children: “Do not be afraid. This mishap,
this tragedy will only strengthen you, will only make you more
resolved to maintain your coastline. My gift to you is that you
have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
We hear in the media not only the truth but also the fear of
the future which most people see devoid of God. Our Father is
not absent. He hears your cry for help. He will bring an answer
to your cry and needs as He has always done from the beginning
of time.
Stand strong! Use the special gifts that God gives to all
Louisianians - the ability of taking a serious situation and turning
it into a positive one - not only for your own advantage but for
the advantage of all.
In the Service of the Lord,
Sister Dulce Maria Flores
17560
George ONeal Road • Baton Rouge, LA 70817 • (225) 752-8480
E-mail:
•
The Sister Dulce Foundation, Inc.
Supporting the Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center
The Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
In the beginning…
.
With the centennial celebration of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament being held this year, we offer some insight into Maria del Refugio
Aguilar y Torres, the Mother Foundress.
The call to holiness
–
St. Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises
are without doubt the method of spiritual improvement which
has exerted most influence on the modern history of Christian-
ity. In March 1896, Father Jose Sanchez Primo, superior of the
Friars Minor in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, organized
for the first time in the town a retreat for ladies consisting of a
course of spiritual exercises. One of those who attended these
was a young widow named Maria del Refugio Aguilar de Can-
cino, who a few months earlier had entered the Secular Fran-
ciscan Order. Born in San Miguel de Allende on September
21, 1866,
the eldest of eight children, she stayed at home to
learn to read and write and acquire the attributes befitting a
housekeeper of the day. In November 1886 she married Angel
Cancino, a tax collector and man of liberal ideas, whose friend-
ship with a number of prominent politicians positioned him
for a successful career in public service. They had a son Angel,
and when they had been married for two years, they moved
to Toluca, where they had a daughter, Refugio Teresa. Some
weeks later, Cancino died from a severe bout of pneumonia.
So, at the age of 22 Maria del Refugio was now a widow with the responsibil-
ity of raising two children. Since she had staked everything on her husband’s
political career, Maria found herself destitute and moved back to her parents’
home. In March, 1891 she suffered even more sorrow when her son fell ill
and eventually died. Now, five years later, in the spiritual retreat, she experi-
ences a profound renewal deep inside her. It is now that she
realizes that man was created to worship and serve God.
Transformed by the Eucharist
–
One of the characteristic
missions of the Franciscan tertiaries at that time was to teach
the catechism in preparation for First Holy Communion.
As a catechist, Maria del Refugio realized that, in order to be
able to instill effectively in children the truths of the Catholic
faith, particularly those relating to the Eucharist, she should
make these teachings her own if she wished to find a means
of capturing something of the grandeur of the Mystery. If
the sacrament of the Eucharist is the sacrament of love, sym-
bolizing the union of Christ with the Church, it was natural
for Maria del Refugio, who was a truly Eucharistic person,
to feel the desire, impetus and need to love and serve others
and devote herself to compassionate works. Her happiness
was clouded by what she saw as the absence of God in soci-
ety and as a result, she carried out an intense ministry on be-
half of the most needy. She eventually became director and
