well as two schools in Cuba, one in El Salvador, one in Chile, one in Spain,
one in Columbia and another in Italy. The house in Chapultepec had been
denounced to the authorities as a Catholic school and even though it had not
operated as a school since 1926, it continued to be raided by government
agents, whose inspections finally confirmed the existence of a religious com-
munity. In September, 1930 the Mercedarians were dispossessed of the only
property they owned, and which they had acquired by virtue of so much effort
and sacrifice. Maria del Refugio conveyed the news to the Sisters in the fol-
lowing words: “Recently the Lord has seen fit to let us be dispossessed of our
headquarters, which we had acquired at the cost of so many sacrifices and in
which we had invested so many hopes. Blessed be the Lord in His gifts and
may His divine will be done!”
Her last illness and death
–
In September 1936, Maria del Refugio moved
into the last house she lived in in Mexico City. A few weeks later while she was
fervently praying in the room which she had converted into a chapel, she came
down with pneumonia. After several complications, she was in a state of total
debilitation, unable to move and in great pain, which became agonizing when
attempts were made to move her; she bore her suffering with supreme patience
and resignation. On April 24, 1937 she died quite peacefully.
The memory of a woman of exemplary virtue who was devoted to the Blessed
Sacrament and anxious to share that devotion wherever she went, and indeed
with the whole world, was a source of comfort to her religious daughters,
friends and acquaintances and filled them with hope. It was not long before
they were to begin to experience the fruits of her intercessions on their be-
half in heaven. During the course of the following years, the Institute of the
Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament was to undergo a remarkable
development. Within ten years the number of houses and personnel had
doubled, and on July 22, 1948 Pope Pius XII granted it a laudatory decree.
The Foundress’ saintly reputation would continue to grow as more and more
people witnessed a change in their way of life after becoming acquainted with
the life and works of Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres.
She is a
model Christian
because, having acknowledged her human weakness
in the spiritual exercises of 1896, she sought ways of redemption through the
Eucharist; as a
model mother
because she encouraged her children to aspire
to saintly ideals; as a
model Franciscan
tertiary because she saw the value of
that form of organized apostolate and did everything possible to further its
development; as a
model catechist
because her catechizing was aimed at teach-
ing people to love and respond to the Eucharist; as a
model teacher
because
she sought to turn her teaching to an experience which would lead to the
discovery of God; as an
exemplary sister
because she
was faithful and magnanimous living according to
her vows and because she was meticulous in observ-
ing the rules; an
exemplary Mercedarian
because she
made her life and her apostolate into a work of re-
demption. On account of all these attributes it was
proposed that she be elevated to the honor of the
altars, and the cause for her canonization was for-
mally opened in 1982. Maria del Refugio, far from
being forgotten, stands out as a model of Eucharistic
living for the new millennium.
Today, the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament are teaching and sharing their love
of God in (12) countries with a membership of
over 800 Sisters.
The official Centennial Logo of
The Mercedarian Sisters of the
Blessed Sacrament
Testimonial
God Loves You
….
A Journey in Faith
God’s presence has always been strong in my life. My faith in my Father and
the love and graces He has given me is what has made me what I am today.
January 2009 my husband Ed was feeling ill. Each day he would try to eat
but always felt full. Two weeks went by and he had lost twenty five pounds.
We knew something was definitely wrong. By the time we were able to see
Dr. Rao, Ed was so weak that they had to give him fluids to get his strength
back. Dr. Rao did a GI on Ed and everything came back fine. So he ordered
a cat scan and we waited for the results on Monday.
On February 9
th
Dr. Rao called me himself at 9:00 a.m. to give me the re-
sults. I was at work when he called. Ed has gallbladder cancer. The cancer had
invaded into the liver and lymph nodes and the cancer was in fourth stage.
Oh God - how was I going to tell my husband this devastating news. I wept
as I drove home and prayed, “Please God - give me the strength to tell Ed.”
I felt my life at that moment was falling apart. I just kept praying, “Oh God
my husband has cancer. Please God help us.” Ed knew something was wrong
when he saw my face. I tried to stay strong for him. I told Ed how much I
loved him and told him the news.
Dr. Rao made an appointment for us to see an oncologist that same morn-
ing. We didn’t have time to talk to each other much about the situation. We
had to hurry to the doctor’s appointment for eleven o’clock. I called our
children to meet us there. The doctor saw the results and sent us straight to
the hospital. Ed was so weak he could hardly walk. Everything was happen-
ing too fast. “Oh God please heal Ed,” I kept saying to myself. I held on to
my hope and faith in God during our stay in the hospital. I saw how God
was working in our lives. During the two weeks we were in the hospital, I
realized it was God’s will being fulfilled - not ours. So I held on to God and
my faith. The love, prayers and support of our family and friends is what kept
us going. We were so grateful.
When we came home from the hospital we knew there was nothing more
they could do for him. Ed had a peg tube inserted to feed him and he was too
weak for treatment. I stayed home with Ed for two months and took care of
him. Hospice came in but I wanted to take care of my husband. I did what
ever it took to keep him comfortable. We shared our thoughts and all the
wonderful things we had done together. He was my life and I was seeing him
lose his, but he never gave up. Ed fought to the end.
Ed wanted to see Sister Dulce so we called for an appointment and by the
grace of God we saw her the very next week. Sister prayed over Ed and the
presence of God was so strong. After her visit with him, Sister asked me to
stay in the room so she could talk to me. She told me Ed was going home to
Papa. I knew and began to cry. Sister Dulce told me that I would be strong
and ok. I had to hold on to my faith. I was losing my husband. Then and
there I had to hold on to God’s love and strength.
With the help of my wonderful daughter, friends and family we took care of
Ed. He knew that his time was near. He would ask, “ Am I going to die?” I
said yes and told him to hold on to God and not look back.
God gave Ed the graces of humility and love. Every time someone came to
visit he would cry and tell them how much he loved them. I grew from that
experience. God gave me the vision that I had to let go so Ed could reach for
God. It was hard but with the love and humility my husband had, I knew he
would be with God in heaven.
On Palm Sunday April 5, 2009
,
Ed left this world to be with his Lord. God
is good and he is caring me through this journey. Sometimes it’s not easy but
I know I can turn to God my Father to get me thru each day of my life until
he calls
me
home.
God loves each and every one of us. Thank You God - I love you,
Mickie Richard
