On August 5, feast of Our Lady of the Snows, the island of enchantment was dressed in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity to this land so dear to so many sisters who sowed the seed of the Vedruna charism.
In 1959 the first Spanish Srs. In 1959 the first Spanish Sisters, Sisters Irene and Anita González-Quevedo together with Dolores Aguado, with backpack in hand we would say now, full of love and disposition disembarked on our soil invited by Father Quevedo, to start the University of Ponce.
In 1961 the island was touched by God when the famous Vedruna School was built, which contributed so much to Puerto Rican families, and where the Sisters dedicated themselves to sowing and nurturing the seed of the teaching of Joaquina Vedruna. The Sisters dedicated themselves to sow and fertilize the seed of the teaching of Joaquina Vedruna. They began their task with 64 students and their student body grew to more than 900. This small island, small in size but with giant hearts, was blessed by the presence of these agile sisters, determined to work in the formation of women in Christian education.
Today we celebrate it with great pride, remembering with so much affection each of the sisters who helped form us as unique women marking a path of light. Four are present today, Iris Rivera, María del Carmen Robles and Virgenmina and Ada Mirian Rivera, the others in the firmament illuminating our paths.
We began the celebration in San Juan de Puerto Rico with a Eucharist in the same place where the Vedruna School was located. For the former students it was a magical place, full of memories and a lot of life. Feliciano Rodriguez, concelebrated by Fr. Moisés Capuchin and Fr. Jorge Amber, SJ. The readings were focused on love, that love that Joaquina said that ‘Never says Enough’ and as the Puerto Ricans say ‘LOVE OF THE GOOD’, like the one received by the sisters, who brought us closer to the love of our God. Also present were Srs. Epifania de la Cruz (Dominican Republic), Carmen Migdalia (USA) and Marisol Sanchez (Provincial Team) and many alumnae were also present. In a special way, the general and provincial teams were present with their letters of greetings to the whole family for such a great occasion. (You can read them by downloading the PDFs at the end of this article).
They say that the festivities are known by the vespers, so on August 3, the community of Aibonito, founded in 1979, a small community of insertion in a popular environment, with welcoming people, prepared an emotional Eucharist in gratitude for the legacy of love to our communities.
Sr. Iris Rivera, CCV encouraged us to take part in the celebration and reminded us that “Today is a day filled with joy and excitement. It is a reminder of how valuable the time we share is and how important we are to each other. With this celebration we remember how we arrived and how we responded to current realities because we want to continue with the closeness and simplicity that has characterized us. It is a propitious moment to remember the sisters who are no longer physically present, but whose influence endures. Each one of us has traveled her own path, facing challenges, celebrating achievements. Today, those paths cross again, and it is as if time has not passed. The joy of seeing their faces, hearing their laughter and feeling their affection is indescribable.
We take this moment to be grateful for every moment shared and to promise that, no matter what the future holds, we will always find a way to meet again as a Vedruna family.
Some of our experiences
Marisol Casas, alumna
“It was a time for sharing, toasts, songs, sponge cake, songs and even “pleneros” (percussion instrument). We felt nostalgia, love, friendship and companionship and above all a deep gratitude to the sisters for dedicating their lives to the welfare of Puerto Ricans without expecting anything in return.”
Sr. Mirian Rivera, CCV
The celebration meant a lot to me. It was a thanksgiving for the love and participation, a gift to the congregation for all the sisters who still remain (four) and for those who have passed, the joy of the alumnae of the Vedruna school, and representatives of almost all the communities where the Vedruna Carmelites have been present.
Sr. Virgenmina Rivera, CCV
I am heartily grateful for these 75 years of Vedruna presence in this land. Collect the history lived in the different communities where we have been and shared. Aibonito, Ponce, Caguas, Narajito, Rio Piedras, Caimito and the works developed in the Vedruna College, in the Center of re-education Crea, C.E. Joaquina de Vedruna, the University Residence, in the pastoral mission, in the Biblical and liturgical formation, living the Gospel and sowing the Vedruna Charism. To thank the alumnae who organized the celebration, to thank the fruits sown by so many sisters who passed through this land and whose harvest we reap today.
Sr. María del Carmen Robles, CCV
The celebration in Aibonito has been an impressive experience for me, to see how warmly we were received that day, even though we no longer live there, and all that they had prepared for us. The Eucharist was very emotional and full of details, kisses and hugs. Also the sharing with the people, not to mention the cake, gifts, attentions. I will never forget the years lived in Aibonito, we were a community of 4 sisters: Nieves de la Rubiera, Eneida Torres, Haydee Rodriguez and myself, among others who passed. A mission inserted in that welcoming and simple town. We dedicated ourselves to education in the public school, to visiting the sick in the hospital and in the homes, to biblical formation, to the formation of the communities…, in short, we participated in the life of the parish in a very committed and communitarian way. So many years in this land of Borinquen that I can say from the heart that I feel Puerto Rican born in Spain.
“THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AND FOR MAKING THIS REUNION AN UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT. MAY THE JOY OF THIS DAY BE WITH US ALWAYS!”
Lizzie Corujo, alumna and Sr. Marisol Sanchez, CCV
