Last Saturday, March 15, in an emotional ceremony held at the house of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity of Vedruna, the community of Residencial Alejandrino paid tribute and farewell to Sisters Mari del Carmen Robles and Virgenmina and Myriam Rivera, who currently represent the last active presence of this congregation in Puerto Rico.
The activity was organized by former and current residents of the Alejandrino Residence, a community that for more than five decades was the center of the religious, educational and social work of the sisters after the voluntary closure of the Vedruna School in the late 1960s. Far from withdrawing, the sisters opted for a radical immersion experience: living in equality with the community, sharing their joys, experiences and needs.
From this commitment to service in proximity, they developed a house of welcome and community leadership training, seeking solutions to family and social problems of the environment together with the people. This mission gave rise to multiple transforming initiatives: summer camps, family retreats and retreats, recreational activities, plays, sports carnivals and cultural meetings, all with the same purpose: to strengthen the family and social fabric from the very heart of the community.
As a result of this commitment, the Joaquina de Vedruna Educational Center was also born, an institution that complemented this work through comprehensive educational programs for children and young people from the residential and neighboring communities. This center became a beacon for combating addiction, fostering character, offering educational opportunities and promoting the integral development of children and youth affected by school dropout and vulnerable environments.
It is also worth mentioning the sisters’ collaboration with the CREA Homes, a key initiative within their educational and social mission. In alliance with this organization, human and spiritual formation programs were promoted for young people in the process of rehabilitation, providing tools for the transformation of their lives, social reintegration and character strengthening from a Christian perspective.
The center’s after-hours program offered tutoring, psychosocial support, art workshops, reading promotion, recreational activities, library and counseling services for both children and their families. Its impact was such that it touched the lives of entire generations in Alejandrino and surrounding areas.
The farewell activity was attended by people from different generations who have lived in the residence since 1968 and who participated, at different times, in the initiatives of the sisters, whom they affectionately called simply “the Sisters”. The activity was filled with anecdotes and memories shared by those present, many of whom were direct participants in the programs promoted by the sisters. As a symbolic gesture of gratitude, a parchment was presented with a message of thanks from the Alejandrino Residence community, and a flag made through a mosaic of art, the “Monoestrellada” of Puerto Rico, recognizing the value of so many sisters who left their homeland to be planted on this island, and because they are recognized as distinguished citizens of our country.
The tribute was filled with gratitude, emotions and shared memories. It recognized the courage, sacrifice and dedication with which these women served the most vulnerable, embodying the Christian values of love, justice and compassion.
Although today their presence is reduced to three sisters, and some are in the process of transitioning to other missions in Puerto Rico and Peru, the legacy of their time in Alejandrino remains alive. Their footprints are inscribed in the history, the heart and the identity of a community that grew up with them, because of them and thanks to them.
Her departure is not a farewell, but a testimony of a cycle fulfilled with fidelity to the charism of Joaquina de Vedruna, which continues to beat in every life touched by service!
José Luis Morales, former director of the Joaquina de Vedruna Educational Center.
