"We needed a certain amount of 'craziness'."

Sr. Reme Rodríguez, SHM

"Although I experienced the vertigo of this new experience, I couldn’t stop thanking God and Our Lady for it."
"I see the hands of Our Lord and Our Lady guiding and sustaining us. I see their patience, their mercy."

How did everything begin?

In my case, I had a restlessness of the calling of God ever since I was little. I understood it clearly when I was sixteen years old. Later on, Fr. Rafael went to my parish when he was still a seminarian, to help the parish priest with a youth group. I loved those meetings. They made me reflect. They cleared up my doubts and they brought me closer to God.
We made our first commitment with the Home and I felt like a fish in the water. I liked everything. When I felt moved to take a step towards finding the place that the Lord had ready for me, where he was calling me to give myself to Him, the thought of having to leave the Home made me a little restless. I spoke to Fr. Rafael, my spiritual director, about all of this and he told me that he hoped that there would be one day when in the Home there would be a possibility that I could consecrate myself totally to God. That filled me with joy and tranquility. I said to myself, “When there are religious sisters in the Home, I’ll enter with them.” Who would have known that I was going to be one of the first sisters? It didn’t even cross my mind.

When did this call start to take form?

In September of 1984. When Fr. Rafael spoke to us who were closest to him about the possibility of taking a step towards beginning to live the life of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, I was so happy. And although I experienced the vertigo of this new experience, I couldn’t stop thanking God and Our Lady for it.

What was the hardest thing to face?

I don’t know, maybe sensing that we weren’t understood. I also remember that at the beginning the first renouncements were hard. Beginning to live poverty and obedience. But I also experienced that it is easier to give everything than just to give a part.

Did it ever seem crazy to you?

Now I understand that those from outside saw it as a craziness. Even looking back it seems like we needed a certain amount of “craziness” to do all that we did. However, I realize that in that moment it didn’t seem crazy at all and I was surprised to see that others thought so. All institutes have their beginning and to me everything that we were doing seemed normal.

Evidently in a work like this you have to live trusting God. How did the Servant Sisters do that?
We abandoned ourselves in God’s hands, in His providence, in letting ourselves be guided by Him towards what in conscience we thought that we had to do, although we allowed Him to change our plans. We tried not to get nervous and to accept what came, “If He wants it, then so do I.”

When you look back what do you see?

I see the hands of Our Lord and Our Lady guiding and sustaining us. I see their patience, their mercy. I see the many faces of people who have been at our side and who now, for different reasons, are no longer with us. For example Mamie. I see the dreams and projects that we had. I see how many unknowns were revealed. I see how we are growing in age, in number, and hopefully also in virtue and holiness. I see how God has transformed us.

How would you resume the first moments of the Servant Sisters?

A time of grace, of a lot of joy. Also a time of battle and sometimes some sufferings, but when they have passed, they are really in a second level. The moments of joy are far above all that.

Fr. Rafael is the founder of the Servant Sisters, how would you define him? What was your relationship with him from the beginning?

Like a father. With a lot of zeal for souls, with a big heart that is concerned about everyone. What called my attention from the beginning was the strength with which he showed us the truth and his love for the Blessed Mother that he transmitted to us without saying anything special.
My relationship with him from the beginning was very close, one of a child with her father and at the same time a relationship of respect. He always had a lot of confidence in us and gave us responsibilities although he was always close by.

Is the cross necessary in a work of God? Can you tell us about this in the Servant Sisters?

The Cross is a blessing from God, a sign of His love although at that moment it can be a little difficult. The cross is necessary because it matures you, because it identifies you with Christ. After every suffering we have been strengthened.

How did you live the coming of the first vocations?

With joy and at the same time naturally. It seemed evident to me that the Lord would send us sisters. At the same time we were convinced that even if no other vocations came, that this form of life had helped us to love God more and to fulfill His will and thus reach sanctity. We thought that that was enough of a reason for the existence of the Servant Sisters.

Have there been key moments in the lives of the Servant Sisters?

Many. The first step that we took, which although it was simple, was what began this whole adventure. Our first vows in Nazareth, the approval of the Church, the first foreign vocation, the sisters who began to come, each new foundation… Because each one of these things is a sign that Our Mother is behind it all, that God has blessed us.

What do you say to the current sisters when you look towards the future sisters?

What Father has said to us many times. That we are in times of foundation that although we reach 5000, we have to keep in mind that we are the first 5000 and all the responsibility that this entails, of the fidelity to the charism to be able to transmit it to those who come behind us.

Would you do it all over if you were born again? Why?

If that was the will of God, of course I would, because the only thing that I have sought and would want to seek if I were born again, would be to do God’s will.

How did you imagine the future of the Servant Sisters?

Very different. On one hand, I thought things would go quicker, on the other hand I thought that things would go slower. God is the one who marks the rhythm. Was what I imagined what God wanted? What is important is to reach the will of God and be faithful to it.

What did the approval of the Church mean for the Servant Sisters?

A great joy because with the approval, the Church was telling us, “Go ahead! You’re on the right path, now you have to live this life faithfully, giving fruit…”

What do you think when a new young woman arrives who wants to be a Servant Sister?

That Our Mother has brought her. That She is the one who makes the young woman see here what her heart desires, what she feels called to.
I also think that in the same way that it seemed to me that the Lord had made the Servant Sisters come into being thinking about me, He also does the same thing thinking about each one of those whom He has chosen and that He is going to call.
I think, as well, of the responsibility to be faithful to what God expects from us and to transmit it faithfully and clearlyso that those who come, grasp it correctly, so they can also live it because they have been called to live the same thing that we who began it all are.

Would you consider the Blessed Virgin Mary the foundress of the Servant Sisters?

Yes, She inspired it all. She sustains it. She, out of sheer grace, is amongst us and She makes it noted sometimes despite our poverty and limitations.

What is the mission of the Servant Sisters in the Home and in the Church?

The Servant Sisters have to be, in some way, a reflection of the Blessed Virgin. We have to be mothers and older sisters who are always ready to serve, to seek the good of others, especially their spiritual good. We have to be there to sustain, to encourage, to bring the youth and children and everyone close to the Eucharist, to Our Mother. This is also our mission in the Church. Living it with simplicity, without making too much noise, without calling attention to themselves. Like Our Lady.

"It seemed evident to me that the Lord would send us sisters."