Fire of the Gospel in a missionary Church

Rome (Italy). Among the initiatives in preparation for the 150^th anniversary of the departure of the first missionaries from Mornese to Uruguay (1877-2027), the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians presents the biography of Sister María del Carmen Martín-Moreno (1918 – 2001), a missionary who welcomed and nourished in her life the “fire of the Gospel” that had attracted her from her youth, thus placing her in the heart of the missionary Church.

In the presentation of the volume, “Fire of the Gospel in a Missionary Church – María del Carmen Martín-Moreno FMA”, Mother Yvonne Reungoat, Superior General emerita, states, “It is necessary to keep alive not only in the Institute, but in the Church and in today’s society, the memory of this authentic FMA and to make known to the new generations the beauty of an existence entirely open to God, fascinated by His Presence and, therefore, able to tune with Him in bringing to many of His sons and daughters the joy of the Gospel.”

The author of the biography is Sister Ciriaca Hernández, who was secretary to Sister María del Carmen during her years as General Councilor of the Institute (1969-1984) and who carefully reconstructs her profile based on rich documentation as well as personal experience.

The sources from which the author draws are handwritten letters and memoirs of Mother Carmen, testimonies of family members, especially her Jesuit nephew, Father Juan Bosco Manuel Martín-Moreno, and many FMA. Sister Ciriaca accompanied Mother Carmen during the canonical visits to the Provinces and the most distant and isolated missions. As was the custom, the Secretary wrote the Chronicles and detailed reports, which were then handed over to the General Archive of the FMA Institute.

The biography is enriched by a section dedicated to the historical-socio-cultural context in twentieth century Spain written by Sister Concepción Benito of the Spanish Province Mary Help of Christians (SPA), which traces the coordinates in which to place the life and mission of Mother Carmen.

In the Stages of a journey of growth and maturation, the author focuses on the deeply Christian family into which Mother Carmen was born and on the origins of her vocation. The nephew, a Jesuit priest, says that, “Aunt Carmina [as she was affectionately called] looked for a Congregation dedicated above all to the education of poor girls. He did not know the Salesian Sisters at all, but when she learned that they were dedicated to poor girls, she wanted to enter together with a friend, and the two went to the house that the FMA had in the area of Tetuán in Madrid asking to be admitted into the Institute.” She had already cultivated a deep missionary impulse, supported and guided by the accompaniment of Fr. Angel Sagarminaga y Mendieta, first Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain (1926-1968).

After her first profession (6 August 1943), Sister Carmen is in the community of  Mary Help of Christians College of the Provincial House of Madrid Villaamil until 1952. She is then appointed Superior of a new foundation, Burgos Barriada Juan Yagüe, a suburb inhabited by immigrant families. That experience, in which Sister Carmen could express creativity and apostolic passion, lasted for a short time. After several years as Superior in other Houses with complex and demanding works, she was appointed Provincial of the Province of Barcelona, Spain (1961 – 1968) and then that of Caracas, Venezuela, where she remained only until October 1969.

The biography then retraces the experience of Mother Carmen, who was elected General Councilor, with the task of coordinating the “Documentation and Press Section of the Institute”, during the special General Chapter held in Rome in 1969. During the General Chapter of 1975, she was elected as a Visiting Councilor, according to the new organization. At the 1981 General Chapter, she was elected Councilor for the Missions. Her rich experience allows her to follow the missionaries, accompanying their formation before departure and during their service. She continues the visits, but now goes to places where the presence of the FMA is to start or is just beginning.

On the death of the Superior General, Mother Rosetta Marchese (8 March 1984), the General Chapter is convened. Mother Carmen expresses her desire not to be re-elected and is sent as a missionary to Equatorial Guinea. She writes, “I always feel very happy to be a missionary and I thank the Lord for having granted me, even if at the time of old age, to be a missionary.” In 1998, due to her fragile health, she returned to Spain, to Madrid.

In 2001, at the time of her death, “due to a gift of the loving Providence of God” Sister Ciriaca Hernández is beside her “to gather her last breath full of peace and abandonment to the Lord.”