90th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz in Saipan
March 4, 1928 will always be a reminder to the people of Saipan of God’s tender love and mercy. After the arrival of the first five Mercedarian Sisters, the sisters wrote to Mother Margarita and told her all about this special day. Mother Margarita wrote in her journal:
The sisters were welcomed with love, admiration, and gratitude. It was the first time anyone had seen nuns in Saipan. Beginning early in the morning, the majority of the inhabitants of the island had begun to congregate at the port in order to welcome them. Some arrived from far away. Later, after having witnessed the nuns come ashore, they walked as if in procession toward the church to give thanks to God for what had happened.
It has been 90 years and yet today we can still look back and give thanks to God for sending the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz (MMB) to this island. The Mercedarian Sisters have been on Saipan every day since that grace-filled day.
November 2, 1928 Seven months later, Mother Margarita arrived on Saipan on her first missionary trip. The people of Saipan welcomed Mother Margarita in the same special way as they had welcomed the other sisters. Mother Margarita, being such a prolific writer, wrote about all that she was feeling. In her own words this is what she experienced as she approached Saipan in the small boat which transferred her from the ship that brought her:
Teary-eyed and with hearts pounding, we see our Sisters surrounded with little girls at the edge of the port. …we hear from a distance, about 50 meters from the dock the sweetest echo of many voices singing the Mercedarian hymn: “Celeste cual la Reina” …the hymn of Mary the Redemptress on an island in the Pacific! It is impossible to contain our tears; the grateful heart turns to the Lord to thank Him for the mercy shown in having chosen the most poor, which we are, for such a great task.
We dock and I am the first to step on land; I don’t see anything, because at that very moment my arms stretch out to embrace by dear Daughters and I cannot say more about those joyous moments.
Then we see ourselves surrounded by the entire town; boys, men, women….We pass by all of them greeting them with affection. Elated appear those who are able to get near us with their hat in their hand to tell us a little word in Spanish. They have nice faces, a lively look and an expression of candor that I have not seen anywhere else.
We proceed to the church; there, under the canopy in the presbytery, Msgr. Rego waits for us since he arrived earlier. He directs himself to the villagers and exhorts them to thank Our Lord for the bless- ings he has bestowed upon them to bring to Saipan religious sisters who will look over the well-being of their souls. The children sing “Corazon Santo” in Chamorro; we receive the Blessing of the Prelate and surrounded by all the people, we proceed to the convent of the Jesuit Fathers. We briefly greet the Reverend Fathers de la Fuente and Gomucio and Brothers Oroquieta, Arrondo, Unamuno and Mancera; from there we go to the Sisters’ Convent.
After the Sisters visit with the Jesuit Priests and Brothers, they went to their convent and entered their little chapel. Mother Margarita described this moment:
We are in the chapel; Our Blessed Mother dressed in white is on a small altar surrounded with white flowers, looking at us with the tenderness of a Mother, at this group of her daughters that have come from so far away to make known and loved her Holy Son. The students of the school, Japanese, Chamorro and Carolinian sing in Gregorian, and they interpret well the Salutate Mariam and the Magnificat; that song of the humble, learned from the lips of the Mother of God. Our hearts become tender, Our Mother of Mercy is going to be the Queen of all the islands of the Pacific….
It is clear that the people of the Marianas were people of faith and that they understood that the arrival of the Sisters, and now the visit of Mother Margarita herself, was a gift from God. Not only did the people of Saipan experience something special, but the Sisters themselves were moved and touched by God’s mercy. For twenty five years Mother Margarita had not ventured out of the cloistered life in the convent in Berriz, but now she takes a trip around the world. So many prayers answered. So much faith and courage. So much listening to God and responding to His call of transforming the cloistered order to a missionary one. At last the Mercedarian Sisters were beginning their mission, to teach about God’s love and mercy.
The welcoming celebration continued. Mother Margarita again leaves us with the gift of her words:
At three in the afternoon it is announced that there will be a small presentation. The sweetest one was the following: A group of very little girls came out, about two or four years old, followed by girls a little older; each one would tell me a little verse and would present me with a gift; pineapples, bananas, a variety of fruits from Saipan and even a baby chick and a tender little baby duck, they were in baskets specially woven from palm leaves. The sincerity of their words and those candid eyes from which innocent souls peer – they stole my heart. More than once I had hold back tears that would come to my eyes. My first day on Saipan was filled with joy!
On Monday, November 5, 1928 Mother Margarita and a group of Sisters left for Ponape (now Pohnpei) to begin a mission there. On their way to Pohnpei, they stopped in Truk (Chuuk). Accompanying the Sisters is Bishop Rego (who had traveled with the Sisters from Tokyo) and Brother Mancera. On Thursday, November 8, they arrive in Chuuk where the Reverend Fr. Pons, Superior of the Missions, Fr. Suarez, and Fr. Hernandez join them. They are greeted by the mayor who tearfully requests that the sisters establish a mission like in Saipan and Pohnpei. They all gather including Brother Martin and Brother Casasayas. The mission in Chuuk would later become a reality in 1936.
On Sunday, November 11, 1928 at 9:30 am Mother Margarita and the Sisters arrive on Pohnpei to establish their mission there. Mother Margarita wrote that everyone was waiting for them so that they could celebrate the Holy Mass which was celebrated by Fr. Faber with Fr. Berganza serving as interpreter.
After spending a few days in Pohnpei, Mother Margarita made a brief stop back on Saipan before continuing with her travels. She wanted to personally thank those who had been supportive of the Sisters and the mission, which included the girls’ school. This is what Mother Margarita wrote in her journal about this day.
December 19, Wednesday, the girls’ school is opened for the students who have been enrolling but who had not been admitted until now due to the lack of space. Moments before I visited with the leaders of the village: They are the respected elders that help the missionaries in their work with the knowledge they have regarding the character of the community and the needs, both moral and ma- terial, of every individual.
They came at my invitation; I want to thank them for all their cooperation in establishing the school for the Sisters, furthermore, in addition to the respected elders, two Carolinian leaders and several other Chamorros (who assisted with this project the most) also come.
They arrive dressed formally in white… and after admiring the precious altar that was purchased in the factory in Zi-ka-wei, they enter the receiving room and sit around the table. I occupy the head of the table and Sister Maria Loreto is at my right side. The men are shy and do not say a word.
I tell them that I had the great desire to personally meet them and thank them for the good services they have given to the Mission, adding that I will make their names known in the house in Berriz so that the religious sisters will include them in their prayers. They eagerly give me their names; those present here: Francisco de Leon Guerrero, Jose de los Reyes, Luis Tenorio, Ignacio Lairopi, Antonio Angailen, Mariano Pangelinan, Vidal Arriola, Domingo Blanco, and Vidal Camacho.
With a little encouragement, they speak of Spain and the love that they have for the country and how much they value preserving the old customs passed on by the Spanish. They share with me how preoccupied they were with preserving the faith and religious fervor when they were left without Ger- man missionaries. In the mornings and evenings, at the time of Mass and rosary, the entire village would congregate at the sound of the bell in the church and they would recite the prayers they were accustomed to… I say goodbye and beg them to return at 10:00 a.m. since it will be the opening of the school and I wish for them to attend and represent the village.
The Mercedarian Missionaries began their work on Saipan by establishing a girls’ school in Garapan. The Sisters provided free education to all the girls that enrolled. Just a few days later, Mother Margarita would leave Saipan. Here are a few additional journal entries just before she left:
Throughout the day I receive guests who came to say good-bye. These good people, so simple and kind, want to give testimony of how much they love me; and in addition to taking the time to come, they bring whatever gifts they have, filling the house with fruits and other foods.
The gifts from the elders have touched me so much: each one has brought me a little bundle of three or four fresh eggs, tied up in a handkerchief, so that I can eat them on the trip…
And thus began a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church on Saipan and the Pacific.
(Mother Margarita Quotes taken from Viaje Misionero Alrededor del Mundo by Margarita Maturana, MMB, 4th Edition)
