[In preparation for the 90th Anniversary of the arrival of the MMB Sisters to Saipan on March 4th, we desire to share with you (with slight editing) the original series authored by Sr. Mary Ann Becmer, MMB in 2002-3. She is now a General Councilor of the community in Rome.]
As we reflect back on the 90 years since our Community ar- rived to Saipan, we cannot help but ponder how it all began. What are the roots and wings that made “ the Dream” come true? And how is it that cloistered nuns – thou- sands of miles and a world away from their monastery – arrived in the Mariana and Caroline Islands in 1928?
As in all good stories, it begins long, long ago. The Mercedarian tree has very deep roots – as far back as the 13th century! In 1218, Peter Nolasco, Raymond Penafort and King James of Spain each experienced a startling and unique revelation of Mary. This was the beginning of “the Dream”. Under Mary’s request, protection and title of Mother of Mercy, they were to found an “Order of Mercy” dedicated to freeing Christian captives of the Moors – especially those who were in danger of losing their faith. These “Mercedarians” ransomed the captives, not only with money, but also exchanged their own lives for them when needed. From its’ earliest beginnings, the Order was characterized by a Fourth Vow, in addition to the usual three religious vows, a vow “to remain captive, if necessary, even if there were danger of losing life, in order to redeem the faithful of Christ.” Over the centuries, as many as 1,500 Mercedarian martyrs gave their lives for their sisters and brothers, in fidelity to this vow.
This Redemptive Spirit, in imitation of Christ the Redeemer, was the heart of the Charism – the gift to the Church and the world – that was passed on through the centuries by the men and women of the Order. It was the Redemptive Spirit that was at the heart of the convent of Berriz founded in 1550. This Mercedarian Monastery of Vera-Cruz was nestled in the majestic mountains of the Basque country in northern Spain, rather isolated from the rest of the world. The cloistered Mercedarian nuns there lived a life of solitude, deep prayer and consecration through their religious vows and Redemptive Spirit. They were few and they were poor, yet they continued living the spirit of the ancient Order of Mercy. As a means of survival and in response to an immense desire for some type of apostolic work that was allowed them, the nuns began educating a few girls from the region around the year 1720. By 1873, the nuns asked for permission from the Bishop to open a boarding school for girls. They wanted to provide quality education for the girls as a foundation for their future. Thus, the Mercedarian School of Berriz was born.
It was to this small boarding school that Pilar Maturana was sent in 1899 for her education. She had become rather interested in a young naval cadet much to her mother’s dislike, so off she went to Berriz. Pilar not only received a fine education in Berriz – she also discovered her vocation to Mercedarian life. On August 15, 1904, Pilar, now known as Sor Margarita Maria, professed her Vows as a nun of the Mercedarian Order.
Sor Margarita Maria Maturana flourished in the solitude, the austerity and the spirit of Berriz. She was a Mercedarian in every sense of the word. Her tender and deep relationship with Christ the Redeemer, with Mary as her model of faith, was nurtured through long hours of prayer. Her life of prayer led her to a great sensitivity to the Spirit of God within and to great desires to follow God’s Will wherever God would lead her. Sor Margarita was assigned to teach in
the school and the girls became her life. She wanted to educate them personally, individually, bringing out their giftedness and forming them in Christ’s image. And how they loved and respected her for her efforts! Little did anyone know that the Spirit-filled spark that would ignite, transform and re-found the Convent of Vera-Cruz would be felt first in the school, through Sor Margarita and the girls!
It happened very simply. One day in 1919, a missionary returning to his mission in India ended his visit with the school girls with a humble request – that they say a Hail Mary a day for him. They began in earnest and soon the Hail Mary increased to other prayers, to letters, sacrifices and clubs to help missionaries around the world, until the tiny spark had become a Spirit-inspired missionary fire! It grew and spread from the school to the convent, transforming the spirit of the students and lighting the hearts of the nuns. It was the time of the missionary movement within the Church and Sor Margarita looked to the Church from the depth of her Mercedarian Redemptive Spirit and asked who were the captives of the times. With a clarity of vision that can only come from God,
those who did not know Christ and his Gospel was the response. This touched her deep desire to make Jesus Christ known and loved by all peoples, even to the ends of the earth. It was a new call, a re-founding call of the ancient Charism, a call to become missionaries… In Sor Margarita’s own words, “From these three looks, at Christ the Redeemer, crucified to save all peoples; at Mary, foundress of the Order and at the Church, the irresistible desire to become missionaries was born!” A beautiful flower had blossomed on the age- old Mercedarian tree!
…. to be continued….
