Càrol joined our Congregation in 2001. For health reasons, she was unable to continue her formation. On 18 February 2012, however, she made her missionary commitment as an associate member and received our cross, the symbol that unites us wherever we are.
On 24 September 2021, she made her definitive religious promises before Sr Carmen Sammut, Superior General, and received the covenant. She was sent to Almacelles, her home village, where she continues her pastoral work to the best of her ability. Her reference community is Madrid Cabanillas.
Càrol has made her definitive MSOLA religious promises and received the ring
Dear Sisters,
What a pleasure it is to be able to share my joy with each one of you!
There were two essential reasons why I chose you, when I felt the Lord calling me to give myself to Him at the end of the 1990s, to become one of you, Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa: the first was that you lived in international communities and the second that you worked, with great passion, for inter-religious dialogue.
You know that not everything I wanted came true and, if I remember correctly, I heard in my heart these words from the prophet Isaiah:
‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways’ (Is. 55:8).
Although it was difficult for me to understand them at the time, it was the Lord himself who enabled me to accept and discern them. Because even though I was far from you, far from Africa, and not living in a community, I understood that he was still calling me. Although today my real commitment is different, I am very happy to have been accepted, following my request, to make my religious commitment and thus to be part of you forever, my dear Sisters!
My situation, the setting, the reality… have changed and everything is different; but God remains the same. Firmly rooted in an environment where great cultural richness and variety abound, and always committed to sharing the Gospel message, each of you accompanies me in my ‘international community’.
Without any hesitation, I give thanks to God, because these two essential reasons why I chose you (and which I shared with you at the beginning) are still alive and have not changed in any way. Wherever we are and whatever state we’re in, the Lord trusts each and every one of us, because everything He has created is mission land and we are a mission on this earth.
Always bearing in mind your Constitutions and your charism, on 24 October 2021, Mission Sunday, I committed myself to live in obedience, chastity and poverty and to carry out pastoral work when my health permits. I publicly affirmed that Africa today is present almost everywhere in the world and that I therefore entrust myself totally to the Lord to serve all those whom Jesus loves more particularly. I have given myself mainly to the needs around me.
Every day that passes is a precious opportunity to learn new things: this is how I came to understand the great gift of prayer and all that it makes possible through the Spirit of the Lord, especially in my moments of extreme weakness.
I understood what I didn’t know so well: the significance of these consecrated people who, praying in silence and far from the world, support the Kingdom of God and our Mother the Church.
That’s why I’ve always felt like a ‘White Sister’.
The Spirit that accompanied Jesus throughout his life invaded me to be in complete and profound harmony with his Father. In the situations where I felt most vulnerable and where only the presence of God calmed me and gave meaning to everything I was experiencing, He, the Lord, came to meet me and revealed to me what He expected of me: to be united to Him through the Eucharist and in full communion with the mission and with each of you, my Sisters, in that communion for which Cardinal Lavigerie and Mother Marie-Salomé gave themselves without limits to the love of God and His message of salvation.
As a Missionary Sister of Notre Dame d’Afrique, I am passionate about catechesis for children and adults, about being able to lead a Celebration of the Word, about visiting the sick in their homes and in retirement homes and reminding them that they are an integral part of the life of our parish community, to rejoice and share the contagious joy of the youngest, to welcome many of our brothers and sisters who come from afar in search of hope, to listen to people who need to free themselves from the sorrows that weigh so heavily on them… But I also have a lot to learn, and I need to be very attentive in order to understand what the Lord is calling me to at every moment! If I’m not prepared to remain in living communion with HIM, how can I give myself to all those around me, even if I’m doing well? That would be absurd, since I am incapable of doing anything on my own without his presence.
I have consecrated myself to the Lord, aware that I must continue to learn, accept and love whatever may happen to affect my health, and that I must work on humility in my personal prayer. Jesus, the Son of God and a human person, suffered a great deal along the way… But how he knew how to trust his Father, in Gethsemane and everywhere else, despite his fear! Talking to a friend, as he shared with me what Jesus meant in his life, he added:
‘Joy is his witness and peace is his pure presence.’
These profound words continue to resonate within me, and I tell you with full assurance that I will remember you in my prayers every day.
May the presence of the Son of God and his tenderness sustain your mission and each one of you, despite what is delicate and complex and what may surprise you in your daily lives. Thank you to each of you for accepting me, loving me and letting me be part of your big family: the most precious gift the Lord has given me!
May He bless you all!
Sr Càrol Garcia Murillo
