The story of Sister Marichui Bringas, and how she came to be a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

By Sr. Marichui Bringas

These words reflect the way I discovered that God was calling me to the Consecrated Life.

I was working as a pre-school teacher; I enjoyed observing the children’s faces full of happiness as they saw everything in a new way; at night I was studying for a master’s degree in mathematics; I was teaching remedial classes to children who had learning difficulties; I participated in the youth group in my parish and, some Sundays, I saw missionaries who gave joyful witness ministering to the poorest people in their missions. At the same time I was feeling an emptiness within myself; something was missing. So, meditating, reflecting on what gave me life, at a youth retreat, I said: I want to commit myself full-time to “God’s business.” I did not want to live a life with so many activities that distracted me from having God as the center of my life.

I began to participate in vocation retreats. I became acquainted with several religious congregations, but the joy of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, their ministries and spirituality captivated me.

I entered the Congregation on September 2, 1984 at about 8 in the morning in the city of Querétaro in Mexico. I have been living my commitment from the point of view of the Spirituality of the Incarnation, which is to discover the presence of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, in all persons but in a special way in those who are suffering.

God has filled my being with joy as I share my faith in community and in each ministry. I know God has been with me wherever I have been sent. I can share stories from the six years of ministry in the “Tonantzin Women’s Center” in Juarez, Chihuahua; with women in jail as I witness their suffering caused by the lack of freedom. God sets us free, but even from there we praised God in many ways: organizing a choir, preparing children for baptism; working with arts and crafts; we also honored God with liturgical rites, Holy Week retreats and with our daily lives, forgiving from our hearts those persons who, perhaps, should be near us but who never were present in those situations of loneliness, abandonment or crisis. I witnessed and experienced the way of the cross of the migrants, of children who travel alone, and I felt the suffering of families who lost a loved one, particularly the suffering of those mothers who experienced the killing of their daughters. In all of this, God is present. All this happens in the city of Juarez, in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.

We are sent to each mission place, where persons need to be listened to and to be healed by the saving and merciful love of the Incarnate Word, Who is present there.

My ministry in the area of Education has given me a full experience. As a community, we work together so that the presence of the Incarnate Word is tangible at all levels: as administrators, faculty members, parents, collaborators and, in a special way, the children, boys and girls. We are committed to them, their future and the future of our society. God loves them and we do too.

Now as the Vocation Director for our Congregation in San Antonio, I thank God for the beautiful and enriching opportunity of ministering to parish groups who have invited me. These include St. Vincent de Paul, St. Michael and St. Joan of Arc in San Antonio; the young adult group at St. Cecilia’s parish in Houston; youth groups who gather to grow in their faith; Life awareness, Come and See and vocation retreats. I participate in many activities that our Archdiocese organizes to promote vocations and I am a member of the Vocations Committee.

I am engaged full-time in my Father’s business and I am very happy!

The secret must be that we, as religious, set apart privileged time to “be with God” in daily personal and community prayer, monthly and annual retreats. He is my God, He has called me, and I continue responding to Him day by day: Here I am, Lord! I come to do Your will.

If you feel a desire to know more about Religious Life, don’t doubt it; God is knocking at the door of your heart; answer Him!