I was born on 31st October, 1925 just a few months earlier St.Teresa of Infant Jesus was canonized. So my Godmother chose her name for my baptism.Among the nine children, I became the 2nd in the family because my previous sister died when she was 10 months old.
By God’s grace my parents were good Christians and very religious. They were inspiration for all of us by their good example and love.
My father was a lawyer. My mother was an ex- student of Sacred Heart School. She was sharing her good formation of teaching us catechism, history of the church, the gospel and so on according to our age and our capacity. I remember the day she was telling us about the original sin and because of that fault, one day we all have to die. I had a shock; I could not accept that reality. I was not too happy to leave everything of this world forever, I started crying and crying, very disappointed because my parents could not help me to solve that problem. And that was because of this original sin death was a punishment for all mankind. My mother was consoling me telling that if we are good and pray we would go to heaven when we die. Although I was small that was for me the first understanding of the need of prayer. In such a way that when I was playing with my brothers and sisters sometimes I used to disappear from the group and quietly went to pray. I knelt down in my room for a while and went back again to play. “Where did you go? You are always spoiling our play”. They said. I never answered and I kept my secret.
During that time, politically Spain was in a very difficult moment, the time of the Republic, the catholics were persecuted. As my father was first in the black list to be killed, from Reus where we were living we shifted to Barcelona. In a few months a civil war started and we went through a very difficult time surrounded by bombs, guns, lack of food etc. The churches were on fire, many people were killed and my family were divided and in different groups went abroad to save our lives. We were in France first, then we moved to Italy, came back to the north of Spain where there were no communist. During those years we were changing schools until the war had finished then we went back to our place. My last school was the Sacred heart in Barcelona, a boarding school which I really liked in spite of all the hardships we had to experience due to the post war.
While finishing my studies I was enjoying sports, outing and so on but tat the same time my great desire was to go to Rome to see the Pope. To my surprise I was refused to get a passport unless I work for a couple of years in some social work. Because of this impediment I decided to study to become a nurse. So i could look after the sick people after finishing the two years of training.
One day my spiritual director told me that after known me for a quite long time he understood that Our Lord was calling me for religious life. I was terribly shocked and said that I had never thought about it but if that was God’s will I would follow Him. He understood that I was quiet upset with that unexpected proposal. So very calmly he said “Do not answer me now, think about it and next time when you come to see me we will discuss the matter”. The days were passing on with that turmoil in my heart I remembered the thought that I had from my childhood tha
t to go to heaven we need to be baptized. It worried me and I was always thinking what about the pagans? That spark of light helped me to see that if that was a call from God, I would be a Missionary. But how? Now the surprise was from my spiritual director when my answer was, “Yes but i want to be a missionary…?
One day a friend of mine who wanted to be a handmaid invited me to go with her to see the sisters. I did not know them at all but I went with her as companion. I was listening the conversation about vocation between my friend and the Mother Provincial. At the end Mother Provincial asked me, “What about you?” I said, “No. I want to be a missionary”. She was surprised at my quick reaction and said, if you have a missionary vocation you will go to the mission. Later on I understood that St.Raphaela Mary was pulling me to be a handmaid although I was not aware of it at that moment. Without any hesitations I decided to become a handmaid and I could go to the mission which was the greatest desire of my life.
I joined in Pamplona in October 1951 on the feast of Christ the King and when I finished my novitiate I was sent to the missions in Japan on 12th May 1954 and my dream had become true.
When I finished my term in Nagano I went to Tokyo and the Mother General sent me to London to do the Montessori course. When I was finishing the course, I got a letter from mother general that we are going to open a new house in India and I could be in charge of it. I was really surprised by this proposal but understanding that it was the will of God I answered at once telling that I was ready.
On 8th January 1977, Sr.Veronica and I left for Mumbai to go to our new mission in Cochin Kerala. On 24th January we arrived in Kochi and on 25th January, the feast of the St.Paul’s conversion we had the foundation of the house of Kochi
Now looking back and realizing what has been the plan of God in my life I see very clearly that the seed of my inner missionary vocation was sown in my childhood had been accomplished many years later through the help of several people who God had chosen to enlighten my path. I have experienced how the Lord walked with me in my joys and sorrows and difficulties. I realised that my help always comes from the Lord who created me and loves me unconditionally.
Sr.Teresa Vilanova
