Mother Oliva Cattapan
This s a story about a woman named Mother Oliva Cattapan. She was born on May 10, 1920, in Castelfranco, Italy. She joined a religious group on October 26, 1936, and made her first vows on March 25, 1940, and her final vows on March 25, 1947.
After her final vows, she went to Spain in 1948, where she lived with the Pauline Fathers and experienced the aftermath of World War II. She learned and lived the spirit of Pauline poverty there. In 1953, full of hope, she went to Mexico, where she was one of the first four sisters to establish the Congregation. She was loved by the people for her simplicity, kindness, and charity. She left a legacy of vitality, enthusiasm, apostolic zeal, and love for vocations, the Congregation, the Pauline Family, and the Church.
She was remembered as a strong, gentle, determined woman with unwavering faith and a dynamic love. She arrived in Guadalajara in 1965 and was entrusted with building two houses in San Pedrito, Tlaquepaque.
We are grateful to her for dedicating her mind, will, and heart to God and the Pauline charisma in Mexico. The Mexican Sister Disciples lived with her as a mother who supported them in doing God’s will. Mother Oliva stayed with us until the day she passed away. She always had a smile that showed the joy of her vocation and the happiness of living a consecrated life dedicated to God’s project.
She followed a monthly program:
- January: Love
February: Triumph through suffering- March: Repairing goals
- April: Passionate memories
- May: Refuge in Mary
- June: Support in the Tabernacle
- July: Treasure in the Sacred Heart
- August: Effort in willpower
- September: Comfort in the Cross
- October: Joy in the Eucharist
- November: Strength in grace
- December: Desire for souls
The Mexican sisters remember her and thank God for her witness, the way she encouraged them in their mission and the manner in which she remained faithful to the charism of Blessed James Alberione.
In a letter dated 1997, she mentioned her health difficulties and an unsettling diagnosis. However, she accepted everything for God’s glory and the good of the Congregation and the Pauline Family. She was hospitalized on November 10, 1997, for brain cancer. Throughout her illness, she showed acceptance of God’s will and continued to spread her unwavering faith and peace. She passed away on January 26, 1998, the feast of Saints Timothy and Titus.
She once said: “I offer everything for the Pauline Family, for the needs of the Church, for these sisters who are jewels, and for the holiness of priests.”