Sister M. Fides Reboldal
Our Blessed Founder once said, “To be simple means to have one sole desire, one sole aim, one sole way of judging things, one sole way of speaking and acting.” (Living our Commitment)
This was and exactly is Sr. M. Fides in following the Divine Master until today, at the age of 84. Her simplicity is seen in her way of saying and doing things and in how she sees things around her.
She vividly remembers the time when God called her. She was still very young, a 16-year-old high school student. Her world revolved around home and school. She lived simply with her family in the province. Until one day, God’s call reached her through her brother who was then a SSP (Society of St. Paul) brother. Her brother told her about the three Italian PDDM Sisters who would be coming to the Philippines. She was asked if she would like to join them and without any hesitation, she said “YES” even without knowing anything about religious life.
“All I know at that time was that God called me and I believe in Him. Being certain of that call, everything in my life was focused and directed to that,” she said. She added that her father strongly disagreed with her decision, but she was firm and pursued the desire of her heart. No one could stop her from saying “YES” to the Master.
In 1955, on the day that she was to travel to Manila to join the congregation, she knew that her father would be coming home from work in Mindanao that same day. She was so anxious to meet him before leaving because days before, her father sent her a letter which really made her sad and afraid. She was in a hurry packing her things to leave home before her father arrived. But God had his own way of arranging things in her life. Just before leaving the house, her father arrived. She was so afraid but what gave her inner peace was believing that God wanted the best for her, and God orders all things towards it. With this conviction, she was not swayed despite her father’s disagreement and seeing how things were in the family, she believed that God would arrange everything for her and for her family. To her great surprise, the first words which she heard from her father was, “Maria, hurry up, eat your breakfast and we will leave soon to the pier.” She was overjoyed hearing these words from her father. She was so happy leaving home and was excited to face another chapter of her life in the convent, to be a bride of Christ.
Believing that God was pleased and has the best plan for her made Sr. Fides’ journey easier and happier in the convent. This was so evident especially during her first months in the convent, living with the three Italian sisters. For more than a month, she was the only one who joined the congregation. That meant it was only her and the three Italian sisters who composed their small community. She was so young back then. She couldn’t understand their language and they couldn’t understand her as well. It’s just unimaginable to think how a young Filipina would live with foreigners in the convent. “If they asked me to do something, I simply followed it. I intently looked at their actions especially how their hands moved and their lips when they spoke,” she happily narrated. “Surprisingly, most of the time, I understood what they asked me to do. I did all this with much sincerity and in pure faith. I believed that these uncertainties were also part of God’s plan in my life. Sometimes, I was being reprimanded which made me sad, but I took it all because I knew well that I knew nothing and had to learn from them instead,” she added.
This simplicity of Sr. M. Fides was confirmed by the words of Primo Maestro, “When one is simple, he is not ashamed to be considered ignorant and to ask advice and explanations from everyone, thus accumulating more and more knowledge.” (Living our commitment)
Sr. M. Fides was the first Filipina PDDM and is one of the three pioneers of the PDDM Philippine-Taiwan-Hongkong Province. Being in the congregation for 66 years now, her simplicity and sincerity in all things has never changed nor diminished but has increased daily. She is known to all the sisters especially those in the province as a simple-hearted person. Her simplicity causes her to attend only and always to the Divine Master, her Spouse. This attitude is always seen in her thoughts, words, and actions.
2 Comments
Dear Sr Fides
So happy to read this very moving vocational story
I also thank the Divine Master for the privilege of living and working with you for many years in Ireland
I have the most beautiful memories of our beginning the house in Dublin with the late Sr M Paul your companion
The people here still remember your love and kindness
May the Lord give you many more generous years in His service
With affection gratitude and every blessing
Sr Brid
Dear Sr. Maria Fides, I thank God for giving us a sister like you. Thank you for being there, a living witness, a peaceful and loving presence wherever you are.