Every week when Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sister Fabiola Vadeiglesias visits St. John the Baptist School in Savage, a 3-year-old boy greets her with “Hi, Mary.”
“It’s just kind of funny,” she said. “But his mom tries to explain to him every week that I’m a religious sister and I’m not Mary, but he keeps insisting on the fact that I’m Mary.”
Sr. Fabiola Valdeiglesias
She takes her mistaken identity as “a beautiful reminder” that she is called to be Mary to others, and to ask for Mary’s help to be as loving as her. Sister Fabiola asks that all the children she is entrusted with be adopted by Mary as her own.
“You’re giving me all these spiritual children to care for and pray for and sacrifice myself for,” Sister Fabiola says she prays to Mary, “but I also want you to be their mother because there’s no better example … of how to be a mother than Our Lady.”
Sister Fabiola also serves at Nativity of Mary School in Bloomington. She and Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sister Maddie Shogren, who serves the faith formation program at St. Mark in St. Paul, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to discuss how they serve as spiritual mothers in their vocation.
Sister Maddie just started ministry the past year. She said it’s beautiful to see how she is called to be the spiritual mother of all the souls the Lord puts in her path, describing “the beautiful aspect” of being called to protect them like a mother, but with her prayers and bringing them to Mass every day.
Sr. Maddie Shogren
“Just like every biological child is a gift from God to every natural mother, it’s beautiful to see how, as a spiritual mother, also receiving these spiritual children as gifts, these souls as gifts, but also realizing that they’re gifts and helping them along the way, but always bringing them back to him who gave them to us in the first place,” Sister Maddie said.
Sister Fabiola said every woman is called to spiritual motherhood. Religious sisters live it in a special way by simply accompanying people in their journey to holiness, reminding people that “we’re called to a greater life than just this life,” she said.
“We’re called to share God’s divine life in heaven,” she said, “and it’s a beautiful gift to be able to accompany people in this journey.”
To learn more about the Pro Ecclesia Sisters and to submit a prayer request, visit sacredheartofjesusconvent.org.
The full interview debuts at 9 p.m. Feb. 11 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Feb. 12 and 2 p.m. Feb. 13.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with licensed marriage and family therapist Joe Pribyl, who offers tips to couples to dive deeper into their relationship; and Tim Cahill and Ben Mulderink, who describe a new video series for MSP Catholic about the seven signs of a spiritual life.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired at
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