I can sum up who I am and why I became a Daughter of St. Paul in these words: I am who I am because the Lord loved me and continues to love me with great mercy in spite of my limitations.
My name is Carmen Maria Dellaserra and I was born in Rabbi (Trent), Italy to a family poor in material goods but rich in faith. My parents transmitted this faith to me and my brothers, along with the values and principles that helped us become good and hard-working Christians.
In 1951 my whole family emigrated to Chile because my father hoped to find better job opportunities there. Once settled in our new home, I continued my education in a school run by sisters.
The first seventeen years of my life passed by serenely. My mother prayed that one of my brothers would become a priest, while my father prayed that the Lord would call me to the religious life. On my part, my only desire was that the Lord would let me know what he wanted me to do with my life.
My cousin was a Daughter of St. Paul and when things became clearer to me I decided to follow in her footsteps. I was one of the Institute’s first vocations in Chile.
It was not a serious problem for me to be so far away from my family, nor was I bothered by the great poverty of the Congregation. The little we had, we all shared. Living with the sisters taught me the love and joy to be found in the communal life. It helped me understand that a vocation is first of all a call to be for God and only after that a call to take his Word to everyone.
The Daughters of St. Paul in Chile were few and we were very poor but we threw ourselves wholeheartedly into living the Pauline religious life well, to loving one another and to striving to understand always more fully the importance of our mission.
I lived my entire formation period–aspirancy, postulancy, novitiate and juniorate–in Chile. In 1962, as a young professed sister, I was assigned to the book center apostolate. Today I rejoice that I was able to proclaim the Gospel from this modern “pulpit” from my earliest years as a religious. During those years, I grew in faith and love for God, for my sisters and for the Congregation. What rich years they were, filled with many experiences…..
Then, one day, the Lord knocked on the door of my heart once again, inviting me to leave Chile and become a part of our Venezuela-Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic circumscription. This invitation gave special significance to the celebration of my 50th anniversary of religious profession.
Today I can sincerely say in unison with the words of my favorite hymn: “What great love you showed me, Lord, in calling me and telling me you are my friend….”
Carmen Maria Dellaserra, fsp