Sr. María Margarita Hernández, of Cuban nationality, has lived in Montreal, Canada, since 2022, as Superior General of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary. She shares with the UISG her hopes in view of various events this year.

Firstly, we seek to maintain the passion of serving the little ones by living hope already for a long time, and also during the current Jubilee of the Pilgrims of Hope:

“We try to make use of all the means so that each sister can live a full and happy mission, regardless of her age and apostolate. The management of aging and decline, far from being a preparation for death, opens new paths. For example, lay people collaborate in the animation of the community and the spiritual accompaniment of the sisters.”

Sr. María also mentions a turning point in her religious order’s history, because leadership positions are increasingly being assumed by those from the countries of the Global South. We are also full of hope regarding our new missionary presence in Madagascar starting next summer.

Moreover, we deeply appreciate the commitment of the UISG in the formation and animation of the feminine Religious Life (VR), for example on leadership, digital inclusion, justice, integral ecology as well as on synodality. We have created, across the planet, a daily basis of synodality which is being built every day, appreciates the Cuban religious woman:

“It also gives the means to us, women religious, to ensure an ever more significant and transformative presence in the Church and in the world. This whole process, in particular the General Assembly, contributes in a wonderful way to making VR, in all corners of the world, a true ‘hope that transforms.’”

When it actually comes to synodality, it has been put into practice since the last general chapter of our order, which was a synodal process of its own, emphasizes Sr. María:

“All the sisters were involved in its preparation through experiences of conversation in the Spirit. It is the style that we try to live in all the processes of decision-making, mission orientation and our participation at different levels of the life of the Church in which we are inserted.”

Furthermore, the Superior General of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary explains how their charism could help in a global context marked by wars, uncertainties and economic difficulties. Above all, they try to imitate their founders, Father François Delaplace and Sister Jeanne-Marie Moisan, who tirelessly sought to restore dignity to the poor:

“Today, we experience that in the education of children and young people, in the support for the most vulnerable families, in the health services, in the integration of immigrants and many other types of presence and services in so many other peripheries.”

Finally, Sr. María says that, based on the spiritual testament of Fr. Delaplace, the sisters offer answers to the thirst for meaning and spirituality and break the cycles of solitude and division by becoming artisans of peace and synodality. Thus, the Servants of the Heart of Mary aspire to be creative in building love, concludes the religious woman.

To watch the video in FRENCH, click here.