THE CLOISTER
CAN A MISSIONARY SEED SPROUT FORTH FROM
A CLOISTERED CONVENT?
It all began when in the midst of the XVI century three simple women of Berriz (a little town in the green mountains of Vizcaya, Spain) founded the Beaterio of the Vera -Cruz (Convent), linked to the Mercedarian Order whose goal is: LIBERATION
In this way Berriz emerged. But this story did not end there. The difficulties, the extreme poverty they endured, the lack of personnel to the extreme when for a few years they were reduced to only two nuns... nothing was powerful enough to extinguish God's nourish ing life. As Mercedarians they were committed to "follow Jesus loving my brothers and sisters to the point of giving my life" (4th Mercedarian vow).
Things were like this until in 1873 the number of nuns grew and they were able to open a school with only eight students. There was not a moment when these women would lose the attitudes that characterized them.
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The number of students increased gradually and so did vocations...
On January 10, 1901 a new student joined the school, Marqarita Lopez de Maturana. This was an unimportant event and a rather daily routine in the convent school of the Mercedarians of Berriz. However, with the passing of time, it will be a date the Mercedarians from the five continents thank God for because Margarita sowed the missionary seed in Berriz.