Today we would like to introduce you to María de Juan, St Teresa’s Home volunteer.

How long have you been part of Sisters Hospitallers?

Five years ago I moved to live near St. Teresa’s Home and it was while walking through the neighborhood that I first saw the house and decided to go in and say hello. It had been on my mind for some time to look for some weekend volunteering. So I went in, met Sister Isabel Gaztambide who at that time was the Superior and after introducing myself and talking for a while, I told her that if they needed anything I was near and happy to help with anything. Sister Isabel told me that on weekends the receptionist does not arrive until noon and that it would be good to have someone to cover the reception desk in the mornings.

What is your purpose, your mission in helping the Sisters Hospitallers?

Since then, whenever I am not traveling, I am in charge of the reception on Sunday mornings. Although it’s almost always a quiet day, it’s a joyful time of the week with some visits from relatives, at 11:30 we usually go down to Mass in the chapel and then the residents go on to eat in the dining room. So, although my main mission is to be at the reception desk, pick up the phone and open for visitors, I also have time to participate and share some of the morning with the residents, the workers and the sisters.

How does the life and work of our founder St. Benedict Menni influence your life and your participation in the hospital project?

I think that the life and work of St. Benedict Menni has gradually permeated me without my being very conscious of it. It is clear that it was the Holy Spirit who pushed me to Santa Teresa’s Home in 2018 and I, who was passing by there without really knowing what for, once I was welcomed into the family of the Hospitaller Sisters, I have never wanted to leave.

I was fortunate to grow up in a Catholic family, where I was raised to respect the elderly and care for the sick. But it has been seeing how the Sisters live it every day, the love with which they care for the people who live in the house (and for all of us who pass through there), how they care for things well done and the affection and joy they put into everything they do, which continues to lead me to participate, even in a very small way, in this great hospital project.

The work of St. Benedict Menni and the Sisters Hospitallers is becoming increasingly important in this century when life expectancy is getting longer and mental health is becoming more fragile in both old and young, so it is also an ongoing mission that extends beyond the doors of St. Teresa’s, to do all we can to be there for the most vulnerable.

Thank you María for your testimony!