On Saturday, March 7, the first webinar of the series organized on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Society of St. Teresa of Jesus took place. It was held at the school of Tarragona, cradle of the incipient Society back in 1876. As speaker, Mariola Iglesias, STJ; as presenter, Ninfa Watt, STJ .
The meeting, followed by sisters and lay people from different countries through Youtube, was dedicated to reflecting on the foundresses, recovering the memory of those women who made possible the birth and consolidation of the first foundations of the Society.
From the beginning of her intervention, Mariola Iglesias STJ explained that her purpose was not simply to offer historical data, but to provoke a profound reconnection with the foundational experience. A reconnection "with what we already know, with what we are..." but which always leaves "new lights on the way".
The exhibition was organized around four questions that guided the reflection: who were the foundresses, what did Enrique de Ossó see in them, what linked them to the project and what can their experience contribute today. From these questions, Mariola reconstructed the context of the origins of the Society.
The history of the foundresses was neither linear nor free of difficulties. The initial group of young women soon experienced internal tensions and a major crisis in 1877 that endangered the continuity of the nascent community. Some abandoned the project and others experienced moments of doubt. That trial, far from destroying the work, helped to consolidate the group that would remain faithful.
The eight women who were finally recognized as foundresses after taking their first vows on January 1, 1879 were Dolores Llorach, Josefa Teresa Audí, Cinta Talarn, Teresa Blanch, Teresa Guillamón, Teresa Pla, Agustina Alcoverro and Saturnina Jassá. Enrique de Ossó himself wrote about them: "The eight foundresses have already made the three vows (...) and they are still very animated and consoled".
Mariola stressed that these women were not idealized or perfect figures, but concrete persons who lived a process of growth and discernment. They were young women with apostolic desires and with a deep interior disposition that Enrique de Ossó knew how to recognize. In his own words, he was looking for something essential in them: that they had "a good head, a good heart..." If this was the case, "all would be well". On this basis, the founder aspired that the sisters would become, "as far as possible, other Teresas of Jesus".
Another decisive element was the way in which these women bonded with one another. Beyond personal affections, they discovered that they were called to become an "apostolic body," a community sent to work together for the interests of Jesus. The personal vocation was inseparably linked to the community calling: it was not a matter of being isolated apostles, but of being a Company.
In this process, the close accompaniment of Enrique de Ossó was fundamental . Through his letters and guidance, he helped each one to grow, correct herself and unfold her gifts. His writings show a balance between demand and care, and reveal a deep concern for the spiritual and human life of the group.
In the final part of the intervention,the reflection was oriented towards the present. Mariola invited us to look at the experience of the foundresses not with idealized nostalgia, but as a source of inspiration for today's challenges. Those women also lived through times of uncertainty, both because of the social context of the 19th century and the novelty of the form of religious life they were inaugurating. In the face of this uncertainty, they found a fundamental certainty: their anchoring in Jesus and the conviction of having been called to collaborate in his mission. That is why Enrique de Ossó invited them to ask themselves frequently: "Why have you come to the Society?
It was the answer to that question that enabled the foundresses to face difficulties, make bold decisions and open apostolic paths that would soon extend beyond Spain to other continents. Today, we too are invited to ask ourselves the same question.
The webinar concluded with a call to give thanks for the fidelity of those first sisters who, together with Enrique de Ossó, laid the foundations of the Teresian work. As Mariola recalled, they were truly "foundation stones" of a history that continues today.
The more than 3,000 visits allow us to affirm that this first webinar has awakened a great interest in the Teresian Family and in all the people linked to its mission. If you have not yet seen it, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZdZKnkk2Vs
Thanks to Mariola for her great research work and clarity of exposition; thanks to the school of Tarragona for opening its doors; thanks to all of you who joined us in person despite the rain, and thanks to the more than 600 people who followed the webinar live.
