Lourdes and Gloria Salgado are from Ciempozuelos, Spain (near the city of Madrid). They’re the youngest of a large family (7 siblings) and they’re part of Generation Z, the generation born around the year 2000 who are digital natives.
These young women have discovered their call to religious life, and in just over a month's time they’ll both have entered their respective orders. Although Lourdes and Gloria both have a religious vocation, they’re not on the same vocational path: Gloria—who is 18 years old—entered the novitiate of the Order of Our Lady on September 8, whereas Lourdes will begin as a postulant, at the age of 20, at the Iesu Communio convent of La Aguilera in Burgos.
The Diocese of Getafe has just released the news on its website, where the two sisters give testimony of what has happened in their lives.
Lourdes explains her decision:
She continues:
Lourdes says, "I cannot say anything but ‘thank you.’ I’m infinitely grateful to God and His Church. I don’t deserve this life; it’s only by His mercy that I can live my religious vocation. I want to live forever serving Him."
Her sister Gloria, who has just finished high school and reached legal adulthood, explains how her vocational process has been and what motivates her to become a religious. She declares that "the best part of my life is for Jesus.”
Both Gloria and Lourdes see that their family, the school where they studied, and the Neocatechumenal Way have helped them discover their personal vocation.
Lourdes says, "My family has been very important in my life: my mother, who’s happy with the life I’m starting, my siblings, my parish and my youth group, those with whom I’ve shared my faith during recent years, and the school where I was educated for the last 5 years, a school of nuns in which my younger sister is enrolled." Gloria says the same is true in her case.
Gloria adds that the decision they’ve made to give themselves totally to the Lord in religious life wouldn’t be possible without the help of Our Lady.
Gloria echoes Mary's ‘yes’ in a concrete way, quoting the late UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold: "I can only say: ‘For all that has been, THANK YOU; for all that will be, YES.'"
