A call to service

The blue-and-white habits of Sisters Regina Javier and Alicia Realino identify them with the Society of the Oblates of Notre Dame - a badge they wear with honor.

The congregation, based in the Philippine Islands where both women were born and raised, has stationed them in Odessa for Catholic missionary work - where their service is as distinct as the garments they wear.

Sister Regina, 60, serves as director of religious education for St. Joseph and St. Anthony's Catholic Churches and Sister Alicia, 62, teaches religion classes to elementary students at St. Mary's Catholic School.

While each of them is trained and skilled in the field of education, a heart of devotion and surrender to God trumps their love of teaching.

Religious life was a sort of holy calling that neither could shake, they said, although both hesitated at first to head its leading.
Taught in a Filipino Catholic School, Sister Alicia remembers the sisters she admired as a child - even playing "dress up" at home to mimic their wear.

"I was attracted at first to their habit - there was a mystery there," she said.

 An only child, Sister Alicia said the image of full surrender to God in religious vocation appealed to her, but her parents' approval was much harder to gain. They wanted her to finish college as a teacher, but they eventually relented.

"Their first reaction was that they didn't like it," she said. "I felt the call coming back, and I wanted to give it a try - I eventually accepted it."

Sister Regina, a student of Notre Dame of Midsayap College at the time, also wrestled with her decision to become a sister. She cried through her first night in the order's motherhouse, unsure about her future there.

"I thought I would be cut off and separated from my family, but after I joined, I became even closer to my family emotionally," she said. "My parents brought me up in the kind of environment where they were always giving and sharing, so it prepared me to feel God's call."

While nuns have a contemplative life of prayer and meditation within a monastery, sisters - governed by various religious orders - have lives of active service through vocations in the medical field, charitable work or education.

Novices at the motherhouse spend years observing the lives and practices of experienced sisters while undergoing personal evaluations of their own conformity and spiritual walk.

Temporal vows each year lead to solemn, perpetual vows of poverty, obedience and chastity, signifying a sister's commitment. They go wherever their superior sends them, and they don't marry or own property - their substance comes from and belongs to the Catholic diocese.

 Prayers, spiritual reading, attending Mass and periods of meditation/silence make up the Odessa sisters' schedule of duties, along with their educational ministries.

Sister Alicia said the life of simplicity agrees with them, but it doesn't suite the materialistic.

"There are so many things today that can attract you to worldly success," she said. "There are definitely some personalities that would not fit here - it's not really for everyone."

Mary Jaramillo, St. Mary's principal, said Sister Alicia is in her second year at the school - she previously taught high school and college in the Philippines before coming to the United States.

"We feel it was such a blessing for us - we were very fortunate to get her," Jaramillo said. "She is a very loving, giving person, and you can feel the spiritual depth when you visit with her."

The Rev. Mark Miller of St. Joseph said he is also thankful for Sister Regina's work with his church's religious classes.
"She is in charge of all of our religious education for our children - 850 kids who are enrolled," he said.

Sister Regina, who has spent nine of her 40 years as a sister at St. Joseph, also visits the Ector County Detention Center on Fridays to pray with and listen to inmates or distribute reading materials.

When challenges or discouragement arise, Sister Regina said she relies on the grace of God and support from the community. There are also sisters in Midland, Fort Stockton and Del Rio; many gather each year for a statewide retreat to re-energize and renew their personal walks.

"I feel so blessed because I responded to God's call, and I know that I have the grace to live this life," Sister Regina said.
Sister Alicia said she could have served God as a married woman, but a family would have distracted from her spiritual commitment and closeness to God.

With almost 38 years in religious service, she's found motivation in God's faithfulness, love and a mission to spread the good news.
"Every one of us is called to a life of holiness but in different ways," Sister Alicia said. "I'm not here to have an easy life - I'm not doing this for me, but for the reign of God.

"The older I get, the more I realize that there has to be people to do that," she said.