A Heart Burning with Love: The Life of Sr. Maura Pelaez, SPC

A Heart Burning with Love: The Life of Sr. Maura Pelaez, SPC 

Sr. Maura of the Sacred Heart

Sr. Maura of the Sacred Heart C. Pelaez, SPC (1913 - 1974) was a professed member of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, a religious congregation of women founded in France in 1696 by a young parish priest, Fr. Louis Chauvet. 

In the Philippines, the Sisters of St. Paul arrived in Dumaguete City in 1904 and has since branched out to many other communities across the country. The sisters aim for integral human development and evangelization which they carry out through the apostolate of education, nursing, social and pastoral services, and ministry to the mountain tribes. 

There were attempts by the SPC congregation to open the cause of Sr. Maura's beatification but it seems that Sr. Maura doesn't want to be officially recognized as a saint.  An unknown source says:

"Sr. Maura, the bilocating "saint" never wanted to be canonized.  Known for her holiness and love for the poor, her congregation attempted several times to process her canonization but to no avail  Documents would be lost and difficulties would emerge.  Nevertheless, they believe she was an exemplary religious who is now in heavenly glory." (from a post of Mr. Jovi Atanacio in the Wanted Filipino Saints Page)

Early Life 

Sr. Maura was born on August 27, 1913 as the youngest child to a poor family of farmers in Pototan, Iloilo which was considered the rice granary of Panay. She was baptized a week after presumably, in the Parish of St. Joseph in the town’s center, receiving the name Josefa. Although her family name was quite prominent in their locale, they were not related to the rich Pelaezes of Iloilo. 

When she was three years old, on May 8, 1916, the sacrament of Confirmation was conferred on little Josefa. Unfortunately, in the same year, sadness befell the entire family with the sudden demise of Josefa’s mother, Paulina, rendering her an orphan at a very young age. 

She then went on to spend the rest of her childhood years with her two elder sisters and their father, Pedro, who died on August 9, 1946 when Josefa was already a perpetually professed religious sister. 

SPC Monument, Dumaguete City

Josefa attended primary schooling at Pototan Elementary School but because they were poor, Josefa could go no further than grade four and has to discontinue her studies. Mainly boys were given the privilege of pursuing further education during that time since they will need it to find a decent job and to provide for their families in the future. 

Falling in Love 

Left with no choice, she has to find work to help her family. Through the recommendation of some distant relatives, Josefa was accepted as a hospital attendant at the St. Paul Hospital in Iloilo which was established in 1911 by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres. She met Sr. Antoine (du Sacre Coure?) who was then the house superior and the other sisters who taught her household chores and practical nursing.  

While working in the hospital, she became attracted to what the sisters were doing and was inspired to dream to be one of them. She thought she had found her real vocation. She eventually entered the congregation and was given the religious name Sr. Maura of the Sacred Heart. 

Heart for the Poor 

Sr. Maura, just like any other SPC sister, would then be assigned to various houses of the congregation. While at Culion Leper Colony in Palawan, she showed much love and compassion for the poor, most especially the children. Life was difficult in Culion with only one physician in the whole island to care for the lepers. There, she would show the convent’s bathroom to children who would come to visit her and make them experience taking a shower in the bathroom because there were no bathrooms in their houses then and sanitation was very poor. She was very fond of those little children. 

Miracle Worker 

St. Paul Hospital - Iloilo, Founded 1911

But Sr. Maura’s vocation did not stop in the convent. She would continue to be available for others even in the most unlikely circumstances like while in a hospital bed because of sickness. Once she was hospitalized in Manila Doctors' Hospital and was visited by a young childless couple. They went to her for guidance and asked her to pray for them for they have tried several medical interventions to conceive a child but to no avail. Sr. Maura talked to them and prayed for and blessed them. And a few months later, the couple conceived their first daughter. 

Extra-ordinary Gift 

But Sr. Maura was also privileged to receive some other extra-ordinary gifts. Her fellow sisters attested seeing her in two places at any given time. One day, Sr. Maura and another sister, Sr. Scholastica were admitted in the hospital. Sr. Scholastica was discharged ahead of Sr. Maura. But Sr. Scholastica would see Sr. Maura fixing her cabinet in the evening in the convent’s infirmary where the sick and recuperating sisters were accommodated. There were also stories by the other sisters that they would see Sr. Maura in their convent in Singalong. So out of curiosity, Sr. Scholastica asked Sr. Maura if she’s not getting tired going around visiting and seeing the children in Singalong. But Sr. Maura only answered with these words: “No, no. Because your body does not go there, you just have to have that great desire to be in a certain place and you will be there.” 

On another occasion, it was said that she bilocated to a certain place where there was no existing SPC community.  Before some sister-witnesses, she described a place, the details and the people and prophesied that in the future, an SPC mission will be established in the area, and it did become a reality years later. 

Fighting the Good Fight

In the early 70’s Sr. Maura figured in an accident and has to undergo surgery. The following years were painful ones as she was diagnosed with cancer. When she was already in her dying days, as recounted by Sr. Antoinette Bengzon, who was tasked by their superior to look after her, she was very amazed and impressed with how Sr. Maura bore her suffering. She witnessed Sr. Maura having bouts with pain and the only thing she would do was to hold on to the bars of her bed, press it tightly and say “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.” repeatedly. The doctor later on told Sr. Antoinette that Sr. Maura was not given any pain reliever medicine because it was her wish which the doctor did fulfill. 

Tomb of Sr. Maura of the Sacred Heart

After a long and hard fight with cancer, Sr. Maura of the Sacred Heart passed away on July 8, 1974 at the age of 60 years old.  Her remains were laid to rest in the SPC Sisters' Cemetery in the Our Lady of Chartres Convent Compound in Antipolo City.   

But Sr. Maura’s legacy continues to live up to the present as an Award was named after Sr. Maura to acknowledge Paulian students for their exemplary service to the community both in and outside the school. 

Lesson About Humility

An article titled “Sr. Maura’s Corner” which appeared in the publication of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres gives us a glimpse of Sr. Maura’s personality and deep spirituality.  The article was by Sr. Antoinette Bengzon, SPC which she probably took from Sr. Maura's journal.  And I quote verbatim:

“Our Lord taught me humility in the most effective way that I would never forget. Something happened and I knew I was wrong and my conscience was right in showing me what I should have done. And knowing what I should have done and did not do it, gave me a painful and sorrowful remorse of conscience. But I tried to reason out with myself in favor of how I acted. And that was my fault. 

SPC Sisters' Cemetery

I finally had the recourse to our Lord, and here are the lessons He taught me: 

• Too much have you discussed with yourself, too late have you approached Me. 
• You will never have peace in yourself unless you accept what you have done and what you are. Humility is the foundation of peace. 
• The sooner you humble yourself, the more you are pleasing to Me because I do not look at the fault so much as your courage to humble yourself before Me and accept what you have done.
• Learn from Me because I am meek and humble of heart 
• Have a moment’s pause before speaking or acting to see if you are with my will, which will always be your guide if you are mindful of Me and the glory of My Father. 
• Peace is the fruit of the union of your will with Mine. You can test if your will as of the moment is divine by the joy you feel when you have thoroughly accomplished My will as your conscience tells you. 
• Be simple. I want to see spontaneous joy and innocent outburst of happiness and love but at the same time keep in your mind the dignity which your vocation calls for. 
• Be in peace now and be better next time."

Sr. Maura had a reputation for holiness and  many prayers had been answered through her help during her lifetime and even after her death especially prayers of childless couples asking God for the gift of a child. 

Because of the fame of her sanctity, no other than the Cardinal Archbishop of Manila, Jaime L. Sin, ardently promoted the cause for her beatification.   But when papers were ready to be submitted for the opening of a diocesan inquiry, all papers suddenly disappeared without a trace, later to be found among her old things.  The sisters interpreted it as a sign of Sr. Maura's faithfulness to one of the Sisters of St. Paul's charisms - "self effacement" attributing a certain similarity to the cause of their founder while others looked at it as a diabolic interference similar to that of St. Gemma Galgani's diary and St. Louie Grignon de Montfort's writings. 

Sources:

Kalinga:  The Life and Works of Sr. Maura of the Sacred Heart Pelaez, SPC.  Video Documentary produced by students of the Mass Communication Department of St. Paul University Manila. 

Sr. Antoinette Bengzon, "Sr. Maura's Corner"  taken from a Publication of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chrtres.

Photos:  CCTO