Liturgical music or music in the liturgy?'Barefoot', Hakuna's film about the life force of musicI will sing to the Lord: meaning and reason for music in the liturgy.The Poor Sisters have found in social networks an unexpected form of evangelization. Through Instagram and YouTube, their community has grown exponentially, reaching thousands of people with their music and testimony. In this interview, they tell us how this initiative was born, anecdotes they have experienced and their vision of vocational formation.
We spoke with them at the Vocations Congress organized by the Spanish Episcopal Conference, where they also performed their music at the closing concert.
In social networks it is perceived that your community is made up of very young sisters and very old ones. How do you experience this generational difference?
- In reality, there are not as many generational leaps as it seems. Our community is made up of 14 sisters, and we have representation from all decades. It is true that the youngest is 24 years old and the oldest is 92, but in between there is a great diversity of ages that makes living together very enriching.
How did you come up with the idea of using Instagram and YouTube to share your day-to-day life?
- It all started in a very simple way. We had an Instagram account with about 7,000 followers, but we used it mainly to spread our work and show a bit of our way of life. On Contemplative Living Day we asked ourselves how we could share with people the importance of this day for us. So we decided to publish a song.
We started with the guitar and other instruments, looking for the ideal place to record. We went from one place to another without being convinced by any of them, until, tired, we almost gave up. But one sister insisted: "No, no, we'll do it however we want". And so we did. We recorded, we published... and from that moment on everything changed.
What year did it occur?
- Last year. It was incredible. In just over a year we went from 7,000 followers to more than 338,000. And the most beautiful thing is that we realized the impact it had on people. Many people wrote to tell us that our songs had helped them in very difficult moments.
Any particular story that has marked you?
- Yes, a very special one. A doctor called us from France to tell us about a cancer patient who was in his last days. The patient was completely isolated, he didn't talk to anyone, neither to his family nor to the doctors. The doctor decided to play our songs for him, and in one of them, a sister got it wrong and the patient started laughing, "Play it again," he kept saying over and over again. That broke the ice, and little by little he began to communicate with others. He even called his family and reconciled with them before he died.
And any funny anecdotes?
- Once, while we were shopping for furniture at Ikea, a woman recognized us and was very excited. She said, "I can't believe it, the poor sisters, you helped me so much! She didn't pay us for the furniture (laughs), but she helped us carry it, which is enough.
You have also promoted the image of the Virgen de la Mirada. How did this initiative come about?
- St. Clare spoke constantly about the gaze. She said that one must look at Jesus in order to follow Him, contemplate Him and not take one's eyes off Him. She also pointed out that Our Lady was the first one to look at Jesus and the first one He looked at. That bond inspired us to commission an image that would reflect that relationship of love between Mother and Son.
The image is very particular, because the Virgin is looking directly at the Child...
- Yes, we have been told this many times. In many images, Mary holds Jesus, but looks straight ahead or away. In this one, both look at each other with love and complicity. It is a gesture that invites contemplation. The children hang on her, touch her, approach her... She is already very "worn out", as we usually say.
We are at the Vocation Congress, how do you take care of the formation and accompaniment of young vocations in your community?
- We believe that accompaniment is fundamental, not only in religious life, but in all aspects of life. When a girl is discerning, we prefer to lead the process ourselves, accompany her well and help her to really discover if this is her path.
We do not want to fill the house with vocations, but we want people to encounter God. To achieve this, formation, dialogue, prayer and, above all, the Scripture. Formation in Sacred Scripture is a fundamental source of Christian life. If we do not know it, we cannot love Jesus Christ. Everything we need to know is in the Word of God.
Anything else you would like to share?
- Just to thank all the people who follow us and support us. And remember that, although we are in networks, the most important thing is always the encounter with God in daily life.
