Sister Paulina Patiño Fonseca
From the most beautiful land of Colombia, our Pauline Family has been enriched with religious saints. Indeed, our Congregation has been blessed with several sisters, one of which is Florinda Patiño Fonseca, Sister Paulina Patiño.
She was born on May 16, 1935 in Firavitoba-Boyacá, baptized on May 24, 1935, and confirmed on August 25, 1938. She entered the Congregation on February 10, 1957 and made her first profession on May 31, 1961 in Bogota. Her perpetual profession was made on May 31, 1966. Her parents, Ambrogio Patino and Rachele Fonseca are both in paradise. We pray for their eternal happiness.
Sister Paulina was characterized by a happy, cheerful, generous, enthusiastic, and collaborative nature. She worked in the Pauline seminary, and the Liturgical Center of Bogotá, Medellín, Quito. In 1982, with her missionary spirit she worked together with the sisters in the souvenir department of the Vatican.
She did courses in culinary art and nursing. It is so lovely to recall how during the holidays, Sr Paulina prepared the meals with great care and attention and in the same spirit she cared for the sick.
This loving spirit kept her young and filled with energy. She was ever ready to serve and fight the good fight.
In the garden of the Sister Disciples in Colombia-Ecuador, Sister Paulina was one of the first flowers that took root and blossomed. During these 61 years she lived with great energy. Her life bore much fruit. To quote Psalm 144:12,
“Our children grow like well nurtured plants; our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
Sister Pauline is one of the pillars of our Province. When she came to join the Congregation, she was asked the question: “Why did you come?”. She replied: “To seek the Divine Master”. In these 61 years she has not lost sight of the One she came to seek. She has not lost the freshness, passion, and the fervor of her first love.
There are many priests who remember her. She cared for them with kind attention: from their entrance until their ordination and until the celebration of 25 years of priestly life and onwards. She welcomed them to our liturgical centers when they required their vestments, she accompanied them with prayer and her wise advice. It is encouraging to hear of the good witness that Sister Paulina has given to the customers and the priests who visit our Eucharistic-Priestly-Liturgical Centers.
We give thanks for her life and vocation. She was always a pioneer in service, joy, and outreach in all the activities of the province. She always led with her joy and good humor, multiplying the charismatic values that had been entrusted to us from the beginning. love for the congregation, love for the apostolate, to provide religious articles that evangelize and touch hearts: she has a great love for the Eucharistic adoration.
Sister Paulina is now living the “golden years”. We all aspire to live these years with fruitfulness, following a life lived with fervor and joy, passionate for the charism we have been entrusted with.
It is said that we do not age when our skin wrinkles, but we only age when the soul withers. Sister Paulina continues to be young in spirit, filled with life and energy. The journey that our elder sisters have made is one of sacrifice and of struggle. It is a beautiful witness to us who follow them in the next generation.
The passion for the charism flows through the veins and is reflected in the works, in the struggle, in the sacrifice, in the dedication of every day.
Sr Paulina is friendly by nature; she knows how to coax a smile from others in the most difficult moments. This sense of humor has enabled her to live with optimism and has helped her to relate well with others. It’s lovely to see how she can make difficult moments brighter and even she is able to laugh at them, putting them in perspective with a healthy sense of humor that fills life with vitality and optimism. We are grateful to God for her and pray in thanksgiving for her life, her health, and her family.
At this present time Sr. Paulina continues her mission in the community of Medellín.