The Congregation Alliance of Holy Mary sadly informs that this Sunday, May 17th, Sister Marta Patrícia Marques Mendes finished her earthly pilgrimage and left to the House of the Father.
At the age of 35 Sister Marta passed away after a brain hemorrhage that occurred on May 13th during Holy Mass, while she was reading a text of her own authorship ended with the sentence from the Song of Songs: “Draw me after you! Let us run! The king has brought me to his bed chambers” (Sg 1:4).
Sister Marta Mendes, born in Guimarães on October 29th 1984, belonged to the Congregation since January 1st, 2006. In this religious family she offered herself to God, through the hands of Mary, and professed her Perpetual Vows on November 21st, 2015, in Fatima.
In her academic studies she completed a degree in Religious Sciences, by the Catholic University of Portugal, and she was currently finishing a Masters degree in vocational discernment and spiritual guidance in the Escuela de Formadores, of Salamanca. Most of her service to the Church focused on the pastoral and vocational work with the youth in the Congregation and in the dioceses where she lived (Aveiro, Lisbon and Leiria-Fátima, in Portugal). In that context, she lectured religion classes in a school in the diocese of Aveiro and she was also the responsible for the team of the Vocational and Youth Pastoral of the Congregation (IGNIS Pastoral). Sister Marta was also part of the coordination team for the inter-noviciates of the diocese of Leiria-Fatima. Currently she was the Mistress of Novices and was also part of the General Government of the Alliance of Holy Mary.
We give thanks to God for the gift that Sister Marta was to her family, to our Congregation, to the Church and to so many that crossed her life and where touched by it. We are certain that the testimony of her love for God, the Beloved of her heart, will keep illuminating our path of faith.
With the family of Sister Marta we share the grief for her departure and also the hope that we will meet again in eternity. In this moment of sorrow we seek refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with whom our sister learned to surrender herself with all her heart to the Lord.
We thank for all the gestures of friendly presence and comfort in faith that we have been receiving that also support us in this hour.
We entrust Sister Marta to the Mercy of God, asking in our prayers, that the Lord may receive her at His dwelling where we shall meet in life everlasting.
