Mercedes Montas

Made up of people of all ages and walks of life, the Focolare is a home that welcomes all those who want to build unity and peace in the world. Each month we feature someone who shares its collective spirituality.

Name: Mercedes Montas
Home: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Profession: Teacher and Guidance Counselor

First Encounter
For many years I had been living with a group of teachers who taught at House of Providence Catholic School. One day a priest invited us to a spiritual retreat where we were introduced to the Focolare spirituality of unity. I was struck by how people could live the Gospel-based way of life proposed by the Focolare and go ahead together.

Some years went by, and I began teaching at another school. One day a colleague, a member of the Focolare, invited me to her house. She lived with some friends, and together we watched a video of the movement’s activities in Africa. I was much attracted by the love that emanated from their life in Africa, and also from that Focolare house in Santo Domingo.
They were organizing a Mariapolis, a time to vacation together and experience that same life. Being shy, I wasn’t sure how I would like this new adventure. I decided to risk it, although I took extra money with me just in case I wanted to leave early. However, I found such an atmosphere of freedom that I forgot my anxiety and went out to love everyone from that point on.

Discovery
After that Mariapolis, where I learned how to create an atmosphere of family, I had a yearning to know more. Taking me at my word, God gave me the opportunity to grow in this relationship with him. My brother, aged 25, was diagnosed with leukemia and died after a period of great physical suffering. It was a difficult time for me, but in accompanying him I understood two essential points of the spirituality of unity: the importance of keeping Jesus present among us through mutual love and Jesus crucified and forsaken. I saw things in my life from a different perspective, and this helped me to go out of my shell.

Effects
As a teacher I had many opportunities to transmit what I had learned to my students and help them grow as complete people, ready to face the future. We were a group of four teaching in the same school, trying to keep Jesus’ presence among us, so that he himself would plant the seeds of truth in the students’ minds.

Teenagers are often distracted by the social mores of the times, but we wanted to broaden their perspective and help them experience a more satisfying and fulfilling life. Together with another teacher we invited them to join us in living the spirituality of unity and helping build a community where we all felt as brothers and sisters. They all liked the idea. Violence lessened in the school, and parents became more involved. Other teachers felt our love and began to respond in ways that led to renewed relationships among them and with the students.
When a student’s father died, I was the first one to be called. “You are like a mother to me,” was my student’s comment, and I truly felt this same connection, a tangible fruit of this life of unity.

—edited by Emilie Christy

To get monthly news of the Focolare Movement, read Living City or further your knowledge by reading books by New City Press. To get in touch with the community in your area, see page 2, or visit focolare.us.