But you didn’t think of the religious life right away…
Well, when I considered the Religious Life, I was always attracted to the thoughts of the work of evangelization but then dismissed it!

Why?
Because I did not want to ‘go to Africa’! 

Oh, this is fun! Sure, we know that many people, seeing the need for evangelization, always think of the missions as “going to Africa” or somewhere else... St. Philip Neri, for example, was at the “Tre Fontane” Abbey speaking with a local monk regarding his troubled vocation. The young Philip wanted to be a Jesuit missionary to the Indies and was discouraged having his request constantly rejected due to the huge number of people wanting to leave for the Americas to evangelize. But the monk, a spiritual and inspired person, believed that God was calling Philip to stay in Rome to re-evangelize the city. And that’s what he did, later becoming St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome!
Precisely! And I, somewhat because of this prejudice, did not immediately heed the Lord’s call and went to study at Manchester University, where I graduated from with an honors degree in Economics. Then I worked firstly in the banking sector and then as a consultant for a well-known IT service provider.  During this time, the thought that God had something for me to do always pervaded my prayers and a Sister always asked me if I wanted to be a nun! My initial response was always, no-way!

And in the meantime, your career continued...
Yes, until, in 1988, a friend introduced me to the story of the Virgin of Revelation, who appeared in Rome in 1947 to a Protestant and called him back to the true font of the Gospel. I was deeply moved by this story and so I participated, and then led, the first prayer group in England dedicated to the Virgin of Revelation.  The group prayed the Rosary together and then learned the faith through the teaching of the Church in the Catechism and the Holy Scriptures.  At the same time, my career was flourishing and at the point where I answered the Lord’s call, I had been appointed to the Board of a growing company as the Operations Director.

I guess this fact made it more difficult to choose. What encouraged you to make your vocational decision?
Well, as time passed, I noticed that although I enjoyed my work, when I taught the faith, I felt more fulfilled.  I had the experience like the disciples on the road to Emmaus who said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way.” (Lk 24:32) Finally, in 2005, during a holiday in Rome, I went to the grotto at Tre Fontane where the Virgin of Revelation appeared.  Once there I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do with my life!  At that moment, I saw two Sisters of the Missionaries of Divine Revelation and I knew I was meant to be like them! 

Just like St. Philip Neri: the monk who felt that God was calling him to stay in Rome to evangelize the city and he was precisely a monk of that abbey!
Yes, it was a very strong thing but at first, I brushed the crazy thought aside, but then Divine Providence started to lead the way.  Mother Rebecca visited England to talk to the group and I finally asked her the question that had long been suppressed… ‘How do you know if the Lord is really calling you?’  She replied with words that resounded in my heart, “when your love for Him surpasses all other loves.” 

The answer you had been waiting for!
Following a period of discernment and an intense time of prayer and reflection with frequent Eucharistic adoration I was totally convinced of the Lord’s call and so I left England and came to Rome where I entered the community of the Missionaries of Divine Revelation!

I imagine that evangelizing convinced you to study Communication at the University of the Holy Cross...
Exactly! My Superior decided that I should study Communications at Santa Croce for two reasons.  Firstly, for the quality and method of teaching at the University. Secondly, because she felt that formal formation in Communications was an important skill that was necessary for the development of our Community. This is because it is through our Mission in the Church that we participate in the New Evangelization, and we utilize all the modern means of social communications in our work. 

Precisely the objective of the Faculty...
Of course! And I found that my time spent studying at Santa Croce was challenging and it also enabled me to gain the professional skills I needed to fulfil my mission in the Church.  The course enables the development of practical skills and provides the theoretical knowledge to develop one’s skills as a communicator in the Church.  The emphasis on Church communications has been invaluable in developing solutions that relate specifically to our mission in the Church.  The Professors are all very well prepared in their field and always deliver interesting and interactive presentations of their subject matter. 

You and your congregation have a very special task: to transmit the Christian faith to today’s generations using the cultural heritage of the Catholic Church. How important are beauty, art and communication in facilitating evangelization?
One of the greatest challenges, if not the greatest challenge of our time is the communication of the faith to the next generation.  The Christian faith we possess, and the roots of our Christian Heritage must be rendered interesting and challenging and be communicated to everyone.  It should be done in such a way that it can reinforce the faith of those who believe, whilst at the same time reach out to the periphery to speak of God’s love for all even to those who would not usually be interested! 

And Rome is also a mission territory, possibly even more challenging than Africa.
No doubt! The famous artistic masterpieces or Churches that are home to the stories of the Saints and martyrs all provide opportunities for people to experience the faith.  In our present time, people may make a cultural visit and, through the beauty of the art or the testimony of the faith, hear the Gospel message for the first time. Therefore, the Church must use its Cultural heritage to speak of God because visiting these places and explaining their story presents an opportunity to recount the Christian faith in a captivating way. Pope Leo I asked, “why should the mind toil when the sight instructs”.  In a simple, powerful and beautiful way the great artistic masterpieces tell the marvelous stories of the faith that can be understood by everyone. 

As a religious woman, what do you think is most important for the evangelization of young people, especially in the Western and secularized world?
The most important aspect for evangelization is to firmly and enthusiastically hold the faith that you wish to transmit.  Communication is only partly about the techniques that we employ.   Today, our youth need the testimony of those who love Jesus Christ and believe the faith they profess.  The Lord needs authentic testifiers of the Gospel message who are courageous to speak the beauty of the truth to a relativistic world.