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A Life of Loving Service: Sister Maria Rita, O.C.D.Since January of 1959, the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles have accompanied forty-five Sisters to their final earthly-resting place in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. On the last day of March 2009, the Community gathered once again on this hallowed ground to reverently bury the body of Sister Maria Rita of Carmel, who lived sixty-three of her nearly eighty-two years of life as a Carmelite Sister.
Dutiful as she was, Sister Maria Rita left everything prepared. Some years earlier, she chose the hymns she wished to be sung at her rosary and funeral Mass. She saved the lovely bulletin board decorated with pictures that the Sisters prepared for the celebration of her 60 years in Carmel, and cleverly added a photo of the cemetery with her picture in the center. She chose from the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila, the maxim she wished printed on her remembrance card. It read, “May my soul take its swift flight unhindered into the embrace of God where I will sing His praises forever.” And God, in His gentleness and love, acquiesced to this expression of her heart’s desire. Because of a heart condition with complications that had weakened her body, Sister Mary Rita was a resident in Santa Teresita Manor. A few hours before her death, when her tray was brought into her room, she indicated she would like to sit in a chair to eat, rather than be served in bed. After a hearty breakfast, she asked to be helped to the shower. As she was being assisted back to bed, with no visible struggle or pain, she simply stopped breathing. Her valiant soul, unhindered, took its swift flight into the embrace of God. Nabora Muñoz was the ninth of thirteen children of Pedro and Julia Muñoz, natives of Mexico, who settled in Bakersfield, California. They worked in the agricultural fields to support their growing family. Nabora was a happy and exuberant child and filled her family life with an abundance of joy and energy. She was a good student at Our Lady of Guadalupe elementary school and, even with her abundant energy and enthusiasm, received excellent grades in conduct. She also excelled in the virtue of generosity and dropped out of her first year of high school to help her family work in the fields. With this heavy work, she developed into a strong and healthy teenager. While Nabora’s physical life was being nurtured, her spiritual life was also deepening. She felt the gentle call from God, inviting her to serve Him in the religious life. Her father was strongly opposed to her religious vocation. So she waited until her eighteenth birthday and then, like the great Saint Teresa of Avila, whose spiritual daughter she was to become, stole away from home determined to fulfill her goal. Determination, generosity and loving service characterized her throughout her life. Nabora entered Carmel on December 8, 1945, desiring to become a saint. The Directress of Postulants and Novices may have had her doubts at times, however. Sister Maria Rita and her two novice companions, Sister Mary Ines and Sister Maria Tomasina, seemed to never run out of pranks or adventures. If Sister Mary Ines was not thinking up an escapade, Sister Maria Rita was! Sister Maria Tomasina, who was more reserved and shy, would caution them that their latest idea did not seem “nun-like” but eventually, she was convinced or coerced, and another adventure was in the making! When they were sent to pick fruit in the orchard, they didn’t stop to use the ladders that had been provided. It was much more fun and practical to climb the trees and throw the fruit to the waiting hands below! The Novice Directress was able to see beneath the surface of this youthful exuberance to the beautiful souls she was guiding. On July 16, 1947, Sister Mary Rita and her companions made their first profession of vows. Her years working in the fields, planting and harvesting produce, gave her a deep respect for God’s abundant harvest and she developed her culinary talents. Her endless energy was channeled into joyful service that knew no bounds. She prepared nutritious meals for the girls who were orphans, or from troubled families, at Little Flower Missionary House. She served the tubercular girls and patients, the guests, and the staff at Santa Teresita and the retreatants at Sacred Heart Retreat House. She served her Sisters and she brought joy to the Community, always ready to help with any need. Then, when most people are beginning to think of retirement, she joyfully accepted a new assignment and eagerly learned to use the computer so that she could help teach the children in the Writing-to-Read Computer Lab in the schools where our Sisters served. When the Community began staffing a school in Miami, Florida, Sister was “ready to go” and joyfully accompanied those assigned there. Hurricane Andrew was an adventure she never forgot! Whatever she was asked to do, she did it joyfully and enthusiastically. Her work never became routine. Each day was filled with enthusiasm as she continued to serve her Beloved in the person of others. Her ever-present, radiant smile reflected her peace and joy which overflowed into the many lives that were touched by her. In 2004, Sister Maria Rita had open-heart surgery. Although that boundless energy slowed somewhat, her joy and enthusiasm did not. She was not one to waste time by feeling sorry for herself. When she was asked her preference -- if extraordinary measures were needed to preserve her life -- she responded, “Just give me some menudo!” One of the young Sisters interviewed her one day, and asked her what advice she would give to a newly professed sister. Sister Maria Rita replied, “Always give God PRIME time – not what is left over!” When the Bridegroom beckoned her home to Himself on that spring morning, she responded as she had responded all of her life, with no hesitation. She was ready - and she went forth in haste to meet her Beloved. On March 24, 2009, Sister Maria Rita joined the forty-four Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles who preceded her in death. Her bright smile and ever-ready gentle kindness are much missed, but the example of her life lingers and serves as an inspiration to those who follow and who one day will join her in singing the praises of God for all eternity. Return to Vocation Stories
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