Sister Emanuela Edwards, British, is a member of the Missionaries of Divine RevelationThe nuns are the official guides of St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. This nun is responsible for the English-speaking groups. "Many pilgrims who visit these works of art of the Church hear the Gospel for the first time," she says.
In this interview for CARF, she talks about her vocation, her religious life and her important work of guiding pilgrims and tourists through St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. This job is a great opportunity to transmit the faith and make the Gospels known, especially being a communicator and trained in the Faculty of Communication at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
From a very young age I always loved the Lord and had a deep interest in the life and teachings of the Catholic Church. I participated in the diocesan youth pilgrimages to Lourdes and was an active member of the parish youth group.
But you didn't think of religious life right away?
Well, yes, I thought about it, I always had an attraction to the evangelization work of the Church, but then I discarded it....
How so?
Well, because I didn't want to go to Africa!
It is very curious, because many people, seeing the need for evangelization, always think of the missions. St. Philip Neri, for example, wanted to go to the Indies but a monk told him that his Indies would be Rome....
Precisely! And I, somewhat because of this prejudice, did not immediately heed the Lord's call and went to study economics at the University of Manchester. I then worked first in banking and then as a consultant for an IT service provider. The thought that God was calling me was always present.
Behind me I had a sister who was always asking me if I wanted to be nun. My initial, continuous response was: No way!
And in the meantime, his career continued...
Yes, until, in 1988, a friend of mine told me the story of the Virgin of the Revelation, who appeared in Rome in 1947 a Protestant, Bruno Cornacchiola, and called him back to the true source of the Gospel. I was deeply moved by this story and so I participated in and then led the first prayer group in England dedicated to Our Lady of Revelation..
In the group we prayed the Rosary together and at each meeting we deepened our faith through the teaching of the Church in the Catechism and the Holy Scriptures.
At the same time, my career continued and even blossomed: at the time I answered the Lord's call, I was appointed Director of Operations of the Board of a growing company.
And this fact made it more difficult to choose. What encouraged you to make your vocation decision??
As time went by I noticed that, although I enjoyed my work, when I taught the faith, I felt more fulfilled. I had an experience similar to that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus who said, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road?" (Lk 24:32). Finally, in 2005, during a vacation in Rome, I went to the grotto of "Tre Fontane" (Three Fountains) where Our Lady 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 destined 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 let go of that somewhat "crazy" thought... But then Divine Providence began to lead the way. Mother Rebecca visited England to speak to the group and I finally asked her the question I had buried for a long time... "How do you know if the Lord is really calling you?". She responded with words that resonated in my heart, "Love for Him surpasses all other loves."
The answer you've been waiting for!
So much so that, after 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, so I left England and came to Rome, where I entered the community of the Missionaries of Divine Revelation.
"Pope Leo I once asked, 'Why should the mind strive when sight instructs?' The Vatican's great artistic masterpieces tell wonderful stories of faith that everyone can understand."
Sister Emanuela Edwards, British, who belongs to the Missionaries of Divine Revelation, was sent by her Congregation to study Communications at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross for two reasons: firstly, because of the quality and method of teaching at the University; and secondly, because training in this discipline is essential for the development of her Community, "because through our mission in the Church we participate in the New Evangelization, and we use all the modern means of social communication in our work," she explains.
I imagine that evangelizing convinced him to study Communication at the University of the Holy Cross...
My superior decided that I should study Communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross for two reasons: firstly, because of the quality and method of teaching at the University; secondly, because he felt that training in this discipline was essential for the development of our Community, since through our mission in the Church we participate in the New Evangelization, and we use all modern means of social communication in our work.
Precisely the objective of the Faculty...
Of course! And I found that the time I spent studying at the University of the Holy Cross allowed me to acquire the professional skills I needed to fulfill my mission in the Church. The course allows for 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 very well prepared in their field and always offer interesting and interactive presentations on their subject.
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 of our time is the communication of the faith to young people.. The Christian faith we possess and the roots of our Christian heritage must become interesting and challenging and be communicated to all. It must be done in such a way that it can strengthen the faith of those who believe, while at the same time reaching out to the periphery to speak of God's love for all, even to those who would not normally be interested!
And Rome is also a mission territory, even better than Africa.
No doubt about it! Famous artistic masterpieces or churches that house the stories of saints and martyrs provide opportunities for people to experience faith. In our time, people can make a cultural visit and, through the beauty of art or the witness of 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 history represents an opportunity to tell the Christian faith in a captivating way.
Pope Leo I once asked, "Why should the mind strive when sight instructs?" And sure enough, in a simple, powerful and beautiful way the great artistic masterpieces tell the wonderful stories of faith that everyone can understand. My Africa is Rome!
A heritage that we often do not consider...
Unfortunately... And if we think about it, our Lord's commandment to "baptize all nations" (cf. Mt 28:19) means that the communication and transmission of the faith is the very mission of the Church. During my time at the University of Holy Cross I also learned that communicating the Gospel message is the most exciting, fascinating and important message that any communicator can be given to communicate.
Therefore, as communicators of the Church, we must be creative in using our Christian heritage and our artistic beauty to spread the greatest message ever conveyed in an attractive and interesting way to this generation that is saturated with the noise of the modern world.
Learning to appreciate what you have received and passing it on to others: a great challenge!
Yes, very big... But thanks to God and to the formation I received at the Holy Cross Faculty of Communication, I am able to move more easily between my work as an official guide for the "Art and Faith" tours at the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica and also, internally, in the communication tasks of my Congregation. The formation program of Holy Cross has been very relevant and useful.
"The Lord needs authentic witnesses to the Gospel message who are courageous to speak the beauty of truth to a relativistic world."
In the picture, Sister Emanuela Edwards poses with professors and students of the Faculty of Social and Institutional Communication of the Faculty of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. "Thanks to God and the training I received at the Holy Cross Faculty of Communication, I find it easier to get by between my work as an official guide for the "Art and Faith" tours at the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. In addition, I am responsible for communication tasks for my Congregation. The Holy Cross formation program has been very relevant and useful," she says.
As a woman religious, what do you think is most important for the evangelization of young people, especially in the Western and secularized world?
The most important aspect of evangelization is to hold firmly and enthusiastically to the faith we wish to transmit. With regard to communication, it is only partly a matter of the techniques we employ. Today, our youth need the witness of those who love Jesus Christ and believe in the faith they profess. The Lord needs authentic witnesses to the Gospel message who are courageous enough to speak of the beauty of truth to a relativistic world.
There is a lot of talk about a specific role for women in the Church. What do you think it could be?
Well, women involved in communications can approach this work with a motherly eye. A woman's natural intuition to reach out, train and guide others is particularly useful in the field of social communications, where you need to give a loving touch to the messages you create.
I really like this definition of "natural intuition", something that in these relativistic times, as you commented, is not valued very much... But always, as a man, I have thought of women's intelligence as something more "refined", or able to "listen" more, to intuit more...
Precisely! And more: as women and communicators we must look for ways to reach everyone and be able to "listen" to the signs of the times in order to help others.
February 26th marked the 25th anniversary of the School of Social and Institutional Communicationfounded in 1996 within the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and which, in 25 years, has already trained dozens of communication professionals, who today give their contribution in various ecclesiastical and non-ecclesiastical sectors, thanks above all to the help of many benefactors, in particular the CARF Foundation - Centro Academico Romano Foundation.
From CARF we continue with our report of stories of students and alumni of the Faculty of Social and Institutional Communication. who study at this center to respond to the needs of the Church to transmit the faith throughout the world with the instruments available and to train professionals capable of working in the field of communication in ecclesial institutions..
Every two years, for example, the the Professional Seminar on the institutional communication of the Church and institutions that promote values linked to the faith, aimed at directors of communication offices of Dioceses and Episcopal Conferences, pastoral agents and journalists who deal with religious information. Organized since 1997, the Seminar has already welcomed hundreds of professionals from all over the world.
The Faculty also organizes specialization courses in religious information and the course "The Church Up & Close".The program is aimed at journalists from all over the world who report on the Catholic Church. In addition, weekly meetings are held with journalists and professionals in the field of communication, to learn more about current issues and professional experiences.
Very important is also the International Congress of the Permanent Seminar on Poetics & Christianityaimed at academics and artists from different fields. The aim is to identify a source of light in the life of art and, at the same time, a space in which it is relevant to implement the discipline itself.
Gerardo Ferrara
BA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Responsible for the student body
University of the Holy Cross in Rome
