Ven. Thecla Merlo (1894-1964)
Venerated January 22, 1991 by Pope John Paul II
Meditation on Sacred Scripture and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament have been the foundation of prayer for many women destined to be great spiritual mothers. Such was the case with Maestra Thecla, first Superior General of the Daughters of St. Paul founded by Father James Alberione. Teresa Merlo was a pious young Italian woman whose family was alive with Catholic piety and devotion. She had been trained as a seamstress but desired to enter religious life. Her brother, a seminarian, introduced her to Father Alberione who was looking to form a feminine congregation dedicated to spreading the Gospel through the press. With faith and trust in God, Teresa said “yes” to Father Alberione’s suggestion that she join the group of women he was forming. In 1922 she was consecrated to serving the Lord along with nine other women. This new order, called the Daughters of St. Paul, was forging new apostolic ground in the area of mass communications and women religious. Teresa chose the name “Thecla” in honor of St. Thecla, the early follower of St. Paul.
As her name suggested, Thecla was dedicated to the mission she embraced. However, her private letters indicate that she lived with a sense of inadequacy regarding the call entrusted to her, and she suffered from an inability to see God’s designs for the future development of the Institute. These spiritual sufferings, however, did not diminish her enthusiasm nor her zeal, rather, they worked to draw her more closely to Sacred Scripture and the Eucharistic Presence. Jesus was the Way and He would lead her and guide her. As she told her sisters, “Our Master dwells in the Tabernacle. From there he preaches to our mind and heart by means of the Gospel…We must always live united to Jesus. The Holy Trinity dwells in those persons who are united to Jesus.”
In notes she wrote, Maestra Thecla outlined the three main characteristics of her spiritual life. They provide a spiritual tripod upon which the interior life can rest secured:
1. Listening: A simple and life-oriented meditation of the Word of God.
2. Imitation: On-going contemplation of Jesus the Master, encouraged by the biblical phrase: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt. 11:29). Her resolution was “to imitate Jesus, the Divine Master. To ask myself: What would Jesus do? I want to imitate the Divine Master and become a saint…Jesus Christ is my model. I must fix my gaze on him so as to see how he prayed, spoke, acted, dealt with people; how he willingly suffered for us …”
3. To Live the Master: Imitation of the Divine Master is to lead us to a deeper level of spiritual life. For Thecla this meant “sharing” the Master’s life, immersing herself in Him, and conforming herself to Him. Ultimately, this culminates in immersion in the Paschal Mystery, by which the person unites herself to the Master’s offering of his life.
“To do good, to help souls, and to contribute to their salvation” were the words Maestra Thecla chose to encapsulate her sense of mission. She was a woman of her time, but a woman whose vision reached toward a new millennium.
(information acquired from http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/)
“One cannot have recollection (an abiding sense of the presence of God throughout the day) if she does not make her meditation…. One becomes nervous; she sees everything distorted; she succeeds in nothing…. We need God. We must be united to Him or else we will not do good.”
Venerable Thecla Merlo, founder of the Daughters of St. Paul
Faith in Action:
In what one way can I most relate to Maestra Thecla? In what practical way(s) do I or can I implement her “tripod” of spirituality?
This is an excerpt from the Women of Grace® Foundational Study Guide, “Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life”
