TESTIMONIES: Her Sisters in religious life

Dina left what would have been a most attractive future, a loving family life, a successful musical career, a promising future, the chance to create a happy home … all this to respond with a YES to God who is above everything.

Dina made an impression on her Sisters.  Let us listen to them. They tell us that it was rather by her attitudes than her words that they noticed:

Her great simplicity

She was so self-effacing that it seemed that in her own eyes she counted for nothing. Her great humility hid her talent.

Exteriorly she was like all the others. Nobody imagined that she received extraordinary gifts of grace.

At times of recreation when the conversation became very animated, she was quiet so that others would have the pleasure of recounting what had happened.

Her joy

In the afternoons the novices organised recreations, or musical or literary activities. Dina participated fully in the activities and in the games. Her sketches amused everyone. One would have thought that her shyness would prevent her from playing unusual parts, but the contrary was true, when anything was entrusted to her she did it with spontaneity, thought and cheerfulness.

Her self-forgetfulness

In the noviciate tasks were allocated to each one. When they were not assigned she always chose the most difficult and offered to replace those who had had the hardest ones. She did this so pleasantly that she gained their affection

She always wanted to make others happy and one had to pay attention to the expression of the simplest wish because she responded to it immediately. If possible she did more, she did not wish to do less.

Always affable and good, she avoided hurting others, even if it was a religious who made her suffer.

Her austerity

Dina did not like apples. Her parents, who did not know this, often brought this fruit to her and her superior, taking her health into account, wanted her to eat some. Dina ate apples for many months until the Mistress of Novices perceived the repugnance that they caused her.

Throughout her time in the infirmary, Dina suffered in knowing that her Sisters had to serve her. She would have preferred that the roles would be reversed. She was always surprised and grateful for the smallest attention offered her, for a minute detail.  She was not demanding and seemed surprised that they had even thought of her. She endured the suffering brought on by her illness without saying anything, without it being noticed. She never complained. Her constant smile in the midst of such pain was what most attracted attention.

Her helpfulness

Sometimes the tasks that she was given to do accumulated: compositions, songs, copies, letters, registers, translations … but she never considered herself overworked. They say that, after her death, there was surprise at the amount of work she had undertaken during her illness.

She always had something good to say about people. She gave the impression that she never saw the less good or defective side of others.

While she was still able to teach music she did so with interest and was greatly appreciated. She was demanding but kind. She only sought to give the best of herself and for the good of each of her pupils.

I could tell you much more but I feel that by now you can make out what Dina was like and you yourself can draw your own conclusions.