Waters of a Lifetime: The Autobiography of Maria de la Cruz, S.H.

By María de la Cruz

Waters of a Lifetime is the autobiography of Sister Maria de la Cruz Aymes of the Society of Helpers (1919-2009). From her early days as a child in Mexico, through the years of Vatican II and the following decades, Waters of a Lifetime offers an intimate history of a remarkable catechist that spans more than half a century. Her contribution to religious education was rooted in human experience, enlightened by her faith in a loving God, broadened and deepened by the spirit of Vatican II. Sister Maria was best known for her Roman Catholic catechisms for children, On Our Way, On Our Way Vatican II, New Life, Lord of Life, God with Us, and for her book for Spanish speaking adults: Familia de Dios . Published by William H. Sadlier in New York between the years of 1957-1962, the On Our Way Series of religious education books for children became a runaway best seller throughout the United States and was translated in more than twelve languages. Waters of a Lifetime invites you to listen to the stories of this remarkable woman who worked with Popes Paul VI and John Paul II and was able to hold her own with members of the Roman Curia , bringing her insights and creativity to the process of renewal in the Church, and heralding a new era in the religious education of children and the formation of religious educators not only in the United States, but throughout five continents. About Sister Maria de la Cruz, S.H. She was a "princess" raised in a "castle" gifted with an ebullient personality, given opportunities that few children in her country ever had. She grew up surrounded by a loving family, dignitaries of Church and State, and the threat of persecution. At nineteen years of age, she chose to leave father, mother, brothers, and country and travel to an unknown land because she was unable to deny God's call issuing from her heart. Little did she suspect that her journey to the novitiate in Chappaqua, New York, would be only the first of many voyages she would make, circling the globe to bring the "good news" to a myriad of listeners who were captivated by her personality and teaching. (from the Foreword) "Maria de la Cruz was a genuinely liberated and liberating woman, manifesting in her life the statement of Jesus, "The truth will set you free." As a Mexican educator who brought the Good News of Jesus Christ to the rest of the world, she was a woman of the Church: a woman of love and courage, ready to take the initiative, but also to listen; one who had a reverence for tradition, but was also open to change, sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the feelings of others; a woman of laughter and tears, whose poetry is written in her own life story." Francis J. Buckley, S.J. Author of The Church in Dialogue; Culture and Tradition

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0615733360
• ISBN13: 9780615733364
• Release Date: January 2012
• Publisher: Red Star Black Rose
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"