“Your love has overflowed into our world”

By Emily Chaffins -

DORAL | As people streamed into Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish on a sunny afternoon, Sister María Elizabeth Borobia greeted them with joy, bringing smiles to their faces: “How’s your mother doing?” she asked one, and to another she said, “I’ve known your aunt for many years!” It seemed there were few people she didn’t know – and they had showed up to celebrate. 

Sister María Elizabeth, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, was excited to commemorate the 65-year anniversary of her order’s arrival in the Archdiocese of Miami with a Mass and reception Nov. 3, 2024. Archbishop Thomas Wenski was the principal celebrant, and the church was filled with supporters, including laypeople and families; priests and deacons; and religious from other orders such as the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles and the Marianita Sisters. 

In his homily, Archbishop Wenski joked that the Daughters of St. Paul are known as the “media nuns” because they focus on evangelization through media, including books, movies, social media, music, and more. “They carry out an apostolate of the ‘good press’ using media as a tool for evangelization,” he said. 

The Daughters of St. Paul in Miami accomplish this through their Pauline Books & Media Center and their Paulinas Spanish Distribution Center, both located at 145 SW 107th Ave. in Sweetwater. 

Founded by the Venerable Mother Thecla Merlo in 1915 in Italy, the order has spread around the world. The story of how Mother Thecla and the Daughters of St. Paul arrived in Miami 65 years ago is seen as a divine act of Providence. 

A life-changing encounter

“What order of sisters are you?” asked the monsignor. 

In an October 2024 letter to Sister Irene Regina Hoernschemeyer of Miami, Sister Mary Thecla Paolini recalled the encounter that paved the way for the arrival of the Daughters of St. Paul in Miami. It was November 1959, and Miami had just become a diocese. While attending a catechetical convention for Catholic schools at the Golden Hotel, Sister Mary Thecla and Sister Mary Paula, the first Daughters of St. Paul to set foot in Miami, were approached by a monsignor who inquired about their religious order. 

“We were not aware of the fact that the bishop [Coleman Carroll] was looking for various women’s congregations to come to Miami,” wrote Sister Mary Thecla. 

Encouraged by the monsignor, the sisters call their superiors. Within a few hours, their Italian foundress, Mother Thecla – who was visiting Boston – flew to Miami to meet with Bishop Coleman Carroll. 

“It was divine providence all around,” Sister Mary Thecla put it. 

Miami welcomed the sisters with open arms. That same day, Mrs. Koenig, a local woman, helped them find a location at 2700 Biscayne Blvd. that became St. Paul’s Catholic Book and Film Center. The Daughters of St. Paul moved into the newly constructed building in 1960, which included 14 bedrooms and served as a convent. The building was even honored as the Building of the Month by the City of Miami Beautification Committee in July 1962. 

With their customary energy, the sisters used creative means to evangelize in South Florida. According to Sister Irene Regina, who researched the order’s history in Miami, the Daughters of St. Paul did door-to-door evangelization from the 1960s to the 1980s, bringing faith-filled books to Floridians’ front porches. 

In the 1970s and 1980s, the sisters rented 65mm films to parishes, later transitioning to VHS and DVD, until the digital age ended this practice. 

Sister María Elizabeth fondly remembers how, in 1992, Sister María Ruth Reyes brought the Pauline mission to the airwaves with a live Christmas novena on Radio Amanecer, the precursor to Radio Paz. Today, Sister María Ruth’s Radio Paz program, “Jesús en mi Vida Diaria,” is heard in more than 100 countries.

The book center moved in 1987 to 9808 SW 8th St, before setting at 107th Ave. in 1989. Pauline Books & Media remains a staple of the Miami Catholic community, hosting events such as Wednesday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, discernment events, faith formation, and an annual Baby Jesus Party for children at Christmas. 

In addition to their book center, the Daughters of St. Paul in Miami operate the Paulinas Spanish Distribution Center, which provides Spanish-language faith-based books to secular and religious organizations throughout the U.S. The initiative was born in the 1990s after the congregation prayed for ways to make quality Spanish publications more accessible to strengthen the faith of immigrant families. 

The Paulinas Spanish Distribution Center opened on May 20, 1996. Today, its mission is sending out bilingual and Spanish-language books “to meet the real needs of families today,” said Sister María Elizabeth. To accomplish this, the center also sources books from South America.

“Our mission makes our book center unique, because it’s our mission as consecrated women in the Church,” said Sister Irene adding, “We call ourselves missionaries and feel that missionary call,” which translates into their outreach. 

Hope for the future

Archbishop Wenski congratulated the Daughters of St. Paul for their decades of service in South Florida and quoted their foundress Venerable Mother Thecla Merlo:  “When our hearts are filled with the love of God, this love necessarily overflows onto the world.’” He added, “Your love has overflowed into our world here in the Archdiocese of Miami.” 

The community responded to this outpouring of love. After the Mass, volunteers organized a reception in the parish hall, serving appetizers and desserts. 

Sister Irene Regina created an exhibit of vintage photos, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia from the order’s 65 years in Miami. Visitors viewed the exhibit in the parish hall to reminisce about the past. 

For Yvette Egozcue, a parishioner of St. Agatha in Miami, the Daughters of St. Paul have been instrumental in her spiritual life. After converting to the Catholicism at the age of 20, Egozcue encountered the sisters at their previous 8th St. location. All these years later, she says she still “prays for them daily.” 

“They provide a wonderful support to faith through books, music, but most importantly through Jesus in the tabernacle,” she said. “Every time I visit, I go to their chapel in the book center.” 

Egozcue’s elementary-school-age nieces, Sophia and Leilah Ochoa, also attended the Mass and reception, and were eager to share that they “like the Baby Jesus Party a lot,” a tradition they attend every year. 

“People need hope. People need Jesus,” said Sister Irene Regina. “Coming out of the pandemic, there are family problems, depression, addiction. That’s what our mission is all about: bringing people into contact with God through media.” 

The Daughters of St. Paul are “rejuvenating” the Association of Pauline Cooperators (APC) in Miami, a lay apostolate with thousands of members worldwide. “They collaborate in our mission, like St. Paul living in the world,” said Sister Irene Regina. “They want to evangelize – to grow in their own spiritual life and also share Jesus with others.” 

In the years ahead, the Daughters of St. Paul in Miami plan to expand their catechetical and faith formation programs, including resuming their parish missions – an initiative made possible because their ranks in Miami recently doubled, growing from four sisters to eight.

Photo Exhibit of the Daughters of St. Paul's 65 Years in Miami

• The 65th anniversary celebration continues. Visitors to Pauline Books & Media can still view the photo history exhibit through December 6.

• The exhibit is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 145 SW 107th Ave. in Sweetwater.