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“For to me living is Christ, and dying is gain,” (Phil 1:21)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2Tm 4,7)
Sister Marionete Linardi, a woman of faith with a great passion for God and the proclamation of the Kingdom, lived her vocation as a consecrated missionary by carrying out various services in the Province of North Brazil: she was a formator, provincial councillor, and community coordinator. She was very active in pastoral ministry. In recent years, before being transferred to the community of São Paulo, she worked in the parish of San Benedetto, assisting with adult catechesis, training ministers of the Word and the Eucharist, and presiding over the celebration of the Word in various communities. The news of her death saddened many who knew her fondly remember her as a cheerful person, capable of listening and being close, a person of God. Sister Alcinete Cardoso, a missionary in Cameroon, shares some of her memories.
A life woven with prayer and hope
On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, giving them the courage to proclaim the Gospel, I sent a message to Sister Marionete. The response came directly from her, as always happened in the almost constant contact we maintained. “I pray for you and your family members,” Sister Marionete would say.
I had the grace of being Sister Marionete’s novice, a privilege that today allows me to share some luminous features of her missionary life. She was a woman of prayer: she prayed often and for many people, embracing the entire world with her prayerful heart. Missionaries, both men and women, held a special place in her intentions, because she deeply understood that prayer constituted an authentic mission, capable of touching the heart of God and keeping alive communion with Him and with humanity. Her life was characterized by a profound intimacy with Jesus.
When I learned of her death here in Cameroon, memories came flooding back to the time spent in the provincial house in Manaus. I immediately thought of the dream Sister Marionete had nurtured ever since: the definitive encounter. She had often confided to us her desire to see Jesus face to face. Her faith in eternal life was steadfast, nourished by the certainty that there would be no more death, suffering, or pain, but only the eternity of love, joy, and peace.
The charism of spiritual friendship
Marionete was a person of exceptional sensitivity, strong in adversity, imbued with a contagious joy, and animated by an unending hope. He had deeply internalized the Pauline certainty that “hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5), and this conviction was evident in her words and actions.
She taught with dedication, loved talking to people, and cultivated numerous friendships. However, what made her relationships with others extraordinary was her ability to transform every friendship into a journey toward Christ. She led her friends to Jesus with spontaneity and gentleness, bearing witness with his own life to the beauty of the encounter with the Lord.
She often spoke of unity and communion with Jesus, but she never forgot Mary. She invited everyone to become friends of Our Lady, convinced that through the Mother, it would be easier to encounter her Son.
Holiness in everyday life
The memory that remains is that of a missionary woman, joyful, full of faith and hope. A woman who ardently desired holiness and therefore constantly sought the sacrament of reconciliation, knowing that every forgiveness she received brought her closer to her desired goal.
She must have felt immense happiness in her final encounter with Jesus. That long-awaited moment, prepared for through a life of dedication and prayer.
I cherish her joy as a consecrated woman and the testimony of her search for God’s will in everyday life, lived not on grand occasions, but in the ordinary situations of daily life. I believe she is now singing and praising God, perhaps playing the accordion, as she loved to do so, thanking the Lord of her life for all she has received and given.
From heaven, near Jesus, she certainly continues her mission of interceding for us, keeping alive the network of prayer she wove during her earthly life.
I thank God for having known her and for all the lessons I have learned from this dear sister. This gratitude is the most precious legacy of an encounter that marked my journey of faith and mission.
Sr. Alcinete Cardoso, Camerun
