Stefania Teconi

I was born in a small city in northern Italy, near Milan. My childhood developed in the womb of a Catholic family and I had a good religious education. I loved the activities that the parish organized and always participated with great interest. On various occasions I heard about a vocation to the religious or consecrated life, but I saw it as something very far off.

One summer, when I was between 18 and 20 years old, I went to visit a monastery of St. Clare nuns with the teams of my parish. I remember perfectly the testimony of one very young nun who told us her vocation story. She had beautiful blue eyes, full of light; and her serene and happy voice concluded her testimony with these exact words: "The vocation is the greatest desire that we have in our heart."

After this day my existential questions began to be more intense: What is my vocation? What is my desire? Nun? Mother? What really frightened me was this "new" perspective of life that I never had considered, that of a life consecrated to God.

I went to the chapel and spoke with God with a lot of simplicity. I knew that he couldn´t ask me what I couldn´t give. The only thing that was certain was this: I couldn´t be far from him. I had to resolve this doubt as soon as possible. I knelt down in front of the tabernacle asking him to explain to me clearly. He told me, "Nun! Nun!" But I didn´t like that! I explained that I couldn´t wear a skirt nor a veil and that I preferred to get married and be a mother.

Convinced that this was the true desire of my life, I asked for a truce. I didn´t want to confront reality. I wanted to live as if none of this had happened. But my conscience wouldn´t leave me in peace; each time I listened to or read the passage about the rich young man of the Gospel, this idea began to replant itself again in my life. It came to a moment that I couldn´t listen to the songs at Mass, the words bothered me and everything spoke to me about vocation: "You, come and follow me". I went again and again in front of the tabernacle to try to explain to God why I didn´t want this vocation, but my explanation not only didn´t convince him, it didn´t convince me either.

The years passed. It was then that doubt came up in my life again. My life had changed: I had finished my studies, I had a car, I had gone out with a few boyfriends, many friends and a life like the majority of young people. I was very committed in my parish and in many other activities, but they didn´t fill me. I was always searching for more and more. What was I looking for? I didn´t know. I knew that the only thing certain was that only with God at my side did I have meaning, and another time I heard his invitation. I couldn´t tell him no. "Fine! Do you want me to be religious? But, please, without a veil!" (Naturally, I was convinced that there didn´t exist any religious that didn´t have a veil!

In November of 1999 I participated in the activities of Youth for the Third Millennium in Italy. I loved to go on missions. The girls seemed nice and the guys were very cute. Everything was peaceful and I didn´t have time to think about my doubts, until one of the girls invited me to a meeting to comment on the Bible and apply it to life. It was here that something new crossed my path. Before beginning the meeting she introduced me to two girls that I had never seen: they were two consecrated women in Regnum Christi. Two what? The religious without veils! I was afraid! But they seemed good and nice.

I continued my normal life. I had my first two spiritual directions and partcipated in everything they proposed to me. After a few months, June 26, 2000, I incorporated into the Regnum Christi Movement and a few months after I went to Mexico for missions. Here I got to know a lot more about the Movement and I was happy to respond to whatever Christ asked of me. I never spoke about my vocational restlessness with anyone until after the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Foundation of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi. After having experienced the family environment, peace and joy, and, above all, having seen the interminable lines of consecrated women, which made me think more and more of the consecrated life, I spoke with one of them. She invited me to participate in the Holy Week Retreat in Rome. It was the most difficult Good Friday of my life! I cried and cried; it made me restless to see the consecrated women always happy. Here I decided: this summer, I would go to the candidacy program!

I felt happy. I had taken the first step that I had rejected for years. His will was now clear to me. The religious without viels and a boyfriend like no one in the whole world: really perfect! This was what God wanted for me. It was Jesus and he was waiting for my "Yes" for so long.

September 8, 2001 he became my spouse!