Sister Mary Ninfa Briones stood alone
Sister Mary Ninfa Briones
There are people who come into this world to love and be loved and this is the story of a nun with the Company of Mary, Sister Mary Ninfa Briones.
Not all nuns are the same, believe me; there are some we wished we had never known. This woman was different; she was special: so full of love for all of her students.
Sister Ninfa (or Mother Briones to all of her students at the Lestonnac School) was born in Santa Barbara, California.
Many times she shared with me the story of her life. She remembered that her grandparents owned some copper mines and some general stores in Mexico. At the time there was a persecution in Mexico, and the government was taking over much of the country’s resources. They knew they were not safe so they sought a place where they could raise a family. Her mother and father met and married in Texas.
When her father was offered a job in California, they moved. Their family grew to eight members, four girls (one was Sister Ninfa) and four boys.
She was born to be a nun, and entered the Company of Mary in 1942 in Douglas, Arizona. Her first assignment as a nun was to the island of Cuba, in the city of Habana. Sister Ninfa obtained teaching credentials in Cuba, New Mexico and California.
She was my teacher in Cuba in Colegio Lestonnac since second grade and I have been in constant contact with her ever since. I have followed her to every place she went.
One of her best qualities was to be very diplomatic and I remember how she described how they left the school in Habana. She used to say the Castro government “asked us to leave the country.” Sadly, but the Castro government never “ASKED” them to leave the country. The government forced them to leave the country only with what they had on them. Even more sadly was one of the students of the school by the name of Maria Elena Presno, dressed in a militia uniform, sat down in the lobby of the school with her dirty boots spread on a table and told them to get out of there and in a hurry.
The 13th of this month was her birthday, and as I have always done during the years, I called the convent on the 12th to joke with her (we used to joke a lot with each other) and note that she was having a big party and I was not invited. To my sad surprise, I was informed that she was in the hospital.
I immediately contacted her three former students that I know love her as much as I do — Lilia and Idania Figueredo and Luisa Gato — because I know they depend on me to inform them as to how our dear Mother is
doing.
This afternoon, October 17, at approximately 7 o ‘clock in the evening, I received a called from Sister Salud from the convent to tell me that approximately an hour prior my dear mother, my teacher, my mentor and friend since I was 7 years old, had gone into the arms of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Needless to say, I immediately called my friends and this is what they had to say: Madre Briones (Mother Briones) Sorry, I couldn’t be with you in your last moments. Only God knows the reason — Lilia Figueredo de Fernandez.
Madre: You will be in my heart and prayers forever — Idania Figueredo. Madre: God knows I love you deeply — Luisa Gato.
Personally, I know you don’t want me to cry, and I am going to make every effort in the world not to cry. I have no idea how I am going to deal with every October 13 (your birthday) and every November 21 (the most important date for all of us students of St. Jeanne De Lestonnac).
Deep in my heart I feel that the Virgin Mary and St. Jeanne De Lestonnac waited for you at the gates of Heaven to walk you into the presence of Our Lord. I am going to miss this wonderful woman!
Perly Viasmensky is the General Manager of the Las Vegas Tribune. She writes a weekly column in this newspaper. To contact Perly Viasmensky, email her at pviasmensky@lasvegas tribune.com.
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