Founders

With your contributions, we will be able to continue producing the feature film about the life of our founder and the origins of our Congregation. Every contribution, no matter how small, will help move this project forward.

You can donate easily and securely: via BIZUM or bank transfer. If you prefer to contribute through BIZUM, enter the code 04116. And if you choose to donate by bank transfer, please use the following account details: Oblates of the Most Holy Redeemer, General Curia, IBAN ES29 0049 5124 6126 1012 2508.

If you make your donation from Spain and wish to receive a tax deduction, please send a message to Julita Núñez at: economageneral@hermanasoblatas.org

We have been considering making a film about Mother Antonia for years:

• Since the Centenary of Mother Antonia’s death (1998), people have been saying: “I think there’s no need to fictionalize anything in this video, since the current issues being addressed and the work you are doing with women today are interesting enough to challenge the viewer.”
• The postulator of the Beatification Cause of our Venerable Foundress, Mother Antonia, Father Antonio Marrazzo, C.Ss.R., states: “The figure of Mother Antonia is rich and multifaceted and can serve as a point of reference for the youth. It is necessary to make her personality known, to rediscover the Foundress, to spread her story at every level — youth and vocational ministry — and to encourage devotion to Mother Antonia.”
• Mother Antonia has been declared Venerable by Papal Decree since 1962, which means that she has already been recognized by the Church for her heroic evangelical virtues. She was a woman ahead of her time, a role model for today’s society because of her bold commitment to the situation of women engaged in prostitution in the second half of the 19th century, and a model of evangelical life for the People of God.
• As Oblate Sisters, we are aware of the importance of giving visibility in today’s society to the renewed congregational identity and to the mission with women in situations of prostitution and trafficking, initiated by Antonia and continued in the different realities of the 15 countries where we are present.
• Antonio Cuadri, a film director, together with his wife, Esperanza Torrejón—friends of the Congregation and admirers of this remarkable woman—proposed making a film. They set out to create the script and undertake everything involved in its production and release on the big screen.

• The premiere will coincide with the conclusion of the Bicentennial celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Antonia María de Oviedo y Schönthal, Foundress of the Congregation (2022).

• It is a wonderful, kind, and beautiful opportunity to make the figure of Antonia de Oviedo known, on the Bicentennial of her birth.
• To rescue the personality and the educational contribution of Antonia de Oviedo to Spanish society, among the group of “forgotten” women of the 19th century.
• To present Antonia as the Foundress of a Congregation with a predominantly female mission.
• Sharing the life of Mother Antonia can help increase devotion and, from there, advance the beatification process.
• To make the Foundress, her mission, and the Congregation known in countries where we are not present, but where the film can reach.
• Vocational impact, prompting reflection on the meaning of life and offering an evangelical role model.
• An ideal occasion, coinciding with the bicentennial of her birth, to see Mother Antonia on the screen—a different and innovative way to celebrate it.
• Raising awareness about the reality of women in relation to prostitution and human trafficking.
• When an idea endures over time… it deserves attention: could there be something of God in it?

And ultimately, for the immense gift it represents for the entire Oblate Family.

“If All Doors Close” tells the story of three women, intertwined by the reality of prostitution and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, based on true events. They appear to be separated in time and space, but eventually converge in their journey of self-discovery. All three must listen to an inner call that urges them to face their fears and become the true protagonists of their lives, opening new paths of transformation and liberation.

One of them is the Founding Mother, Antonia María de Oviedo y Schönthal (1822–1898). The film focuses on the most significant parts of her life, many of which are narrated by herself, using “flashbacks.” Her encounters with Father José María Benito Serra and her relentless search for truth and personal mission mark a turning point in her life, leading her to dedicate herself to caring for women engaged in prostitution.

The other two protagonists are contemporary characters: Rebeca, 25 years old, and Sharik, 27. Rebeca lives in Madrid and works as a teacher in a semi-private school while studying for competitive exams to secure a permanent position. She has been in a relationship with her partner, Enrique, for several years, but she does not yet feel motivated to fully commit to him and give their relationship more stability. At work, she observes and cares deeply for her students, which leads her to become involved in the lives of their families beyond the school. This happens with Alika, a 6-year-old student with an African mother, whose situation introduces Rebeca to a world previously unknown to her: that of prostitution and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Encountering this harsh reality awakens questions she had never asked herself before and prompts her to reconsider the direction of her life.

Sharik, barely a teenager, is sold by her father to a much older man. She is taken to Spain to be prostituted and, treated as merchandise, is abused by many men. Pregnant by her pimp, she receives slightly better treatment from him, being removed from the streets and assigned to serve drinks in his club.

But the life of this Nigerian woman is full of darkness and unease. It will be her daughter and the desire to transform her sad reality that become the driving force giving her the strength and determination to become the brave and independent woman she wants to be. Her encounter with Rebeca, her daughter’s teacher, and later with the Congregation of the Oblate Sisters, gives her the key to embark on this new path of empowerment.