On the occasion of International Women’s Day, EWTN Vatican spoke with Sister Emanuela Edwards, a Missionary of Divine Revelation whose life journey has taken her from the financial world of London to the spiritual heart of Rome.

When asked what she values most about being a woman, Sister Emanuela responded with disarming simplicity: “I was born that way.”

From the City of London to Religious Life

Her path to religious life was far from conventional. Once a successful businesswoman driving BMWs and Mercedes through the City of London, she eventually left behind the comforts of a professional career to follow what she describes as a deeper calling.

Reflecting on the unique qualities women bring to their vocation, Sister Emanuela said, “I think a woman has a soft way of getting to where she wants to go. I think she’s able to look and appreciate and nurture people.”

Discovering a Calling

Speaking with EWTN Vatican correspondent Zofia Czubak, Sister Emanuela recalled her early years growing up in Manchester and the gradual realization that God might have a plan for her life.

“I knew from an early age that maybe the Lord had something for me to do,” she said. “And I can say that I was absolutely resistant to it.”

Although she always felt a deep love for God, the idea of becoming a religious sister was something she initially resisted. “Whenever the idea of being a sister, it was kind of, Lord, you can ask me anything, but don’t ask me that,” she explained.

Yet, as she describes it, God continued to pursue her. “The Lord has his way, you know, of breaking us down. You know, he’s the Hound of Heaven who continues to search for us.”

In her late twenties, Sister Emanuela began seriously asking what God was calling her to do. Around that time she encountered the story of the Virgin of Revelation, who appeared in Rome in 1947.

“I encountered this wonderful story of the Virgin of Revelation who appeared here in Rome in 1947, and I was captivated by that,” she said. The discovery inspired her to begin leading a prayer group in England dedicated to the Virgin of Revelation.

“So every Monday evening I would teach the faith and we would pray the rosary devoted to Our Lady,” she recalled. Through that experience, she sensed her vocation becoming clearer. “Obviously the Lord started to work on me in a more profound way until after a visit to Rome, finally I understood that he called me to be a missionary of divine revelation.”

Evangelizing Through Beauty, Basilicas and Art

Today, Sister Emanuela’s mission includes accompanying pilgrims through Rome’s great basilicas, using art, architecture, and history as tools for evangelization.

Asked about the contribution women can make to missionary work, she emphasized the importance of connection and openness. “A woman works, if you like, with the people amongst the flock, trying in very, very many different ways,” she said.

One of those ways is through explaining the faith through beauty. “We have this wonderful mission of explaining the faith through art and so that is a point of connection and I think as a woman it’s very, very powerful,” she explained. She added that women often approach people in a way that encourages dialogue: “I think a woman’s way is often more disarming so people feel freer to open up and to ask questions and that can be important in bringing the faith to this generation.”

Although many people might describe her role as that of a tour guide, Sister Emanuela sees it differently. “When I accompany people into the Great Basilica’s in Rome, I’m not a tour guide as such,” she said. “I’m more someone who accompanies the people to understand the history of this wonderful basilica as a means of teaching them the faith, as a means of bringing them closer to God. I think it’s something God, if you like, with his call elected me to do.”

Overcoming Challenges Through Prayer

Leaving home to follow a vocation in another country brought its own challenges. Moving from England to Italy meant adapting to a new language, culture, and environment.

“I think when someone leaves your place where you were born and the language and you go to a foreign place, there are innumerable challenges,” she said.

Among those challenges were practical ones. “Every challenge, which can be practical, how to speak Italian, it was a great challenge for me. Living in a different place, I don’t really like the heat either, so that was a challenge too.”

There were also emotional sacrifices. “It’s a challenge as well, not seeing your family regularly as well,” she noted.

For Sister Emanuela, however, the answer to every difficulty has remained the same: prayer. “I think the only way to overcome any difficulty, whether it’s a practical or a spiritual, is in front of the Blessed Sacrament praying,” she said.

“And so every difficulty that I have, then as now, I confront with the Lord in prayer.”

Adapted by Jacob Stein. Produced by Alexey Gotovskiy; Camera by Alberto Basile, Fabio Gonnella; Video Edited by Andrea Manna.