Rome (Italy). On 29 May 2025 the Ongoing Missionary ad gentes Formation Courses, concluded in Rome which started at the General House in Rome on 5 May and continued from 11 May, at the charismatic places with the aim of awakening the original freshness of missionary vocational fecundity and living the charismatic sojourn “at the origins” to revive the missionary passion of the da mihi animas cetera tolle.
In the month of May, the 17 participants had the opportunity to meet the Superior General, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, the Councilors, and the Sector Collaborators, live the grace of the Spiritual Exercises in Mornese with the Feast of Mother Mazzarello, pause at the various charismatic places – Nizza Monferrato, Colle Don Bosco, Chieri – and then celebrate the Feast of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, together with a group of new missionaries and some missionaries ad gentes in Italy. The day before departure, they had the joy of attending the Audience of Pope Leo XIV in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome.
In her encounter with them in Turin, Mother recalled that “we cannot live if we do not feel loved. It is important to maintain the vivacity of the first yes. In the course of years, fatigue and work can make the journey difficult, but we cannot extinguish the fire of God’s love. We must keep the fire of the missionary spirit lit in every FMA.”
She continued, “The FMA vocation and fraternal life are essentially oriented towards mission. As educators, we are called to be a ‘sign and expression of the love of God’ for young people (cf. Cost1). The first form of evangelizing and being this ‘sign’ and ‘expression’ is the witness of community/communion. The mission of the Institute, to be fruitful and generative, must start from the relational quality of its members: FMA, educators, including young people. Sharing the dream of our Founders, we are called to rediscover, with even more enthusiasm and responsibility, the sense of ‘walking together’ as an educating community, with young people, to give them reasons for hope, for joy, and to awaken in them the sense of a life given for love, the sense of mission, of protagonism in view of change and of a more just and fraternal society.”
At the end of the course during the evaluation, in answering the question, “Which aspects of the course were most useful or valuable?” Some of the sisters stated:
“I appreciated the excellent animation of the different groups. Each topic was well explained. The environment was very favorable. The personal dialogue with the Mother General and the Councilors; I was amazed at their way of being among us. Their testimony is very useful for my future mission. The places visited were wonderful. I learned a better way to spread the spirit of Mornese and Valdocco from where I will be.”
“The encounter with Mother and Sister Ruth, as well as with all the other Councilors, but especially the visits to the places of our Mornese and Salesian charism. Nizza extended my historical vision from the beginning of the Institute until today. This impression was confirmed to me in the cemetery, where I saw the names of all the FMAs that left for Paradise. I understood better the importance of this place for missionary expansion until the end of the world, in Amazonia, where last year we celebrated the centenary of the arrival of our first sisters.”
Mother, in the last fraternal encounter, shared with the missionaries and Councilors present, wishing them, “to return to the provinces with this spiritual charge that the Lord renews each time and gives us the opportunity to renew ourselves. Your testimony was beautiful for the other Sisters of other Provinces who have met you in these weeks and so also for us. We thank you for your presence and witness. Be united in the heart of Jesus; we can tell them everything we want.”
May Mary, the “missionary woman”, accompany each of these Sisters according to the words of Venerable Fr. Tonino Bello, “Holy Mary, missionary woman, we implore you for all those who, having felt more than others the poignant fascination of that icon which depicts you next to Christ, the special envoy of the Father, have left their dearest affections to proclaim the Gospel in distant lands. Support them in their fatigue. Restore their tiredness. Protect them from all danger.”
Photos: Flickr FMA
