Rome (Italy). On 8 January 2026 will be held the 3rd Salesian Thursdays at the Auxilium 2025-2026 – in person and online – on topics of pedagogy, spirituality, and history of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, proposed by the Studies Center on the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences – ‘Auxilium’ in Rome.
The meeting entitled, “Sister Carmen Martín Moreno Missionary and Formator of Missionaries”, focuses on one of the first Mission Councilors, Mother María del Carmen Martín-Moreno, who instilled a Salesian character in this institutional figure, addressing post-conciliar challenges and the demands for new lands in which to bring the Salesian charism for evangelization and development, especially of young women.
With the inauguration of Project Africa in the early 1980s, a missionary frontier opened for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, already present in the north of the African continent, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Mozambique.
In the three planned contributions, Sister Piera Cavaglià traces the biographical events, choices, and style of activity of Mother Carmen, born in Spain. This is followed by Sister Ciriaca Hernández Martínez, her secretary and later mission advisor, author of the biography, Gospel Fire in a Missionary Church. Mother María del Carmen Martín-Moreno FMA (FMA Institute 2025) illustrates her spiritual profile, illuminated by an evangelical testimony passionate about the Kingdom and burning with love. Finally, Sister Yvonne Reungoat, Mother General Emerita of the FMA Institute, shares a testimony about this FMA who became a missionary in Africa after leaving her role as an animation member of the General Council, which was characterized by apostolic passion, humility in service, and openness of mind and heart until the end of her days.
With this proposal, the collaboration between the FMA Study Center and the Missions Sector of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians continues in the second year of the three-year period in preparation for 150th from the first missionary sending of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to Uruguay (1877). The Missions Sector, as last year, has in fact taken charge of providing for the translation of texts into the five most widely used languages, to facilitate the sharing of topics by overcoming language barriers.
Since an online visit program to the arrival points of the first missionaries is planned starting in March 2026, animated by the Missionary Spirituality Project (PEM) of the Center of the same name active in Argentina, it was agreed to organize only three Salesian Thursday meetings for the year 2025-2026, so as not to overload the proposals for the Educating Communities and for those interested in Salesian history.
