Rome (Italy). The Vicar General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sister María del Rosario García Ribas, has sent a letter to the Provincials, the Superiors of the Preprovinces, and all the FMA and Educating Communities of the FMA Institute present on five continents, to share the theme of the Feast of Gratitude 2026, along with guidelines for its preparation and implementation.
As already communicated, the Feast will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Province (ECU) of Ecuador from 23 to 26 April 2026 and will have as its theme:
Be missionaries everywhere
The motivation is expressed as follows:
The celebration of the 2026 Feast of Gratitude takes on a very special meaning, as it takes place in the context of the recent canonization of Saint Maria Troncatti, a passionate missionary, mother, and artisan of peace and reconciliation. We welcome this gift as a grace for the entire Institute, which invites us to renew our missionary zeal and creative fidelity to the charism, as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the First Missionary Departure.
“Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37) is the Word of God that will illuminate the Feast: “This evangelical invitation, which comes from the parable of the Good Samaritan, profoundly challenges our vocation as FMA, called to be a sign and expression of God’s foreseeing love, a presence that becomes closeness and care, especially where life is most fragile.”
The logo for the Feast was conceived by the Ecuadorian Province to visually convey the celebratory sense of gratitude surrounding the figure of Saint Maria Troncatti, highlighting her main attributes.
The central axis of the logo is the image of Saint Maria Troncatti, placed at the heart of Mary Help of Christians. Its composition creates a symbolic frame that refers both to the Ecuadorian Amazon, the territory where she carried out her missionary work, and to the spiritual protection that constantly accompanied her. This integration is intended to reflect both the geographical context and the charismatic framework of her mission.
The logo is completed by a ring of five stars surrounding the crown of Mary Help of Christians. Each star represents the FMA’s presence on five continents and is associated with one of the traditional missionary colors: white, red, green, yellow, and blue. This element explicitly recalls the universal nature of the Church’s mission, “called and sent,” thus reinforcing the missionary dimension of our charism.
Journey of preparation
In preparation for the Feast, the ECU Province is proposing a celebratory Triduum, divided into three Lectio divina, which will lead us to contemplate the figure of Saint Maria Troncatti as: Mother, Missionary, and Artisan of Peace.
The Letter also includes information on the “sign” to be shared by Provinces/Preprovinces, on the gesture of solidarity proposed by the ECU Province and on the outline program of the Feast.
Meanwhile, the 2026 Feast of Gratitude webpage is being set up. It will contain all the preparation materials, the hymn, the Entrustment to Mary Help of Christians, community activities, and all the necessary instructions and information. The link will be available on the Institute’s website in due course.
The Vicar concludes the Letter by thanking Sacred Heart Province of Ecuador for their generous availability and joyful commitment in preparing this family event, and the Provincials/Superiors of the Preprovinces for their commitment in the preparations. Lastly, she expresses her certainty that “the 2026 Feast of Gratitude will help us renew, following the example of Saint Maria Troncatti, our missionary yes.”
THANK YOU dear Mother Chiara.
Carissima Madre Chiara,
Tanti Auguri a lei on this our World Gratitude Day!
We thank Our Triune God for the awesome Miracle of YOU! You are Great! We are Grateful..!
We have followed you very closely during this past month n prayed for you as well as the province of Equador!
This morning we glorified God for you n for the precious 🎁YOU are to each of us in this our community… God be magnified!
Your loving Sisters: Joanna, Agnes aged 82, Jostina, Asha, Fatima, Khushboo, Caroline
Mazzarello Centre, Uttan.
A very big thank you to our Beloved Mother! Your beautiful smile, kindness and the power of the Salesian Charism that radiates from you is ever fresh in my mind as I met you in Casa Valse in 2014, then in India during the Triennial Verification, then in Shillong for the centenary celebration…all these are very fresh in my mind.
You are a wonderful Mother. We are lucky to have you as our leader.
Thank you for your beautiful circulars so rich and so simple and direct to be put into practice.
Happy Feast.
With love from all of us in the INK Province. We are living these days guided by the programme given to us by the Ecuador Province.
GRAZIE Madre!
I like the theme: Be missionary everywhere. This is a call and reminder of our DNA. May God renew our Yes to his call and strenghten our missionary zeal.
Happy feast!
Che gioia, Grazie, alla Madre, alle consigliere generali, all’ispettrice e consorelle dell’ispettoria Ecuador che ci propongono questa Fervida iniziativa per prepararci a celebrare il Mistero Pasquale di Gesu’ quali donne della Risurrezione che hanno amato, adorato, annunciato Gesu’ come anche Santa Maria Troncatti lo e’e ci esorta…A conclusione degli esercizi spirituali, proprio ieri 19 febbraio, ecco che questo invito a ringraziare e’ un’altra esortazione a considerare la persona e la missione di Santa Maria Troncatti presentataci come Donna della Risurrezione.