San Paolo (Brazil). From 8 to 20 March2026, Mother Chiara Cazzuola visited the Our Lady Aparecida Province (BAP), meeting with Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, young people, collaborators, and members of the Salesian Family in the states of São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Rio Grande do Sul. The theme of the visit was, “From the Heart of Cana to the Heart of Mornese: A Heart That Loves and Educates.”
On 8 March, Mother was welcomed at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo by the Provincial, Sister Alaíde Deretti, and several Provincial Councilors. At the Provincial House, she received a festive welcome from the FMA, featuring music and a choreographed performance by the novices—Clívia, Wanderlene, Andressa, Elisiane, and Karine, “Like Mary at Cana, her presence among us anticipates joy and teaches us to do whatever He tells us. […] Her visit brings the ‘new wine’ of hope and inspiration to our Province.”
During the first few days, Mother’s schedule focused on the animation and governance of the Province. On 9 March, she met with the Provincial Council, emphasizing the importance of listening and docility, following the example of Mary. The following day, a historic meeting brought together 72 participants, including Councilors and Community Animators from the BAP Province of São Paulo and Mother Mazzarello (BMM) Province of Belo Horizonte to reflect on how to make their communities more “generative.”
Campo Grande: celebrations of the Centenary
On 11 March, Mother Chiara continued her visit to Campo Grande (MS). At Mary Help of Christians School, she participated in a gathering with the students, during which she unveiled a commemorative plaque marking the Institute’s centenary, which falls in 2026. In Campo Grande, she also attended a solemn Mass presided over by Archbishop Dimas Lara Barbosa, the Metropolitan Archbishop, which brought together various members of the Salesian Family and the local community.
On 12 March, Mother participated in a regional meeting at Saint Joseph Missionary Institute, together with 25 FMA from five communities, featuring moments of reflection, prayer, and fraternal dialogue.
Gatherings at San Paolo and Perpetual Profession
Upon returning to the State of São Paulo, on the morning of 13 March, Mother Chiara visited Casa Santa Teresina and Nossa Senhora das Graças Inter-Province Novitiate in Lapa, within the capital city of São Paulo, encouraging the young women in formation and offering her maternal presence to the elderly and infirm Sisters.
In the afternoon, she held a meeting with 131 young representatives from social works and schools in the State of São Paulo, featuring a round table during which the young people were able to ask questions and engage in dialogue with her regarding her religious life, her mission, and her vocation.
At the conclusion, she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to be with the young people, assuring them that she prays for each of them and carries them in her heart. She then offered them this wish, “Be happy young people; do not be afraid of God’s call, and always be open to whatever He may ask of you.”
On 14 March, Mother met with 80 FMA. In her reflection, she highlighted the spiritual and missionary identity of the FMA, reminding them that vocational joy is one of the central traits of the charism inherited from Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello. It is a joy that is not superficial, but rather a fruit of the Holy Spirit, rooted in the Paschal mystery and in the example of Mary.
To strengthen the educational mission among young people, she encouraged the Sisters to cultivate a deep life of prayer, communal discernment, and the study of the Congregation’s historical sources. She also emphasized that personal conversion and fraternity are essential for the Communities to become true centers generating hope and life in today’s world.
In the afternoon of that same day, Mother Chiara received the perpetual vows of Sister Celene Couto Rodrigues, a member of the Community of the Provincial House. Approximately 200 people, including family members, FMA Sisters, Salesians, young people, and friends were present at the celebration, which was presided over by the Salesian Provincial, Father Alexandre Luís de Oliveira, and concelebrated by six other priests.
On 15 March, accompanied by Sister Alaíde Deretti, Sister Helena Gesser, Sister Teresa Cristina P. Domiciano, and Sister Metka Kastelic, she traveled to the Paraíba Valley, where she visited the community of the Colégio do Carmo in Guaratinguetá, the first FMA house in Brazil, and the Casa Maria Ausiliatrice in Lorena. In both communities, Mother was also able to meet with a group of lay collaborators and members of the management teams, including the Rector of Teresa D’Ávila University Center (UNIFATEA), Prof. Carlos Miglinski, and the Vice-Rector, Sister Silvana Soares.
Mother also had the opportunity to visit the FMA Memorial in Brazil and to make a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, where she entrusted the life of the BAP Province and of the Institute to the feet of the “Mãe Morena.”
Porto Alegre: Youth and Mission in the South
On 16 March, the final stage of the visit took Mother Chiara to Porto Alegre (RS). Welcomed with the region’s traditional hydrangeas, she was greeted by FMA Sisters, lay collaborators, and a group of students from the Medianeira Casa da Criança Institute in Rio Pardo. She also participated in the Eucharistic Celebration with the Salesian Family of the South, presided over by the Salesian Provincial, Father Ademir Ricardo Cwendrych, and concelebrated by five Salesians and a diocesan priest.
On the morning of 17 March, Mother met with a group of 27 FMA Sisters on the theme, “Being Vocational Communities Today,” emphasizing continuous conversion, the centrality of prayer, communal discernment, and the spirituality of joy as vocational witness. During the meeting with the FMA Sisters, Mother Chiara connected online with 15 elderly Sisters from the Rio do Sul (SC) Community who were unable to be present in Porto Alegre.
The encounter opened with a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Father Gilson Marcos da Silva, Director of the Salesian presence in Porto Alegre (RS). In his homily, he highlighted the presence of Mother Chiara as a living sign of the spirit of Mother Mazzarello. In the light of the Gospel, he reminded the assembly that the individual must be at the center, inspiring the Salesian educational mission alongside children and adolescents.
In the afternoon, she held a dialogue with approximately 40 people, including young members of the Salesian Youth Movement (AJS) and lay collaborators. Mother reaffirmed the principle of shared responsibility in the educational mission and the necessity of walking together. The encounter concluded with the recitation of the Rosary, notable for the presence of a family from Haiti, welcomed into the FMA community in Porto Alegre during the floods of 2024, whose presence was transformed into a sign of hope.
The “farewell to the South” on 18 March was marked by a Sending-Off Celebration, during which each community received symbolic gifts intended to make the “new wine” of the charism overflow, and Mother Chiara received the blessing of the FMA and laypeople present.
Conclusion and Final Greeting
The final moments of Mother Chiara Cazzuola’s visit took place in São Paulo. On 19 March, she met with the staff at the Provincial House, highlighting the essential role of each individual within the educational environment.
The official conclusion of the visit took place on 20 March, with a Mass of Thanksgiving in the Chapel of the Santa Inês College, together with members of the Salesian Family, presided over by the Provincial, Father Alexandre Luís de Oliveira, and concelebrated by seven other Salesians.
On 20 March, the BAP Province said farewell to Mother Chiara following a 13-day visit characterized by encounters, sharing, and moments of fraternity. Wherever she went, she blessed the lands of the Province, leaving behind a legacy of courage and fidelity, and exhorting the Province to continue being a living sign of the unity and love of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello for the young.
Photos: FlickrFMA
