A resource to deepen the Charism of the FMA Institute

Rome (Italy). In the month of January, full of Salesian celebrations, the website of the Study Center on the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians is a useful resource for deepening the educational charism of the FMA Institute.

Pope Francis, on 22 October 2021, in his discourse to the participants of General Chapter XXIV in Rome at the Generalate, exhorted the FMA to creative fidelity. “Is the Charism a relic? No, it’s a living reality, it’s a life that creates and goes on, not a museum piece. Then the great responsibility is to collaborate with the creativity of the Holy Spirit, to revisit and ensure that the charism expresses its vitality today. From this derives true ‘youth’, because the Spirit makes all things new. (…) Do not forget the grace of the origins, the humility and the smallness of the beginnings which made God’s action transparent in the life and in the message of those who, filled with amazement, began this journey.”

In this journey of seeking creative fidelity, of continuous deepening of the Salesian charism, in order to continue to express its vitality, the siteof the Study Center on the FMA offers a precious contribution to the requests for deepening and formation of the Educating Communities, as well as to the needs of networking, rendering a service to the FMA and to those who are sensitive to the feminine dimension of Salesian educational spirituality.

The Study Center on the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians was established in 2015 by the Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences «Auxilium» and connected to the two-year Diploma Course in Spirituality of the FMA Institute.

Among its objectives is the digitization and dissemination of texts and documents on topics related to the educational mission of the Institute.

From 2015 to 2022, hundreds of files, sources and studies, on the FMA Institute and on the Founders were inserted. Some of the most important Sources have been included in the 5 languages (Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French), such as the volumes of the Cronistoria and the Letters of Mother Mazzarello.

Among the variety of material published, some sources are indicated:

• The circular letters of the Mothers General.
• The various editions of the Constitutions and Manuals up to 1975.
• The manuals and regulations of the various Associations and works of the Institute.
• The Acts of the General Chapters.
• Biographical profiles and biographies of the FMA, including the volumes Facciamo Memoria up to 1976.
• In 2022 the scanning and insertion of the General Elencos of the FMA Institute began.

In addition to the sources, numerous studies can be found including volumes, contributions, articles, and essays concerning the Salesian charism in life and in pedagogical and spiritual reflection.

Furthermore, since 2020, the FMA Study Center has been promoting formation initiatives such as online “Salesian Thursdays” and cultural activities, such as collaboration in the preparation of the International Conference on The Contribution of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to Education (1872-2022). Paths, Challenges, and Perspectives, held in Rome, at the Generalate from 25 to 30 September 2022, other events, book presentations, etc.

The CSFMA also collaborates with Don Bosco Study Center (UPS) for the management of the site: salesian.online, another rich resource for research.

For the FMA who collaborate in the preparation of the material to be published online, it is an opportunity to render a service to the Institute and to have direct contact with the historical, educational, spiritual patrimony studied in depth by the FMA through research, teachings, and various experiences of the biennial of Spirituality.

The work carried out with passion, precision, commitment, and a sense of responsibility is meant to be a contribution to looking at the past as a grateful memory and at the future with new, creative eyes, faithful to a legacy that is continually being rediscovered and deepened, to renew itself and increase the Salesian experience.