Asunción (Paraguay). From 23 February to 20 May 2023, Sr. Ruth del Pilar Mora, General Councilor for the Missions, went to Paraguay for the Canonical Visit to the St. Raffaele Archangel Province (PAR). On 23 February, she arrived at the Silvio Pettirossi airport in Asunción, where she was welcomed by the Provincial, Sr. Marciana Toledo, and a group of FMA.
The flower bouquets, the flags of Italy and of Colombia – her homeland – and of Paraguay, accompanied by the lively melody of the Paraguayan harp, were an expression of the country’s warm welcome, together with the joy for the long-awaited Canonical Visit, prepared on the basis of the slogan, “Do not be afraid, go and proclaim”, in the Guarani language “Ani pekyhyje, tapeho pemombe’u”.
The Councilor was able to visit all 12 communities of the province, also making room for a visit to the four in Chaco, the most distant and with the most difficult access. Upon her arrival in each Community, she had the opportunity to meet teachers, students, families, and lay people involved in the works and Groups of the Salesian Family. During this time of grace, there was also the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians, a feast deeply experienced by a people rich in faith and love for Mary Help of Christians.
The Provincial, the Provincial Council, and the Educating Communities thanked Sr. Ruth for her simple and fraternal presence, for having been a reflection of the presence of Mary Help of Christians in the Communities, and for having given them the hope and courage to continue proclaiming the love of God starting from the Charism inherited from Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello.
Photo: Flickr FMA
