Rome (Italy). From 4 to 7 November 2025, the national formation meeting of the Animators of the Temporary Professed of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians took place in Rome, at Sacred Heart House of St. John Bosco Province (IRO). The meeting brought together approximately forty participants from the seven Italian provinces dedicated to the theme, “Like Mary, mothers of adult women”. Members of the National Formation Commission also took part in the reflection days, along with CIOFS President Sister Mara Tagliaferri and the relevant Provincial, Sister Elide Degiovanni.
The formation program explored the meaning of motherhood in consecrated life, drawing inspiration from the figure of Mary of Nazareth, a believing woman and mother in the faith. Biblical scholar Rosanna Virgili proposed a biblical-theological reading of Mary’s life-from Cana to the cross-as a journey of growth in faith and responsibility, offering food for thought for the service of raising and accompanying young Sisters. “It is in the relationship with the other and in the ‘us’ of community that one matures as women and as mothers in the faith,” the speaker underlined.
On the morning of 5 November, participants took part in small-group spiritual conversations, a moment of discussion and discernment based on the insights offered by the biblical scholar. The human and spiritual journey towards adulthood was then explored in depth with the intervention of Sister Milena Stevani, FMA, a psychologist, who illustrated the stages of the psychological journey of maturation, offering concrete examples and stimulating lively dialogue among those present.
The days were divided between workshops and assembly sessions, during which the Animators were able to share experiences, questions, and perspectives for a more authentic and personalized support for the young women in formation who, in a time of adoring prayer, were remembered, one by one, and entrusted to the Lord.
The intervention of the Institute’s Superior General, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, was significant. She expressed deep appreciation for the choice of theme, recalling how spiritual motherhood finds concrete fulfillment in the testimony of Saint Maria Troncatti, a missionary and mother in the heart of the Amazon. The Animators were also able to visit the exhibit-itinerary on her, set up in the General House, which unfolds through three words and three images: the wings, a sign of those who have taken flight to give themselves; the cross, a sign of God’s care and the source of Sister Mary’s life given; the arms, a sign of the concreteness of love. Participants also received greetings from the General Councilor for Formation, Sister Nilza Fátima de Morales, who encouraged them to live with renewed enthusiasm the educational and spiritual task entrusted to each.
The final stage took place at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, where participants visited the “Casa Don Bosco Museum” in Rome, recently set up by the Salesians of Don Bosco. An immersive experience that, through interactive installations and digital narratives, allowed the rediscovery the figure of the Saint of young people and his educational work, now widespread throughout the world.
The meeting ended in a climate of gratitude and communion, with a shared commitment to continue walking, like Mary, on the path of faith that generates life in the new generations of Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.
