Tam Ha (Vietnam). On 25 April 2025, in Tam Ha, at the Provincial House of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Mary Help of Christians Province (VTN), the World Gratitude Day was officially opened.
In the late afternoon, the Visiting Councilor, Sister Maria Assunta Sumiko Inoue; the Provincial, Sister Maria Hoang Thi Thu Ha; the VTN Provincial Councilors; the CIAO Conference Provincial Councils; and the FMA, gathered in the Provincial Chapel to offer to God the prayer of thanksgiving for Mother Chiara Cazzuola, 11th Superior General of the Institute.
Representing the more than 10,000 Daughters of Mary Help of Christians around the world, the Sisters brought to the altar five different types of flowers, symbolizing the beauty of unity in diversity among the FMAs of the five continents. The uniqueness and variety of each flower is a hymn of praise to the Creator, who has performed and continues to perform countless wonders in the history of the Institute. In prayer, in a family atmosphere, all the members of the Salesian Family were remembered, including parents, relatives, past pupils, collaborators, and all those who supported them in their vocation and mission.
Subsequently, Mother, Sister Maria Assunta, the Provincials, and the Provincial Councilors, together with the FMA, priests, religious, the Salesian Family, and parishioners of Tam Ha, attended the spiritual performance on the theme, “Light the Gospel of Hope”.
With a harmonious combination of sounds, lights, and body language, the performance artistically evoked the joy of proclaiming the Gospel in Christian life, especially within the FMA Institute. It also highlighted the search for meaning in life among young people, signs of hope throughout history, and Christ as the source of hope. The invitation addressed to all was to become signs of hope in the world, walking through the Holy Year with unshakable hope.
Throughout the history of the world and the Church, there are countless witnesses of hope that have radiated light, such as Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic Pire – Dominican priest Nobel Prize for Peace in 1958, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Blessed Carlo Acutis, and Blessed Maria Troncatti.
Drawing strength from Christ, source of hope, the FMA embark on their jubilee journey with a renewed dedication to missionary service and education. ” It’s time to rekindle the fire! FMA around the world renew their missionary zeal.”
In an intense moment of silence and reflection, with the heart full of gratitude, the community turned to God, merciful Father, to pray for Pope Francis, the beloved Pastor of the Church who dedicated his life to serving God and His people.
The Good Night of Mother Chiara
Mother General expressed her gratitude to the gathered community and thanked all those who helped to prepare “this wonderful moment of prayer, especially the young people and the Novices, who have portrayed so well the union of beauty, poetry, music with prayer”.
Thanking for the choice of theme for the Feast, which accompanied the Provinces of the world in their preparation, she continued by saying, “Who among us does not feel the need to strengthen hope at this time? And who of us does not need to turn to a light? We find it in faith, in the Lord Jesus. We find it in the loving and maternal guidance of Mary for our Institute and for the Salesian Family. We found it in the wise guidance of Pope Francis, whom we have just recalled.
He heard the cry of the world, the risk of living without knowing ‘why’ and ‘for whom’, and with the opening of this Jubilee, he gave us a way to try to live and be hope for one another. We thank the Lord for giving him to us and I am sure that from Heaven, he is happy with us. He taught us joy and hope.”
Mother then related the story of her meeting with Pope Francis at the Audience for the Pontifical Universities (25 February 2023), in which he exchanged with her a humorous joke regarding his office. “He taught us joy even in important things, in those that sometimes can be heavy. I will never forget this.”
She then invited the assembly to thank God for His abundant blessings on each one and encouraged mutual appreciation for each other’s contributions in life and mission. “Thank you for who you are; thank you for what you do. Saying thank you means recognizing that others are important to us and that no one can do it alone. (…) And we want to thank the Lord together for how He is guiding, helping, supporting us. For us, the Feast of Gratitude has extraordinary educative value.”
In her concluding talk, Mother Chiara stated, “The Celebration of Gratitude is also an opportunity for me to express my heartfelt thanks to each Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, to each child, young person, member of the Salesian Family, members of the Educating Communities… to all those who share the Salesian charism with us. The wish that I make for myself and for everyone is that we may know how to carry the light we have received this evening in our daily life always.”
Before the conclusion, the presenter thanked the writer and director, the work team, the FMA, the formandees of this and other religious Institutes, the members of the Salesian Family, and all those who contributed to making the presentation a profound spiritual experience.
Photos: Flickr FMA
O Instituto João Paulo II, mesmo atrasado que deixar registrado aqui o nosso amor e carinho pela Madre Chiara. Somos Gratas pela sua vida e pela sua presença de amor em todas as nossas presenças. Gratidão com carinho das crianças e adolescentes e educadores, irmãs da Obra Social do Instituto