Rome (Italy). On May 7, 2018, the Ongoing Formation Course for a group of FMA missionaries ad gentes began in Rome, in the Generalate. There are 19 participants, coming from 13 Provinces and 4 continents.
The course includes a journey to Rome with moments of study, reflection, guided tours, and sharing in small groups
On May 12, the sisters will leave for Mornese, where they will live the feast of Mother Mazzarello and the Spiritual Retreat, led by Sr. Piera Cavaglià, on the theme “A dream of God Realized in Time”.
During their time in Mornese, they will have the opportunity to visit the places of Maìn: the Collegio, Valponasca, House of her birth, Mazzarelli, Church of Mary Help of Christians, Parish, and Cemetery.
On May 21st they will conclude the Spiritual Exercises and leave for Turin, with a stop at Nizza Monferrato, where they will visit the Institute of Our Lady of Grace and the Historical Archives.
In Turin, the sisters will be guests of the Turin Community 35, where the encounter with Mother Yvonne Reungoat is scheduled for the feast of Mary Help of Christians.
Together with the visit to the places of Don Bosco, the central point of the stop in Turin is the celebration of May 24, which has a special flavor this year: the 150th anniversary of the Consecration of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.
The group is accompanied by the sisters of the Missions Sector who welcome this formation opportunity as a time of grace to revive missionary ardor and to encompass, with courage and openness of mind and heart, the missionary mandate of Jesus.
At the inauguration of the Course, the Councilor for the Missions, Sr. Alaide Deretti encouraged the missionaries to live intensely this experience as an encounter that shapes and transforms, which generates life in each one and in their mission environment through a quality presence and life witness, in addition to their generous and dedicated service.
Underlining the 150th anniversary of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, the Councilor invited the sisters to enter the “House of our Mother” with a heart of daughters and to thank Mary for the special interventions she has made in their life and missionary vocation.
For the days in Rome, there will be a pilgrimage to the Papal Basilicas and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, participation in the General Audience with the Pope in St. Peter’s Square, and an encounter and sharing of experiences with the new missionaries present in the Generalate.
