Rome (Italy). Pending the Holy See’s date of Canonization of Sister Maria Troncatti (1883-1969), daughter of Mary Help of Christians, missionary in Ecuador, announced by Pope Francis on 25 November 2024, the FMA Institute makes available the official Logo, with the image of the Blessed, accompanied by the slogan: “Mother, Missionary, Artisan of Peace and Reconciliation”.
The creation of the Logo has followed a process within the General Council, which motivates the choices as follows:
The Canonization will be an opportunity to present Sister Maria to those who do not know her and do not know consecrated life. Like every Saint, the figure of Sister Maria Troncatti has various facets so that it is impossible to highlight them all. We focus only on a few, to propose them to the context of today and to the Church. It will be important to grasp her example as a model of consecrated life that is embodied in reality, centered in the Heart of Jesus, capable of being a woman of reconciliation and peace, of defending human rights, of valuing the human, and in the human, the divine.
It is necessary to bring out the strong social, ecclesial, and Salesian dimension of Sister Maria’s mission, but also the mystical and contemplative dimension embodied in today. Sister Maria is an example of how it is possible to balance work and prayer. She knew how to take care of the whole person as a good Samaritan, but at the center of her life there is the Eucharistic presence that gave her the strength to overcome those frailties and those limits proper to humanity. She too was afraid, but obedience made her overcome many difficulties. She knew how to give life in different forms. Hers was “a heart that carries other hearts”.
In the current technical context, Sister Maria is a stimulus to care for and defend life from birth, to privilege the human dimension of existence, to love as and with the strength that comes from the Heart of Jesus especially wounded humanity. Through her mission as a nurse, she was an example of care, humanity, woman of peace and reconciliation. With dynamism and patience, she fostered serene relations between Shuar and settlers, in strong conflict between them.
Sister Maria is a woman unified in the love of God: enterprising and intelligent charity, heroic love in daily life, tireless in giving and caring. She was an artisan of reconciliation and peace and a fearless missionary throughout her life. Hers was a life centered on God that emanates a perfume of God’s goodness.
She lived a deep simple and discreet spirituality, with uninhibited heroism in the concreteness of daily life. She gave Jesus. She had no confidence in herself and her skills. In the simplicity and humility of our origins, Sister Maria Troncatti also emerges as a model to look at, in line with Pope Francis’ exhortation at the end of General Chapter XXIV: “Do not forget the smallness of the origins.” It is the Lord who emerges in the life of Mother Mazzarello and Sister Troncatti.
These reflections have materialized in the choice of the symbols that synthesize the inner unification of Sister Maria: the nurse’s bag united to the crown of the Rosary, expression of what she usually used to say, “I give you medicine, but the one who obtains healing for you is Mary Help of Christians”.
The face of Sister Maria, smiling and welcoming – taken from a reproduction made by Eng. Carlos David Pacurucu Regalado, for Sacred Heart Province (ECU) – is enclosed in a golden circular form that contains her name, interrupted by the slogan and two symbols, the bag and the rosary, expression of her program of life and holiness.
The Logo is also available in a single-color graphic variant, in blue.
Available in different formats and languages, it can be used for the Canonization event and to make her known – flyers, posters, notebooks and booklets, pictures and prayers, printing on t-shirts, bags, and other merchandising items, … – with care not to alternate its shape, colors, and design.
For any changes, please refer to the Communication Sector of the Institute, by sending an email to amministratoreweb@cgfma.org .
Congratulations to the Communication Sector of our Institute for publishing the Official Logo, which is simple and self-explanatory. Let her glory be made known in all the places! Long Live FMA Congregation!