Rome (Italy). On 26 April 2021, the Community of Mary Help of Christians of the Generalate (RCG) expressed its Gratitude to the Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sr. Yvonne Reungoat, and to the General Council.

For the FMA Institute, the date of April 26, the day in which Mary, Mother of Good Counsel is celebrated, traditionally marks the celebration of the Feast of Gratitude desired by Mother Ersilia Canta, 6th  Superior General of the FMA Institute.

In the Eucharistic Celebration, Fr. Carlo Maria Zanotti, Salesian of Don Bosco, underlined the Eucharistic meaning of Gratitude: “We give thanks to God, who makes us participants in His life of total and constant Love, and it is by virtue of this participation that we can together, network to  build a culture of life. Thanks to those who guarantee this participation and safeguard every sister and brother in the culture of life: thanks to Mother Yvonne, who maintains the unity of the Institute with wisdom and joy. Thanks to those who network with her, to the sisters of the Council and to the sisters of the House who support and facilitate networking. It is a choral, cordial, and constructive thank you, which is transformed, by virtue of the Eucharist, into a commitment of life and communion”.

In the evening, with gestures, songs, and dances that became prayer, the significant symbols were taken up again of the World Feast of Gratitude that took place in Rome on 25 April 2021, at “Madre Angela Vespa” House, see of the  Pontifical Faculty of  Education Science «Auxilium», on the theme Networked for a culture of life.

“We want to take a journey, letting ourselves be guided by the life that invites us to give thanks, to grasp God’s step at every stage, from the beginning of the Institute to the moments of growth and pruning, up to our community rich in gifts and diversity”. Looking at Mornese, the ‘House of the love of God’, where Mother Mazzarello, together with the first Sisters lived the educational mission, the Community recounted the reasons for gratitude for the generativity of the FMA Institute. The celebration ended with praise to the Lord with the singing of the Magnificat, for the wonders that He works through the word, listening, and life given by Mother.

Mother thanked the community for having taken up again the theme of a Culture of Life and meditation on the Gospel passage, “And the net was not torn” (Jn 21:11).

“The network is made up of a very large number of threads and nodes, connected together. In this network, every FMA in the world is a node and the network does not exist without the contribution of all. This worldwide network is not only the FMA, but also all the laity, the Past Pupils, the parents, the young people, and all the people who share the Salesian charism from generation to generation, from Mornese until today. It is a reality that we must contemplate, and also feel the responsibility to contribute to the solidity of this network so that it does not break. Life is called to be networked so that it can generate new life. Only together, only networked can we educate and make life grow”.

Mother Yvonne also highlighted the importance of knowing how to be grateful, to contribute to the culture of life, educating children and young people to gratitude.  “I entrust them to you is the way to follow in every place and in every time.  I ask Mary Help of Christians to continue to protect us and to make us feel her presence so that we can in our turn be images of her presence and continue to weave this network for the culture of life”.

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