Messaggio di Sr. Alaide Deretti - Consigliera per le Missioni (in inglese)

3
First Missionary Expedition Rome, 14 February 2017. Dearest Sisters, What a great joy to be able to meet each other in this new ‘missionary appointment’! Many meaningful responses have come from various Provinces regarding the day of prayer for Mary Help of Christians Province (IPI). Communion with Piedmont, the land that formed and saw the departure of the first six missionaries for Uruguay is an invitation to unite even more in preparation for the GREAT MISSIONARY EXPEDITION to celebrate well the 140 th Anniversary of FMA presence in South America. This time, we wish to move to Uruguay, the land that became the “second country” of those young sisters who arrived there with a heart that did not know difficulty, nostalgia, regrets… but only the desire to love and bring Jesus to the ends of the world! Today, February 14, we unite in prayer for Immaculate Conception Province (URU). All our communities are invited to remember with affection and gratitude, the land of this Province which received the first six FMA missionaries ad gentes in that faraway December of 1877, after about a month of travel. As a concrete gesture, we can leave on the altar of the Chapel during the day, Volume II of the Institute Elenco, opened to pages 190-191. It would be lovely if we would place beside the Elenco, the names of the first missionaries written on a card: Sr. Angela Vallese, Sr. Giovanna Borgna, Sr. Angela Cassulo, Sr. Angela Denegri, Sr. Teresa Gedda, Sr. Teresa Mazzarello. With this gesture, we wish to raise to God and to Mary Help of Christians our prayer of thanksgiving and of intercession for Uruguay and for Immaculate Conception Province. Among the episodes that have marked the events of the first missionary expedition, we find one that is very lovely and meaningful, and which is narrated in Volume II of the Cronistoria. Soon after, while we were standing around the Superiors for these last moments of good-bye, Fr. Cagliero came with another beautiful painting: Mary Help of Christians holding in her arms a charming, smiling Baby. He told us jokingly, “I stole it from the sacristy in Valdocco. I stole it for you. It was painted by a man who was suffering from an illness of his eyes and was becoming blind. He went to Don Bosco who, after guiding the brush in his hand on the canvas for a few moments, he blessed it. From that moment, the man found he was perfectly cured and he gave us this beautiful Madonna”. Thus, it is a miraculous picture. It makes one happy only to look at it. Don Bosco blessed it and he sends it to the missionaries. “Bring it with you and the Madonna bless you and accompany you on your voyage”. In fact, that picture of Mary Help of Christians with the smiling Baby is still found at Villa Colón (Montevideo), in the Chapel of the Provincial House. We entrust our desire to the sisters who live there and in the nearby communities: we ask you, dear sisters, before this picture that crossed the ocean together with the first missionaries, to pray to the Madonna while looking at the eyes of the smiling Baby. Pray to the Madonna asking for a re-awakening of missionary vocations ad gentes for the Church and for the Institute: Vocations of the same caliber of the first six missionaries;

Transcript of Messaggio di Sr. Alaide Deretti - Consigliera per le Missioni (in inglese)

Firs

t M

issi

on

ary

Exp

edit

ion

Rome, 14 February 2017.

Dearest Sisters,

What a great joy to be able to meet each other in this new ‘missionary appointment’! Many

meaningful responses have come from various Provinces regarding the day of prayer for Mary

Help of Christians Province (IPI). Communion with Piedmont, the land that formed and saw the

departure of the first six missionaries for Uruguay is an invitation to unite even more in

preparation for the GREAT MISSIONARY EXPEDITION to celebrate well the 140th Anniversary of

FMA presence in South America.

This time, we wish to move to Uruguay, the land that became the “second country” of those

young sisters who arrived there with a heart that did not know difficulty, nostalgia, regrets… but

only the desire to love and bring Jesus to the ends of the world!

Today, February 14, we unite in prayer for Immaculate Conception Province (URU). All our

communities are invited to remember with affection and gratitude, the land of this Province which

received the first six FMA missionaries ad gentes in that faraway December of 1877, after about a

month of travel. As a concrete gesture, we can leave on the altar of the Chapel during the day,

Volume II of the Institute Elenco, opened to pages 190-191. It would be lovely if we would place

beside the Elenco, the names of the first missionaries written on a card: Sr. Angela Vallese, Sr.

Giovanna Borgna, Sr. Angela Cassulo, Sr. Angela Denegri, Sr. Teresa Gedda, Sr. Teresa Mazzarello.

With this gesture, we wish to raise to God and to Mary Help of Christians our prayer of

thanksgiving and of intercession for Uruguay and for Immaculate Conception Province.

Among the episodes that have marked the events of the first missionary expedition, we find one

that is very lovely and meaningful, and which is narrated in Volume II of the Cronistoria.

Soon after, while we were standing around the Superiors for these last moments of good-bye, Fr.

Cagliero came with another beautiful painting: Mary Help of Christians holding in her arms a

charming, smiling Baby. He told us jokingly, “I stole it from the sacristy in Valdocco. I stole it for

you. It was painted by a man who was suffering from an illness of his eyes and was becoming

blind. He went to Don Bosco who, after guiding the brush in his hand on the canvas for a few

moments, he blessed it. From that moment, the man found he was perfectly cured and he gave us

this beautiful Madonna”. Thus, it is a miraculous picture. It makes one happy only to look at it. Don

Bosco blessed it and he sends it to the missionaries. “Bring it with you and the Madonna bless you

and accompany you on your voyage”.

In fact, that picture of Mary Help of Christians with the smiling Baby is still found at Villa Colón

(Montevideo), in the Chapel of the Provincial House. We entrust our desire to the sisters who live

there and in the nearby communities: we ask you, dear sisters, before this picture that crossed the

ocean together with the first missionaries, to pray to the Madonna while looking at the eyes of the

smiling Baby. Pray to the Madonna asking for a re-awakening of missionary vocations ad gentes

for the Church and for the Institute: Vocations of the same caliber of the first six missionaries;

Firs

t M

issi

on

ary

Exp

edit

ion

that they may be many and fired with missionary passion. In addition, all of us with you, dearest

sisters of Uruguay, will pray for the people and the cultures that still today await the proclamation

of the Gospel, that still today await to know Jesus, even though unaware and without knowing

how to express it.

In conclusion, I gift you with the testimony that came precisely from Immaculate Conception

Province (URU) regarding the impression left by the first six missionaries in that reality. I invite you

to read it, praying and meditating with the heart of the one who lived it and wrote it with her

heart:

“We have had the privilege of welcoming the first group of missionary sisters who left

Mornese in 1877, and even the sisters of the second missionary expedition in 1879, who

had lived and were formed at the school of Mary Domenica and of the first community.

What impression did they leave?

The first one that comes spontaneously to mind is the simplicity of life, the simplicity of

Mornese that made possible a familiarity of comportment, of closeness, of spontaneity.

This is clearly reflected in the letters of the first missionaries when they wrote to Mother. This

simplicity allowed them to live with joy the fatiguing work and the poverty of the early

days. I believe that simplicity is the heritage they left us and which is immediately noticed

by those who visit our land: “We can see that the first sisters of Mornese really arrived

here!”

In addition, there is also a strong sense of belonging to the Institute, love for Don Bosco

and for Mother Mazzarello. It is worth noting that with the few means available at that

time, they were able to remain faithful to the charism and even enriched it with the

contribution of our own culture. And not only this: they succeeded to transmit it to the new

generations and to the young. Yes, the youth of Uruguay to this day are vibrant with the

charism and the spirituality of Mornese; they too feel they are the ‘sons and daughters’ of

Maìn.

There is no doubt that the feeling of being ‘family’ was made possible by the presence of

Mother Mary Help of Christians, by the presence of the Smiling Baby. Our first missionaries

were always aware of the treasure they had brought with them to America: the image

blessed by Don Bosco. To Her they entrusted themselves totally and from Villa Colón they

made love for and trust in Mary Help of Christians radiate. This was and continues to be a

characteristic of all the FMA of Uruguay and of the past pupils. Mary has always gone

before us and still goes before us, opening the way for the proclamation of Jesus and of

His Gospel.

This first group of missionaries was made up of six very young sisters, three of them were

only 17 years old. They were formed in the atmosphere of the house of Mornese that

vibrated with Don Bosco’s missionary dreams. “I will go” was repeated with evangelical

naturalness and this spirit of “missionary availability” came with them as they arrived in our

land. The handkerchief Giovanna Borgna had taken on the ship, and which had fallen

from the trembling hands of Don Bosco, was certainly a sign of this availability for the

mission that the Saint inculcated in his sons and daughters. Thus, they were always ready

to ‘leave’ and bring the message to other lands. They knew how to contagion with this

same passion, the vocations from Uruguay that were born; young sisters departed from

Firs

t M

issi

on

ary

Exp

edit

ion

Uruguay to bring the Good News to the young people of Brazil, of Terra del Fuoco, of

Paraguay.

This missionary availability that is the essence of our charism and the origin of our Province,

fills us with ‘holy pride’ because from Uruguay, many sisters left who knew how to bring the

gift of the charism to other peoples. It is certainly a dimension to be further developed, to

be made to grow. We must enable it in our actual reality so in need of the presence of

Jesus. Celebrating 140 years is not only a glory for us, but also a commitment”. (M. F.)

A sisterly embrace together with a grateful thank you for your involvement and for your readiness

to celebrate well the 140th anniversary of the First Missionary Expedition.

In the missionary heart of Don Bosco and of Mother Mazzarello,

Councilor for the Missions

Painting of Mary Help of Christians blessed by Don Bosco and brought to America (Uruguay)

by the first FMA missionaries ad gentes.