Vicar General

The Vicar General, Sr. María del Rosario García Ribas, is the foremost collaborator of Mother in her task of animating the life and dynamic fidelity in the Institute (C. 125).
The Vicar General takes the place of Mother when she is absent. She fulfills the task Mother entrusts to her. In particular:
– Accompaniment and animation of the community of the Generalate, directly dependent on Mother.
– Coordination of the formation meetings for new Provincials taking place in the six-year term of Mother and the Council.
– The implementation of possible Canonical Visits to the Provinces or other visits and meetings requested by the Provincial Communities.

Sr María del Rosario García Ribas

She was born on 22 January 1961 in Seville (Spain). She lived her adolescence and youth, first in her school, the Salesian School of Mary Help of Christians in the Nervión district of her city, and then as an animator at the Oratory, participating fully in many pastoral initiatives while following a Degree in History. Gradually, this Salesian atmosphere conquered her and helped her to discover her vocation.

She made her first profession on 5 August 1986 and since then the Lord has given her the possibility of being a happy FMA among young women and Sisters, in the mission that has always been entrusted to her.

In the 1993-94 academic year, she studied at the Salesian Pontifical University of Rome – UPS, and from 1994 to 2000 she was Provincial Coordinator of Youth Ministry in  Mary Help of Christians Province, based in Seville, where she was also Provincial from 2003 to 2009.

She was Animator of the houses of Jerez – Maria Ausiliatrice and Seville – San José (Mary Help of Christians  School). In the following years, she was part of the community of Marbella (Malaga), where she was a teacher and coordinated the pastoral care of the two Salesian schools in this city. She combined this task with her responsibility as Provincial Councilor for Formation. She actively participated as a member of the “Europe-Middle East on the way” commission of the FMA Institute.

In August 2017, with the unification of the four Spanish Provinces, she was appointed Provincial of the newly born Province of Mary Help of Christians of Spain – SPA, a mission which she carried out until her appointment on 6 October 2021 in the XXIV General Chapter as Vicar General.

She lives life as a gift, especially daily life. She likes the word ‘thank you’ and everything it means. Today it is the whole FMA Institute that says THANK YOU for your availability for this new service that the Lord asks of you.