Madagascar. As part of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Foundation of the Institute, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Mary Source of Life (MDG) Province are carrying out various initiatives. In the first place, the themes proposed by the Institute in the three-year period of preparation were explored and lived with the Educating Communities and with the local Church at various times by the 9 communities scattered on the island.
In this third year, once a month, radio Don Bosco broadcast a program on the 150th anniversary, with a brief section of the history of the FMA Institute over the last 150 years, from the birth of Mother Mazzarello to today. Each community prepared a theme among those established for 10 months and presented it on the radio.
The heart of the celebrations will be on 23 and 24 May 2022, with a time of prayer and celebration with all the FMA Communities and the Educating Communities of the Province. The celebration will take place in Mary Help of Christians Community of Ivato-Antananarivo and will begin with a prayer vigil on May 23 and a reflection on Mother Mazzarello.
On 24 May, in the morning, a solemn Holy Mass will be celebrated which will end with a pilgrimage through the streets of Ivato – Antananarivo, at the end of which the Province will inaugurate a Marian land, placing a statue of Mary Help of Christians, symbol of the 150th. The anniversaries of some FMA and lay collaborators will also be celebrated: 5, 10, 15, 25, and 50 years of fidelity to various commitments, religious life for the Sisters and married life for the collaborators. During the Eucharistic Celebration, the Promise of some Salesian Cooperators will also take place.
In addition to the moment of celebration, the commitment of the FMA also materialized in the transmission of the official hymn of the 150th anniversary. In this regard, a video clip was made, sung, and danced by all the FMA in the Province. The text of the hymn was translated into Malagasy, on the basis of which the young people of each community made their own video clip. This was a way to involve various young people and lay people, who thus came together to learn the hymn, becoming aware of the importance of the 150th anniversary of the FMA Institute.
