Rome (Italy). On 5 December 2024, after the solemn Opening of the Triennium in in preparation for the 150th of the first Missionary Expedition, which took place on 14 November 2024, the 2nd appointment is held of Salesian Thursdays at Auxilium – in presence and online – on pedagogy, spirituality, and history of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, proposed by the Studies Center on the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Pontifical Faculty of Education Science «Auxilium» in Rome.
“Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello: at the root of Salesian missionary spirituality” is the theme that will be explored by Sister Piera Cavaglià, Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, former General Secretary of the FMA Institute and professor emerita at the «Auxilium» Faculty.
The FMA Institute was established at a time when Don Bosco was maturing his missionary projects. His first missionary dream concerning Patagonia dates back to 1872. The Founder, from the early years, saw the FMA Institute open to the world’s borders and he also confirmed by his own hand the re-election as Superior General of Mother Mary Domenica Mazzarello in 1880. Thus, noted in the report: “I pray to God that in all, He may infuse the spirit of charity and fervor, so that this humble Congregation of ours may grow in number, spread out elsewhere, and then in other remote countries of the earth.”
Mary Domenica Mazzarello also vibrated with this spirit, as can be seen in her letters and historical documentation. The Cronistoria attests: “She burns with zeal for the propagation of the faith in distant lands, where God is not known and is not loved. She wants her daughters to burn with the same fire and be promptly make themselves capable of working in this work.”
For this reason, the first FMA community opened in Mornese in 1872, can be rightly considered a house of missionary formation.
The Institute, in fact, does not address missions ad gentes when it attained maturity, almost for an extension of its own works. This was done in other religious institutes and for the Salesian Congregation as well. Rather, from the beginning, it has a specific missionary imprint. This imprint nourishes the courage, choices, lifestyle, climate of the communities and educative works, and is concretized five years after its foundation in departures of young Sisters for Uruguay in 1877 and, two years later, for Argentina.
The Institute does not have a systematic reflection on the spiritual physiognomy of the FMA and with the specific perspective of missionary activity. However, on the basis of the documentary and narrative sources available, it is possible to identify common values, shared choices, characteristic elements of an identity qualified as educative-missionary.
In fact, this is built and elaborated in a fabric of relations with God, with the recipients of the mission, in the community of belonging, and in carrying out a specific task in a particular social and ecclesial context.
It is a spirituality devoid of intimist and self-referential traits, but rather, the concrete expression of the title “Daughters of Mary Help of Christians”, synthesis of a charismatic vision, a project, an inspiration: to be active and solicitous “help” especially for children, Adolescents, and young women on their journey of human and Christian maturation.
The meeting is broadcast online from 18:30 (Italian time) and remains available on the YouTube channel
