Mornese (Italy). On 17 August 2024, at the end of the Salesian Youth Synod – held at Colle Don Bosco from 11 to 16 August 2024, about a hundred young participants coming from various Provinces, regardless of the tiredness of the previous days, got up early to experience a pilgrimage to Mornese.
“A day in Mornese” is the title of the pilgrimage organized by the Youth Ministry Sector of the FMA Institute in response to the request of various Provinces who wanted to offer this opportunity to the young participants in the Synod.
The first stop was Valponasca, with a warm welcome from the FMA of the Casa Canta Community (Rome), in Mornese for the traditional study days.
“Three Faces and a Woman” is the title of the presentation by Sister Eliane Petri, FMA, who underlined the willpower of Mother Mazzarello and her absolute trust in God, which can only be achieved through small steps.
“We tiptoe into this land to discover and contemplate the works of God in the history of Mary Domenica Mazzarello and the FMA Institute. Visiting Mornese is, for every FMA and for every young Salesian, returning to their own charismatic origins. In a certain sense, we were all born here. Here a project of God was born that reaches us today in different times and contexts. By the grace of God, we are also here today,” Sister Eliane told the young people.
The words that Fr. Costamagna wrote from America come to mind. “This Town is so small; this house is nothing, and yet for us it is something big, for us it is still the center around which the wheels of our wandering life turn.”
The young people visited these holy places with joy, surprise, and reflection. During the day, they had time to visit the Valponasca, the Collegio, and the Casa Natia (House of her Birth), accompanied by the Animator, Sister Blanca Sanchéz, the Sisters of the Mornese Community, and the collaborators of the Sector. The experience concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist, giving thanks for the figure of Mother Mazzarello, without whom the Salesian Charism would not be complete.
Some testimonies from the young participants:
My pilgrimage to Mornese was enriching. I was able to discover where Mary Domenica Mazzarello was born and lived some moments of her life. I did not think that all these realities existed, but once in Mornese I was struck by this discovery about the life of Mary Domenica Mazzarello. I left Mornese full of knowledge to share with other young people. I really enjoyed the pilgrimage to Mornese, thank you again. (Lekogho Ondo – Province of S. Mary D. Mazzarello – AEC)
The day in Mornese was a special time to reflect and look back to the place where it all began. Our journey began with a visit to the house in Valponasca where Mary Domenica Mazzarello grew up, helping her parents work in the vineyard and taking care of her siblings. It was here that her foundations of faith and devotion to God were formed. Each of us had the opportunity to look through the window from which Main looked out at the world, dreaming of a deeper intimacy with God. Then we went to the church that Mary Domenica often attended, and right next to it was the festive oratory. Walking through the streets of Mornese, we also came to Borgoalto, the place where she had the vision that became the seed of her life mission. The story of the Founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians shows that we must follow our dreams, because they can be our life mission. (Weronika Wyczołek – Province of Our Lady of Jasna Góra – PLJ)
It is a grace and a gift from Mother to be able to arrive and know her places. From the moment before the pilgrimage, the entire organization of the Sisters to make us live such a beautiful experience was noticed and appreciated. Upon arrival, it was very significant to see the Sisters greeting us and welcoming us; they made us feel at home. The formation and material received are more than excellent, because they give us another vision of Maín and her life. Walking through her places, meditating on them, praying, and listening in silence made me feel closer to her. The Eucharist was a very special moment; personally, it was the ‘icing on the cake’, not an extension of the Synod, but the conclusion of this entire Salesian pilgrimage that cannot be complete without the figures of our Founders. Thank you very much from my heart. (Ronmel Hernández Tábora – Most Holy Savior Province – CAM)
The Salesian Sisters always have a unique and fascinating way of enveloping us in a maternal embrace, and that is how I felt experiencing and knowing the places Mother Mazzarello walked. The entire pilgrimage brought the group an inexplicable experience. In particular, being in the place where it all began transmits spirituality, a unique experience that I would never have imagined living so intensely. Being able to live and understand the places where Mazzarello walked, going on a pilgrimage to these spaces, is truly feeling the emotion that passes through us and unites us as devotees of Mother Mazzarello. Remembering her story and reflecting on how much she was a fighter, a woman of faith and courage, inspires me.
Of all the places where she lived, the one that touches me the most is the little window. I am moved by remembering the charitable, holy, and faith-filled gaze she had towards Jesus and how this was transmitted through all her actions and her lifestyle. Being able to look from her same place at the same little church, and then pray for all the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians who continue this beautiful following of Christ and this love for young people, is fulfilling. Thank you, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, for all the welcome, all the affection for young people. You reflect Mother, the love of Christ, and the maternal care of Mary Help of Christians. The appeal that Main heard, “I entrust them to you” continues to resonate today in every FMA who continues to walk together with young people on the secure path of holiness, in the footsteps of Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello. (Islla Monyza Oliveira Silva – Mary Help of Christians Province – BRE)
Pilgrimage material:
Italian, Englesh, Spanish, Portuguese, French
