A graced event for the FMA Institute

Rome (Italy). On 30 April 2021, the official opening of the Diocesan Inquiry into the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Mother Rosetta Marchese took place in the Aula Magna of the Ordinary Tribunal of the Vicariate of Rome.

After reading the minutes of the opening session of the Inquiry, the members of the Diocesan Tribunal were sworn in: Msgr. Giuseppe D’Alonzo Episcopal Delegate; Fr. Giorgio Ciucci Promoter of justice; Marcello Terramani Notary, actuary; Giancarlo Bracchi Deputy Notary. Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni SDB Postulator and Sr. Francesca Caggiano FMA Vice-postulator also swore to fulfill their task faithfully.

Present were: the Mother General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sr. Yvonne Reungoat; the Vicar General Sr. Chiara Cazzuola, the Secretary General Sr. Piera Cavaglià, and two FMA from the Generalate in Rome (RCG).

After the oath phase, the Episcopal Delegate Msgr. Giuseppe D’Alonzo who, by reading the biographical profile, the characteristic features, and the reputation for holiness of Mother Rosetta, brought out the message of a life totally centered in God and open to the world educational mission. The figure of Mother Rosetta was presented in the ecclesial dimension and in relation to the Salesian Family. Her radiant witness offers a clear message of hope to face the current challenges of education, formation, consecrated life, and government.

The Cause that officially opens contributes to promoting the depth of the spiritual life, the dream of universal fraternity, the proposal of a more open and inclusive education, a style of animation and governance of  one by one that puts the person at the center and has vision for the future.

Mother Yvonne Reungoat in her discourse  highlighted the harmony between Mother Mazzarello and Mother Rosetta. They are the only two Superiors General whose holiness was asked to be recognized by the Church.  70 years ago, the Church proclaimed Mary Domenica Mazzarello a Saint (24 June 1951). Both consciously offered their lives for the growth and holiness of the FMA Institute. They lived their mission for the vitality of the educational mission, paying attention to the journey of each person and of the Institute as a whole.

Mother quoted the words spoken by Mother Rosetta Marchese after her election on 24 October 1981, “The Institute has always given me everything, but now it gives me its entire self.” In focusing on other aspects of convergence, Mother Yvonne said: “In their educational service, both were capable of intuition and mystagogy. They nourished their self-giving to the educational mission with a profound interior life. They were sisters and mothers for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, for young women, for those who needed to be welcomed and accompanied in response to the ever new and often demanding call of God, even for priests. Both showed cordial openness and concern for the groups of the Salesian Family with which they found themselves collaborating.”

In conclusion, those present invoked the Father with the prayer for the Beatification of the Servant of God Mother Rosetta Marchese. In this way, the good continuation of the Inquiry, the good of the Church and the FMA Institute which, on the eve of General Chapter XXIV, feels the call to be ‘generative’ of life, have been placed in the hands of the Lord, source of all holiness and hope in contemporaneity.