Turin (Italy). On 5 April 2025, at Our Lady of the Lakes House in Avigliana, in the province of Turin, of the Special District of Piedmont and Aosta Valley (ICP) of the Salesians of Don Bosco, a day of spiritual retreat was held with the presence of the members of the World Council of the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) currently in office and the members who will constitute the World Council from May, together with their spouses. Sister Lucrecia Uribe, FMA, World Spiritual Animator of ADMA, and Sister Marilena Balcet, from Mary Help of Christians Province (IPI), FMA Delegate for ADMA Piedmonte were also present.
The day began with Holy Mass, presided by Fr. Gabriel Cruz, SDB, World Spiritual Animator of the Association. Fr. Roberto Carelli, spiritual animator of the ADMA Primary, presented a short catechesis entitled, “ADMA today, between memory and prophecy. Memory, gratitude, dream,” with the invitation to reflect on the continuous operative presence of Jesus and Mary and on the concreteness of Don Bosco’s pedagogy. The morning ended with a moment of personal reflection and the prayer of the Rosary.
The afternoon was enriched by a precious moment in which the Councilors shared the Graces received over the years of walking with ADMA and the gifts to share with Groups around the world, and reflected on the priorities of the new Council 2025-2029. From the sharing emerged several resonances of the Councilors on important aspects for the whole Association: centrality of the path of faith anchored to the “two columns” (Eucharist and Mary), importance of a simple and welcoming style, gratuity of service, attention to taking care of relationships and of their communities, strengthening the sense of belonging to the Salesian Family. At the end of the day, the Councilors met to work on local and global initiatives of the Association.
Sunday 6 April, a group of families from Primary ADMA of about 200 people gathered in the SDB House Mary Help of Christians of Cumiana for a day of retreat in which they deepened the theme: “Hope. Small and big challenges in the family” thanks to the spiritual guidance of Fr. Roberto Carelli.
This is one of the monthly stages of the formation course that will end in August with the important experience of the summer Spiritual Exercises. Other fundamental ingredients of this beautiful day were the Eucharist, the Rosary, and the moments of sharing in which, through the comparison of their own experience, the teachings received in catechesis were deepened and concretized.
At the end of the two very precious days, there remains strong in the participants the sense of gratitude for what they received and the continued entrustment to Mary Help of Christians, who continues to do everything. The public presentation of the new ADMA Primary Council was also made:
Giuseppe Tufano (President), Elisabetta Seno (Vice-President), Manfredo Pansa (Secretary and responsible for Communication), Aldo Bunino (Treasurer), Antonio Bovino (Counsellor for Formation), Giuseppe Sardella (Counsellor for Youth Pastoral), and Sister Marilena Balcet, FMA IPI, who in turn will be accompanied by the two world spiritual animators, Fr. Gabriel Cruz, SDB and Sister Lucrecia Uribe, FMA.
The existing Association of Mary Help of Christians present at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Turin-Valdocco is heir and continuer of the first, founded by Don Bosco, and for this reason it is called “Primary”. Given its origin and its link with the Sanctuary, it plays the role of animation, liaison, and information for the Association at the worldwide level.
