Fatima (Portugal). On 31 August 2024, in Fatima, Portugal, Mother Chiara Cazzuola met the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians participating in the 9th International Congress of Mary Help of Christians “I will give you the Teacher” organized by ADMA.
About 60 Sisters from all over the world gathered around Mother, who urged them to remain faithful to the poor and humble spirit of Mother Mazzarello.
“Thank you for being here. I am pleased to see you ‘up close’. It is also beautiful to have a moment together, which tells us that we are still a beautiful force, Sisters full of life, the Holy Spirit, and so much courage. Thank you for being here and I ask you to bring greetings especially to the most distant Provinces, physically not affectively; spiritually, in the Charism, we are all close.”
Mother continued, “And then ‘Courage!’ as Mother Mazzarello says ‘…and always great joy’, not that of laughing all the time. Yesterday, we heard the theological interpretation of the Dream at 9 years old; Don Bosco believes in the risen Jesus.
It is the risen Jesus who gives the mission… and the risen One surely comes after Good Friday and the passion, this we cannot cancel. Because this is the ‘da mihi animas’ and the ‘cetera tolle’ is constituted by this passage. But it is true that we are within this spirituality of the Resurrection. We believe in hope and education is the most beautiful act of hope that we can do, so courage!”
She also invited the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians “to be attentive to the young people who are with us, and to have the courage to make proposals” to those who show a desire to know their own vocation.
She then gave the word to Sister Lucrecia Uribe, World Spiritual Animator of ADMA, who thanked the FMA present “because without you this Congress would not have been possible” and for being promoters of this animation at the local level. “You are the ones who manage the difficulties, but it is you who share the charism with the laity… and we must go forward with them with much joy as the Salesian Family.”
Sister Marta Riccioli, Visiting Councilor, expressed her gratitude for the gift of being able to participate, through the Spanish Province where she is carrying out the Canonical Visit. “Yesterday, Fr. Stefano Martoglio said at the Goodnight that Our Lady wanted us to be here at this Congress and not to return without having heard the message that the She will leave us. So, I invite you to open your ears and your heart to listen to the message to carry within us, to communicate in our turn this passion, this love for Our Lady, whose presence here at Fatima is felt so strongly.”
Sister Leslie Sándigo, General Counselor for the Salesian Family, addressed an invitation, “We are 60 FMA, a minority here, out of almost 1400 participants. I invite you to multiply these ADMA groups in our houses. If we are FMA, and love Our Lady as Don Bosco did, and then we must do everything possible so that many other people may love Mary and join the Salesian Family.”
The two Provincials present also addressed their greetings. Sister María Rosario Ten Soriano, of Mary Help of Christians Province (SPA) of Spain, recalling the World Youth Day held just one year ago in Portugal, urged all to “be mothers of the many young people who are in our houses.” Sister Deolinda Dos Santos Teixeira, of Our Lady of Fatima Province (POR), expressed her joy to meet as Salesian Family in the House of our Mother Mary and as Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, around Mother, Sister Chiara Cazzuola.
The encounter with Mother Chiara ended in a spirit of deep joy, with the singing of the FMA Institute hymn “Oh quale sorte” in various languages.
