Rome (Italy). From 22 August to 11 September 2023, a group of 28 Daughters of Mary Help of Christians from the Provinces of America and Spain met in Rome, at Sacred Heart House of Saint John Bosco Province (IRO), to live the experience of the Mornese Project in Spanish, organized by the Formation Sector of the FMA Institute with the aim of “Reviving the beauty of our vocation at the sources of the Salesian Charism, to be with Mary a presence that generates life today.”
Led by the animators Sister Jeanette Palasota, collaborator of the Sector; Sister Cristina Enríquez Torres (BOL), Sister Maria Elena Vargas Zacarias (MME), Sister Vilma Lucía Ramírez Patiño (CMM), who in turn had prepared on the sites, the group began the itinerary with the words of the Mother General of the FMA Institute, Sister Chiara Cazzuola. She invited each one to personally meet Mother Mazzarello saying, “Don Bosco is a giant. We know him, but I think we need to discover above all Mother Mazzarello and to listen to her. You will have the space of silence and prayer in the ‘Salesian holy places’, let her speak to your heart.”
The first stage, from 22 to 25 August, took place in the city of Rome, “in the heart of the Church and the Institute”, to study and reflect on one’s ecclesial belonging. Participating in the General Audience of Pope Francis on 23 August in St. Peter’s Square was a very significant experience. On this occasion, a Sister offered the Pope Uruguayan ‘mate’ and, while she spoke to him about Project Mornese, he sipped the drink. His kind look and smile were a blessing and a concrete invitation to make God’s tenderness visible through gestures of closeness to our neediest brothers and sisters.
The second stage of the journey took place from 26 to 29 August, with the departure for Turin in the footsteps of Don Bosco. “We seemed to hear the laughter of the children and young people of the first traveling oratory,” recount the participants. “Crossing Becchi, Chieri, and Turin, we met Don Bosco’s Help of Christians, the one who ‘did everything’ and continues to do everything in the history of the Institute and our vocation. In a significant time of reflection and prayer, we once again entrusted to Her the key to our life and each of our Provinces and our mission among young people”.
From 30 August to 7 September, the participants experienced the third stage with the emotion of arriving at the ‘house of the love of God’ in Mornese (Alessandria), a regenerating experience in which, traveling through the places of the origins, they were able meet Mother Mazzarello. “On the road to the parish, on the broad horizon of Valponasca, among the vineyards, on the banks of the Roverno, one imagined her sitting down to write some letters, and above all, in the invitation to become saints in charity with our Sisters, among the children and young people who have been entrusted to us. Mother Chiara’s invitation to ‘let her speak to our hearts’ continued to resonate in us, as we did this. Thanks to the spaces of silence, moments of personal prayer, and group sharing, we can say that we listened to her voice and kept it as a priceless gift”.
In the last stage, 8 and 9 September, the itinerary took the FMA to the Mother House of Nizza Monferrato (Asti). “In Mother Mazzarello’s bedroom, the desire was awakened in our hearts for a life without measure like hers, the fire of fidelity to God, to the Charism, to the Preventive System, the certainty that great sacrifices lead to a greater good. It is a greatness that we can only discover by entrusting ourselves to the faithfulness of God. Nizza was a sign of the greatness to which our Institute was called. The names of many Sisters still echo within the walls of this house: Emilia Mosca, Caterina Daghero, Enrichetta Sorbone, Maddalena Morano, and many Sisters who consolidated their vocation as consecrated women and educators. Here the fire of love for today’s young people is rekindled and directs our gaze towards a future of hope”.
Upon returning to Rome, the participants expressed their gratitude for what they had experienced. “We return to Rome with an eternally grateful heart, not only for the richness of content and experiences but, above all, for the fraternity experienced in intergenerational dialogue and care of one for the other. We start with the commitment to continue building, in the spirit of Mornese, communities that generate life in today’s society. We cannot conclude this pilgrimage without thanking God, our Superiors, the Sisters of our Communities, and we ask the Lord for abundant blessings for those who made it possible, especially for our Animators, hoping that this experience may be lived by many other Sisters and lay people of the Salesian world”.
Gracias! a cada una de quienes lo han hecho posible, a las animadoras, a las comunidades que nos acogieron y a las participantes. Es una experiencia que genera VIDA! Gracias a Dios, a Marìa Auxiliadora, presencia viva!