Rome (Italy). On 14 December 2024, around 13:30 (CET), the Presidents and Councilors of all the Federations of the Past Pupils of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in the world and their respective Delegates, via an online platform, gathered around the Superior General of the FMA Institute, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, to wish her greetings for Christmas and the New Year.
The participants online were about 120, including the General Councilor for the Salesian Family, Sister Leslie Sándigo Ortega and the World Delegate for the Past Pupils, Sister Sangitha Rani.
The exchange of greetings began with prayer, during which the words of encouragement of Father Tonino Bello, “Merry Christmas my friend,” were read projected in five languages:
“Hope has been sown in you. One day it will bloom. Indeed, a stalk has already blossomed. […] Do not fear, my friend. Christmas brings you happy news. God has come down on this desperate world. And do you know what name He took? Emmanuel, which means, God with us. Courage, a day will come when your snows will melt, your storms will settle, and a spring without sunset will reign in your garden, where God will walk with you in the afternoon.”
The moment of prayer concluded with a song to invoke peace on the places of the world affected by conflicts.
Maria Carmen Castillon, President of the World Confederation Mornese FMA Past Pupils, welcomed all of them, especially Mother Chiara, thanking her for her availability.
In her message, Mother stressed the importance of being builders of peace in the midst of the world’s conflict situations:
“Christmas is peace and hope for all peoples. […] In the biblical context, the Hebrew word ‘shalom’, means peace, but also the experience of mercy, forgiveness, and benevolence of God, which makes us capable, in turn, to live and give gestures of mercy, of forgiveness, rejecting all forms of violence and oppression that deny the fundamental rights of the human person.”
Quoting the words of Pope Francis from the encyclical Fratelli tutti on fraternity and social friendship, she recalled that they are “artisans of peace willing to initiate processes of healing and renewed encounter with ingenuity and audacity” and for this, he said, “First, you must disarm your heart.”
He said that it is everyone’s responsibility to build peace, which requires “commitment, cooperation, courage to go against the current, especially in this historical time that requires a lot of courage!” Referring to the words of Martin Luther King, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1964, “I have a dream that my four young children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by their skin color but by their dignity as persons.” Mother Chiara urged the Past Pupils to pray to Mary, so that she might help them to be builders and sowers of peace in the Church and society and wished everyone a Christmas and a New Year full of hope.
As a gift to Mother, a PowerPoint presentation was projected containing a photo of good wishes for the Federation and a brief description of the different activities carried out by the FMA Past Pupils in various parts of the world.
At the end of the encounter, all the participants turned on their microphones to greet Mother General and express words of appreciation and gratitude, assuring her of their prayer during this holy time.
