San Antonio (United States of America). From January 17-19 2025, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Province of Mary Immaculate (SUO) at Saint John Bosco campus in San Antonio, Texas for a time of reflection, evaluation, and celebration of fidelity to the Salesian charism today and the fruitfulness of General Chapter XXIV.
The Mass and Eucharistic Adoration were the life-giving source of this assembly. Many Sisters gathered in the adoration chapel to ask the Lord’s intercession for the communal discernment. To make this truly a unified effort of the whole province, live streaming was made available for the Sisters who were unable to attend in-person.
The gathering began with the celebration of Mass, invoking the Holy Spirit to guide the weekend’s deliberations. Twenty-four delegates, representing each community, met to discuss the province’s efforts to live the three priority objectives of General Chapter XXIV. The remaining Sisters met in the cafeteria to make “seed bombs” out of clay, soil, and seeds. These will burst into colorful wildflowers wherever they are strewn. This interactive activity was both fun and deeply symbolic of the life-giving presence of the FMA in the world.
On January 18, the Sisters continued their prayer and reflection focusing on Laudato Si. During the assembly a concerted effort was made to use environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly products with a deliberate reduction of the use of plastics and paper. Table conversations centered around discerning the communities’ implementation of the goals of Laudato Si and proposing suggestions for the future. The Sisters enthusiastically and creatively presented their findings to the assembly. The day closed with a lively recreation animated by the postulants and candidates.
For the final day, the Province turned its gaze toward the concept of synodality. Mass was celebrated by Fr. Joseph Corpora, C.S.C, Salesian past pupil and longtime friend of the Sisters. In the afternoon the Sisters invoked the Holy Spirit to guide the discernment of proposals for the theme of General Chapter XXV. The assembly concluded with a festive Luau party— complete with hula dancing—and a typically Salesian gratitude moment.
The Sisters were grateful for the opportunity to reunite and left reenergized to be a life-giving presence among the young.
