Cuneo (Italy). On 26 March 2023, Sr. Yvonne Reungoat, Mother General Emeritus of the FMA Institute, President of the Union of Major Superiors of Italy (USMI), member of the Dicastery for Bishops and of the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, was invited to Cuneo, in Piedmont, to hold a formative moment on the theme of synodality in Consecrated Life. She shared her experience and her educational passion with simplicity and great availability.
After the Sunday Mass at the Parish Church of St. John Bosco of the Salesians of Don Bosco of the Special Circumscription of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, Mary Help of Christians (ICP), she met with the young people of the High School, the university students, and the workers of Don Bosco Oratory. She spoke with them, presenting the situation of youth in the Salesian world and giving them some concrete suggestions for being true children of Don Bosco and of Mother Mazzarello in today’s society.
Mother Yvonne was able to help interpret reality from a perspective of hope and joy, reminding all those present that “we are Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello today for our times” and that it is important to take care of Christian and Salesian formation, to be true and credible witnesses of the Gospel, which is possible only if space is given to prayer, reflection, and study.
In the afternoon, meeting the religious of the USMI of Cuneo, Fossano, and a representation of Saluzzo, Mother Yvonne invited everyone to rekindle the fire of consecration to the Lord Jesus, to be – as Pope Francis exhorts, a prophetic sign that awakens the world. “We must not be afraid of the fragility that we currently experience as religious Institutes, but have faith in the creative work of the Holy Spirit, because if we are docile to His inspirations, surely new things are being born and will be born. Our Communities, when life is shared fully, are already effective laboratories of synodality and the testimony of how we live our daily lives can be a light for finding new ways of synodality, focusing on listening, discernment, sharing, and building of ever stronger and more supportive networks.” At the end of the meeting, those present thanked her for her presence and her ability to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel, giving everyone a new impetus to live Consecrated Life more radically.
Mother Yvonne’s visit ended with a time of prayer, fraternity, and evening conviviality for the two Communities of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Mary Help of Christians Province (IPI) and the Salesians of Don Bosco who live and work in Cuneo, in T.A. Galimberti School, and in Don Bosco Parish and Oratory. It was a very beautiful time, where it was possible to breathe ecclesiality and the Salesian spirit across the board, share reflections, experiences, and prospects from the perspective of the Oratorian and missionary heart, expressing gratitude to Mother Yvonne Reungoat Yvonne for her testimony of life given generously in the footsteps of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello.
Source: fmapiemonte
