Catholic means open to the whole world

This is a definition I have heard from childhood.  I’m a “cradle Catholic,” baptized early in life…and I’ve seen Catholic masses enculturated in so many forms that it’s dizzying, but always, the same Lord is made present, and the same basic truths are celebrated.  It’s beautiful, and it’s touching.

Today, however, I was struck by this reality in a new way.  Yes, we are Salesian Sisters, and YES, we are Catholic…(open to the whole world) because today, in a very brief voting session, our leadership elected Mother Yvonne, of French origin, for the first time in our 136 year history!

So today, we show that we are an international congregation not only in name, but also in the leadership that represents us, and that for us, represents the presence of Mary.  If you have time today, and you think of it, maybe you would say a prayer for Mother Yvonne.  (Becoming a Mother to 14,000 daughters overnight may, in fact, be a bit “daunting.”)

If you are interested, the whole story is here.

May God bless Mother Yvonne, and may her Sisters, as Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, be open to her leadership, and her voice as the mediation of God, and the living presence of Mary who walks among us!

The Power of a Smile

Today was a great day at the General House of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians!  It was our day to say thanks to an extraordinary woman who has dedicated the last eighteen years of her life to us, her Daughters.  For six years, Sr. Antonia Colombo, FMA was a Visiting Councilor for the Salesian Sisters.  In this task, she went often to visit the different communities of our Salesian world.  She listened to the Sisters and got to know a bit about our presence throughout the world.  Then, she was asked, and accepted to me our Mother General.  Though the name sounds official, and even a little military, we just call her “Mother” and she has really been like a mother to all of us – over 14,000 Daughters of Mary Help of Christians – and Mother Antonia’s Sisters and Daughters. 

Last night, Mother Antonia thanked the Sisters of the General House for the work they have done in preparation for the chapter, but also in accompanying her in the last eighteen years of her life.  You can read more about that here.

In the last few months, living here at the General House, “Casa Generalizia” it has been impressive to see this very unassuming woman, often called to multiple tasks, and often called upon to speak, act so humbly.  I was impressed to see her helping Sisters as they arrived for our General Chapter.  She was there to welcome us, to ask if we needed help.  She even often asks me how the task of translating is going.  Really, she seems to have an eye for everyone, especially the least. 

The most disarming thing about Mother Antonia is definitively her smile…it’s amazing!  Somehow, when this woman looks at you and smiles, there is a sense that she wishes to share her life and her love with you – that she cares about you and can see Jesus within you.  She never seems to lose sight of Jesus within the person she is addressing, or of actually being the presence of Jesus for those who surround her.  In fact, one of my favorite things I read that she wrote, was,

In a culture of the transient, which distances people from that which is essential, being tangible signs that point to Someone Else is transmitting the awareness of the primacy of the spirit, of the importance of following Jesus with a passionate love, so that we will not be invisible witnesses to Him, but His hands, His feet, His heart that wants to embrace the world, to give Himself to the last drop, so that all of us can have life and hope.

Let’s pray that every Salesian Sister and every member of this “vast movement” known as the Salesian Family can in fact become Jesus hands, feet, and heart, to embrace the world, and as Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello did, give our selves to the last drop.  Only then will we unleash the real power of love – the power of our smile!

St. Teresa of Ávila

Today is a big day for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.  We celebrate the feast of our patroness, St. Teresa of Ávila!  In particular, we turn to her to ask her intercession as we begin the novena which will prepare us for the election of our new Mother General.  Please join us in prayer.  You can say the prayer we have been saying to prepare for our whole General Chapter, or make one up yourself – here is our prayer:

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you gave the world its true light, Jesus, your Son, the Son of God.
You abandoned yourself completely to God’s call
and thus became a wellspring of the goodness which flows forth from Him.
Show us Jesus, lead us to Him.
Help us to know and love Him,
so that we, too, can become capable of true love,
and be fountains of living water, in the midst of a thirsting world.
Amen.
(written by Pope Benedict XVI)

Besides preparing for our election on the 24th of this month, and beginning that novena, St. Teresa is special to the Salesian Sisters because she was a woman who really could read the signs of her times, and was able to hear God’s urgings.  Here are some of my favorite things she said or wrote:

Just as we cannot stop the movement of the heavens, revolving as they do with such speed, so we cannot restrain our thought.
Fourth Mansion – Ch. 1

 How true is this?  So often, we say, “Let’s quiet our minds and open ourselves to the presence of God.”  I think St. Teresa was in touch with the impossibility of quieting our thoughts, and she was able to realize that our minds are more like spectators, so when I hear this phrase, I like to picture myself sitting at the edge of a stream, as life moves on, to see God present – the water making the stream flow…

We cannot know whether we love God, although there may be strong reason for thinking so; but there can be no doubt about whether we love our neighbor or not. Be sure that, in proportion as you advance in fraternal charity, you are increasing your love of God.
Fifth Mansion Ch. III

 I can still hear Sr. Barbara Jane in the first grade saying “Actions speak louder than words.”  So true – let’s love one another , especially those it is most difficult to love, so our love for God will be EVIDENT!

Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.

 How true – in the end…for every religious, and for every human being, God alone must suffice, because He is our only and greatest prize.  What we often forget is that in searching for Him, we often go astray, thinking one thing or another will bring us true happiness, but we all know that the feeling of longing returns until we belong totally to Him and can be found only on Him – this, friends, is true happiness!  (And why I think some of the people I know who could absolutely LIGHT THE WORLD ON FIRE with their happiness belong totally to HIM!)

The GENERAL Equation ~ Service + Sacrifice = Joy

For these months while I’m here in Italy, I’m living in our GENERAL House in Rome, Italy.  There are usually about one hundred Sisters who live in this house, but during these days, there are about 300.  The additional two hundred are Sisters from all over the world.

I’m deeply impressed by the character of the women I’m living with.  They are hardworking and dedciated.  I’m so happy to know them and to be able to see the good that they do.  Their quiet offering will probably never be known to the world at large, and yet, they continue to offer all their daily work and sacrifice for the young.  There is a great spirit of sacrifice here.  I’d like to share some of the pictures of all the work that these Sisters did to prepare for the exponential growth of the community.

Sr. Alba takes care of the dining room; here we see her sewing.

Some of the Sisters come early for lessons in Italian, since that is our common language.

Many Sisters are from Italy. Here we can see two Sisters from Slovakia, and a number from Italy.

The place was cleaned top to bottom before we arrived.

Coordination is key.

Sr. Giovanna not only does beautiful flower arrangements for the chapel, but as we see here, she irons the vestments.

Cleaning the floors in this huge building is a big job.

Cleaning the house for 300 is tiring!

The General Council meets to plan.

There is a LOT to be done to prepare food for 300!

The work of the laundry will triple!

A LOT of furnture was moved!

Two Sisters move some furniture.

The kitchen crew meets with the economer to plan meals.

These three Sisters work in the printing press.

I can’t say enough good about what I’ve seen and the way their silent sacrifice has affected me.  It’s hard to put into words and pictures what I see here every day – the willingness of each Sister to be of help to another, but it is beautiful.  The Family Spirit is alive and well in Rome, Italy… and it’s beautiful to see!