Salesian Sisters celebrate 140 years of missionary service
Posted: Thu, 16 Nov 2017 12:32
140 years ago this week, the first Salesian Sisters' missionary expedition set out from the port of Genoa, Italy. Here's how the Sisters marked the occasion in Genoa.
On November 14, 2017, the provincial community and the directors of the Province of "Madonna del Buon Consiglio" of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) met before the ancient port of Genoa on a barge near the famous Aquarium to commemorate a historical date: November 14, 1877, the day that led the FMA beyond the borders of Europe, transposing the charism of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello to the Americas.
Going beyond known boundaries to meet new peoples and cultures was characteristic of the style of the first FMA communities, eager to bring the most amazing and upsetting announcement to the world: the tenderness of God and His Love.
On November 9, 1877, with the blessing of the Holy Father, Pius IX, and the protection of Mary Help of Christians, the first missionaries faced this great journey. "The Sisters leave with special baggage: much trust in God, joy to announce the love of Jesus, humility before new customs and new cultures, willingness to live with sacrifices, knowledge that good may cost them as much as, should the situation demand it, the cross and martyrdom, in the conviction that when God asks: He asks everything! "(Chronicle II, pp. 276-291). From that port the first FMA missionary expedition left - with many others to follow.