A Beautiful Story
- Suore Pastorelle
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Celebrating eightieth anniversary of religious profession of Mother Celina and Sister Maria Pia De Luca on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity was not a mere coincidence, but a shining sign of God's plan. The Trinity is the mystery of Love-Communion that gives itself unreservedly, and our two sisters—one a hundred years old and the other ninety-eight—have become, in eight decades of consecrated life, a living reflection of this Love that never runs out.
The Eucharistic Celebration in Albano Laziale was presided over by Father Domenico Soliman, Superior General of the Society of Saint Paul.
In the first reading of this Liturgy, the Lord passes before Moses and proclaims His Name: "The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness."
Looking at Mother Celina and Sister Maria Pia, we experience firsthand this "richness of love and faithfulness." Eighty years of religious vows are not a human achievement, but rather proof of God's faithfulness, which sustains our fragility and weakness.
Mother Celina, in particular, experienced this strength from a very young age: when our Founder, Blessed Fr. James Alberione, chose her as the first Superior General of our Congregation. She was just 25 years old! When she pointed this out to the Founder, he smiled and replied that she would soon recover from this illness.
It was truly an enormous responsibility for a young woman, called to lead and develop a Congregation that was barely more than a newborn!
Her life and her faith show us that where human strength risked failing, trust in the grace of that merciful and compassionate God was enough to make her a Mother, guide, and a sure point of reference for each of us.
The Word also emphasized how the Trinity reveals itself in "gift." "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son." Consecrated life is nothing other than the response to this love: a giving of oneself to God and to one's brothers.
Mother Celina and Sister Maria Pia lived these eighty years, devoting their lives to self-giving, in accordance with the charism that Father Alberione transmitted to the entire Pauline family and, in particular, the specific charism of us Pastorelle Sisters.
They loved the world, the Church, and people with the same heart as the Good Shepherd, who cares, who guides with love, and who gives himself, day after day, in silence, prayer, personal accompaniment, and pastoral service. One hundred years of life for one, ninety-eight for the other: two lives that proclaim to the world the joy of giving everything for the Gospel.
Saint Paul, in the second reading, addressed us with an invitation that today, in Albano, has become a visible celebration: "Brothers, be joyful, strive for perfection, encourage one another, be of the same mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you."
That "strive for perfection" immediately brought us back to the words Mother Celine always encouraged us with in her conferences: "Always forward and always better!" Not an invitation to pause or to look back nostalgically, but rather a Pauline impulse, capable of fixing our gaze on God's future.
On the threshold of nearly a hundred years, her very life tells us that this journey never ends, that Trinitarian love impels us never to be satisfied, to walk joyfully toward the "Kingdom."
For this we give thanks: to the Father who created and protected these two sisters of ours, to the Son who called them to follow Him, and to the Holy Spirit who has kept their faith fresh, bold, and luminous for eight decades. Their testimony remains for us a compass and a mandate: to continue walking, just as Mother Celine taught us: "always forward and always better," custodians of the loving embrace of the Trinity.
This profound communion then translated concretely into the joy of lunch, attended by the Pauline priests of the neighboring communities, the sisters of the Generalate, and the communities of the Lazio region.
The most carefree moment came near the end of lunch, when the sisters of Collemaggiore (Rieti) invited us to sing a "stornellata" prepared especially for the occasion. The lyrics of the stornelli, composed with wit and affection by Sister Carla Valente and Sister Maria Moretto, delightfully highlighted the lives of our two celebrants, with a special focus on the long history of Mother Celina. Singing together so joyfully before dessert was the most beautiful way to "become a family."
We leave behind this day of grace, holding their testimony in our hearts like a precious compass. The lives of Mother and Sister Maria Pia remind us that our entire life as Pastorelle is a gift to God and our brothers and sisters, within the eternal embrace of the Love of God the Shepherd. We also attach to this article the introduction prepared and read by Sister Cesarina Pisanelli at the beginning of the Eucharistic Celebration, as well as the delightful stornellata.
Sr Piera Cori
