The question asked by Form no. 2 which prepares us for the celebration of the next General Chapter and around which we discussed to "express participation in the pastoral mission of Christ today" suggested to us the idea of being close to all the Pastorelle scattered around the world and that in the parishes they experience special summer initiatives with adolescents, young people, the elderly and families.
Here, in the Mother House, the parish is our community: therefore fraternity, welcome and commitment renewed every day. In the real impossibility of carrying out the external apostolate, we thought that the best way for us to participate in the pastoral mission of Christ today was to pause every Thursday, in the afternoon, in front of the Most Holy, asking for light, grace and support for each sister, committed to building Christian communities in communion with the Pastors of the Church.
Thus was born the Summer Group, lived in the months of July and August 2022, founded on prayer and with a missionary connotation. What have we achieved? We imagined a virtual journey, made up of stops in tents in solitude and silence, equipped with a backpack inside which the Bible and Rosary could not be missing. It seemed to us that footwear suitable for ascents cannot be missing, that is, for the moments in which the path of prayer becomes more demanding and impervious. In a good outing in the mountains it is relaxing to find water where you can take a restful stop: "... to calm waters you lead me ..." We could also add the sticks of fraternal support, an ice ax, glasses, a good cap and so on. help us for an excellent roped course.
In the Church of the Mother House, everyone was there at every prayer appointment and the intensity of the meditation was palpable.
To remind us of the commitment, we have created a poster with travel directions: we believe that every sister in prayer has taken charge of thinking about the pastoral needs of the parish, diocesan and every nation where the Pastorelle are present.
The last stage we concluded in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary located in our garden: to her we have entrusted every Sister, every aspiration, our pastoral dreams, the people of God among whom we walk, the parish priests, the Bishops and the entire Pauline Family.
We have asked for grace and blessings for all.
Sr. Rita Nardon, sjbp