"Your parish is the world"
(Blessed James Alberione)
From 4 April to 29 May this year, the meeting of the Pastorelle Sisters of the first ten years of perpetual profession organized by the General Government took place in Rome. From the very beginning, sr. Aminta Sarmiento Puentes, Superior General, stressed that it was not a course, but a real Encounter, with the aim of living together, praying, studying and celebrating the gift of a vocation for a renewed missionary presence in the Church and in the world. . To foster the atmosphere of "Encounter" we spent this period in community, in a house of the Daughters of St. Paul, near our Generalate.
The inauguration took place in the chapel of the SSP Generalate, where our Founder had prayed many times, with the Eucharistic Celebration, presided over by Fr Valdir José de Castro, Superior General, followed by a guided tour by Fr Domenico Soliman, Secretary General and postulator of the SSP, at the recently opened Museo del Beato Giacomo Alberione.
The course was organized in five thematic sessions:
Discernment as a lifestyle;
Fraternity and welcome / community life;
The votes;
Pastoral care today;
Openness to the future and interculturality.
We also had online meetings with sisters from different circumscriptions who presented today's mission with a view to the future.
As a pedagogical path, which aimed at a process of experiences and not only of reflection and aggregation of contents, this time was characterized by so much silence, prayer and sharing of life / mission and pilgrimages. We went to Alba to get in touch with our charismatic origins; Assisi - land of San Francesco and Santa Chiara; Subiaco - of San Benedetto and Santa Scolastica; to the four papal basilicas of Rome.
Furthermore, we visited some communities (Mother House - Albano, Alberione House - Verona, Negrar and Mantova), where it was possible to meet the first sisters of the Congregation.
IThe group was able to benefit from the collaboration of various people through prayer, organization and thematic study. With the fruitful and enriching presence of Sr. Marisa Loser, Sr. Marta Finotelli and part-time of Sr. Aminta Sarmiento, who accompanied the group throughout the journey, the sisters of the General Government and the General Community and the Pauline Fathers who celebrated daily for us the Eucharist.
With a grateful heart On 29 May we celebrated the closing of this time of grace with the Eucharistic celebration in the Generalate, presided over by Fr Adilson Tadeu Ferreira, igs.
Here are some resonances, by linguistic group, on the meaning of this time of grace, of the participating sisters, coming from the Philippines, Albania, Brazil and Mozambique, Korea, Italy, A. Hispana:
The moments of being together reminds us of the importance of our fraternal life as Pastorelle. We are grateful to God and to our sisters who really make all things possible for us to reach the goal of breaking walls to connect us to one another and to our roots wherein the founder heard the inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the world is our parish and we will forever be connected to one another with the same call to be mothers, sisters and friends in the church. What a beautiful encounter and forever be remembered in the heart.
(sr. Evangeline Dolores, sr. Florentina Bataclan, sr. Ignacia.Coching,
sr. Junlyn Maraganas, sr. Marnie Cabiles, sr. Saturnina Caccan)
I consider these two months of life with the Pastorelle of all the continents of the world as a continuous time of grace, renewal in the Spirit, recognition and greater openness of our pastoral mission in the world. I thank the Most Holy Trinity, for Sister Aminta and all the sisters who have dedicated their time and love to us. Our provinces who believed in this initiative, our communities of origin, which were opened and carried out our commitments so that we could participate in this meeting. All the Pastorelle, brothers and sisters of the Pauline Family, who accompanied us with prayer and loving hospitality. (sr. Gjystina Doda)
The experience was truly a time: of renewal in the Spirit, of reviving faith, calling, communion in fraternity and in mission. A time of God's grace, to live spiritual discernment in permanent dialogue and openness to the Holy Trinity. Our thanks go to the General Government and to the whole Congregation. (sr. Verônica Atanásio e sr. Maria Jeane Bezerra Aguiar)
It was an unforgettable and precious moment walking together for two months, embodying unity, fraternity and spiritual discernment in our lives. As a witness of the freedom and joy of encountering God, I want to pass on the gift I have received to the world.
(sr. Clara Lee)
We thank the Lord for the lived experience, which was for us a time of listening in the Spirit and of an experience of simple and profound fraternity, of life shared in the Lord in the style of discernment. This gift has increased in us the hope of being able to walk together now and in the future in the joy of feeling united in being called and sent by God as Pastorelle in the world.
(sr. RosaTucci e sr. Sara Buccarella)
We want to thank God and our Province for giving us the opportunity to participate in this meeting which has allowed us to live life in community and experience the joy of sharing life. It was a time of listening to the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts and of living with a synodal spirit the prophecy of pastoral motherhood in the midst of his people, thus being a prophetic sign of the love and compassion of the Good Shepherd.
(sr. Liliana Ramirez e sr. Elva del Milagro Rojas Sánchez)