Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

When going back to the roots of any family or Institute it's essential to remember that history is constructed in many ways. During these days whilst visiting many places in Piedmont we have let buildings, churches, schools and various other places tell their story. However the history of our religious family cannot be understood without the people! It is not just archeology or nostalgic musings! So today is the day we dedicated to listening to our 'older sisters' who told us about their experiences, especially of the foundational experiences abroad. The morning was spent listening to two sisters in particular, both of whom spent numerous years between Korea and Japan after going there to bring our PDDM life to Asia.  Mother Pia with the juniors  The first testimony was given by our enchanting Mother M. Pia, whose youthfulness and simplicity at over 90 yrs old is a genuine tonic for all who come in contact with her. She was in Japan at the same time as Sr. Lucia...

Our next stop was at the Parish of St. Martin where Fr.Alberione received his communion on the 8th of March 1893 and his Confirmation on the 15th of November 1893. The example and the encouragement of the parish priest Fr. Giovanni Battista Montersino was instrumental in his decision to try the seminary in the hope of becoming a priest for the Diocese of Alba. Even in the midst of the trials which the young Alberione experienced in the seminary, Fr. Giovanni accompanied him in transforming these difficulties into opportunities to let the will of God break into his life in a new way, thus he renewed his 'yes' to continuing in his seminary formation and was subsequently ordained in 1907 on the 29th of June and celebrated his first Mass on the following day. Imagine the emotion of the parish priest in seeing this young boy whom he accompanied from the time of his First Communion, now distributing the Eucharist among his parishioners and fellow villagers. In the evening, after the...

Sanctuary: Our Lady of the Flower Our host community is getting used to the multi-lingual liturgies as the juniors continue to be very enthusiastic in animating the liturgy, especially through song.Our programme for the day is quite busy and involved some travelling in the surrounding areas. Our itinerary today brings us to Bra to visit the Sanctuary of our Lady of the Flower, the minor seminary where Alberione spent some time, the Church of Saint Andrew where Alberione's parents were baptised and which was the parish of St. Joseph Cottolengo. The afternoon brought us to Cherasco, another very significant place for the Pauline Family and then to Narzole. First stop is a visit to honour Mary, just as our Founder would have done many times. The history of this Sanctuary dedicated to our Lady of the Flower is quite interesting. It was built on the spot where the miracle happened back in  December 1339. A young woman from the area, Egidia Mathis who was heavily pregnant, was retur...

Sisters in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament After a good night's sleep, it was time to join the sisters in chapel for prayer. It was great to see such a packed chapel as the sisters are very fervent in joining in the community liturgies. For those who cannot make it to the chapel and for the bed-ridden sisters, the liturgies are transmitted to each room and public area via an intercom system, allowing all to be united in the breaking of the Bread of Life and the Word. Having finished breakfast we prepared to meet the rest of the community, especially the sisters in the infirmary. This is always a precious experience, whilst at times it can be hard to see the suffering and the difficulties of our older sisters, it is the opportunity to revisit the many blessings which we have received because of their sacrifices. It is the time to let them narrate their experiences, the stories from the beginning of the foundations, the adventures embarked upon. This is all living witness to...

Checking out the route Time to pack the suitcases again...we're on the road to Piedmonte! Back to visit to the land of our origins, the land which exhales our charismatic history. It's all very exciting, especially for those who are making the journey for the first time. After participating in the Eucharist with the community, preparing our picnic (it's an 8 hr journey more or less), we piled into our minibus with Sr. M. Micaela at the wheel! A few prayers to our Lady and to our Guardian Angels later, we were on the way! Leaving early was a great idea and thus beating the traffic. Cruising along the picturesque Italian countryside is indeed a feast for the eyes. Our journey brought us through four different regions: Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany and Piedmonte, each one of them with their particular characteristics. A common characteristic to them all were the bountiful harvests of corn, various grains, fruit and the general sense of the Autumn season reminding us of creation a...

Sr. M. Gemma Victorino, pddm On the 14th of September, Sr. M. Gemma Victorino, Vicar General, guided us in a virtual tour around the world with the session entitled: “Diversity is richness! Forming oneself for intercultarity” . After having reflected on our common origins, each one shared the ‘precious pearl’ of their culture together with a cultural wound of their people or reality. The session brought us to conclude that each culture has its own beauty and creativity together with its shadows, thing which have happened in our social and ecclesial history which we would prefer to forget. This echoed the workshop which we had yesterday where Sr. M. Regina had spoken to us of the importance to offer everything to God, even the dichotomy of the good and bad which exists in us. This urges us onwards towards reciprocal respect in reconciliation and humility, finding strength in the love of the Lord who gathers us in his name, even with the diversity and differences Sharing our 'pr...

Session with Sr. M. Regina, Superior General Today we had the great joy and honour to welcome among us our Mother General Sr. M. Regina who was entrusted with the introductory meeting to start the course off and set us on our way for the next three months. First on the agenda was the explanation of the objective because if we're embarking on a journey, it is necessary to have a goal or a destination.Explaining this objective, she borrowed the charismatic phrase from Fr. Alberione, who in turn 'borrowed' from St. Paul: " Donec formetur Christus in vobis " or in English, "Until Christ is formed in you".This verse we find in Paul's exhortation to the Galatians, Chapter 4, 19-20. We all know how much our Founder loved this phrase and how he set out his whole life to configure his life to Christ. This is one of the most precious charismatic legacies which he leaves us especially his book with the same name which has become one of the important tools fo...