Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

Ok....it's been a while...too long but it is good to be back! This time I greet you from Irish soil, from our community in Dublin to be precise where I am currently missioned so I am looking forward to catching up with old friends over the next few weeks. After returning from Rome in May, life has been a rollercoaster of events! The last blogs detailed  the going-on's of our trimester course in preparation for Perpetual Profession of the 'first eight' as we were fondly known! Since then, 7 of us have made our Perpetual vows....the 8th, Sr. M. Cecilia will be making hers on the 9th of July so we continue to keep her in our prayers. Sr. Emma Luna , our sister from Mexico started the ball rolling and had her special day on the 30th of January 2011, next was Sr. M. Kelly Silva de Oliveira on the 5th of February in Brazil, then Sr. M. Gabriela Kubecka in Poland on the 13th of February, Sr. Justine Zongo from Burkina Faso on the 14th of May, Sr. M. Marta Soza ...

Photo credit: Sr M. Louise The invitation which I gave to all those attending Masses in our Parish: Good evening/morning. My name is Sr. Louise O’ Rourke and I’m a religious sister from the Disciples of the Divine Master here in Castle St. Whilst being a native of Athlone, I’m probably a familiar face for some and not too familiar for others, as I have spent all of my formation years since I entered in 1998 outside of Athlone in our communities in Dublin, Italy, Poland and Vatican City. I returned less a month ago to Ireland to prepare for a very joyful event which is coming up next Sunday the 19 th of June,   where I will make my Perpetual Profession as a lifelong member of our Congregation. This for me, closes one chapter which began when I came for a live-in discernment in the community in Dublin whilst it opens another of this vocation which has been maturing, tried and tested and which peaks in Perpetual Profession and then continues to mature on life’s journey...

Sr. Annamaria giving us the grand tour! On an apostolic level, Fr. Alberione promoted the printing of popular editions of the Bible and used the swiftest instrument of the time,periodicals,to help the message of Christ reach even those furthest away. He had already begun the magazine Vita Pastorale (The Pastoral Life) in 1912 for parish priests. In 1931 he launched Famiglia Cristiana, (Christian Home) a weekly magazine to nourish the Christian life of families. Other periodicals followed: (Madre di Dio) Mother of God (1933), “to reveal the beauty and greatness of Mary to people”; Pastor Bonus (Good Shepherd) (1937), a monthly magazine in Latin; Via, Verità e Vita (Way, Truth, Life) (1952), a monthly dedicated to the teaching of Christian doctrine; (La Vita in Cristo nella Chiesa) Life in Christ and in the Church (1952), to help people “get to know the treasures of the Liturgy, disseminate the things that serve it, and live it according to the mind of the Church.” Turning his attenti...

From the very beginning God has utilized and taught His people the importance of creating memorials and to place value on remembering the important matters of life through visualization. One does not even have to study scripture to see the factual importance and effectiveness of visualizing. Science itself has declared that humans are visual by nature, and that people retain more of what they see. One such person who operates from this perspecive is our sister, Sr. M. Angelica Ballan. She recounts:  Sr. M. Angelica Ballan, pddm For many many years now, I carry out my apostolate at the heart of the liturgical apostolate of the Disciples of the Divine Master in the area of art and sculpture. The demand for figurative art for chapels and Churches keeps me always on my toes, and more importantly it keeps me connected to the Lord who infuses interior strength into my soul and brings out a work of art which encourages those who look at it to be moved towards prayer and a deeper conn...

The first of our visits to the various workshops was to the ceramic department. Many people think that working in the ceramic department involves merely sculpting bits of clay, sticking it in the 'oven' and then painting the cooked plaques, however, after the explanation given by our highly competent and gifted Sr. M. Flavianna, we soon realised that each piece of pottery has a whole process behind it. The word ceramic comes from the Greek word "κεραμικός" ( keramikos ),  "of pottery" or "for pottery", from "κέραμος" ( keramos ), "potter's clay, tile, pottery" which is said to derive from the Indo-European word * cheros (unattested), meaning heat . Nowadays the term 'ceramic' indicates the clay after it has been cooked at a very high temperature. Sometimes two or more different kinds of clay are mixed together, adding other mineral substances which gives the different types of ceramic. These materials which are ad...

Our communities here in Via Portuense, Rome are indeed hubs of activity. In every corner of the house, there are workshops where sisters use their gifts and talents to live the charismatic mandate of the Founder to evangelise through the liturgy, the Eucharist and the Priesthood. The striking thing about these workshops is the atmosphere of prayer and silence. This charismatic element of silence goes back to its roots in the Gospel as obedience modelled upon that of Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father. The Lord Jesus who in the Eucharist “reveals to us the meaning of the Scriptures and breaks the Bread for us” asks that we listen and obey him. Through the liturgy of life and the life in the liturgy, we are committed to the rediscovery and realization of a mystagogical catechesis that strives to understand and communicate the mystery of Christ celebrated through symbols (Rule of Life art. 139). This is one of the reasons why we are so commited is freeing the creative dimension at ...

 Sr. M. Joseph Oberto, pddm History has widely been viewed as being an essential ingredient in the formation of identity. As we experienced during our pilgrimage to the places associated with our charismatic beginnings, 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 let the buildings, churches, schools and various other places tell their story. However the history of our religious family cannot be understood without the people and we had the blessing to listen to our 'elder' sisters. Now it's time to look at the history in detail. Thankfully, we have Sr. M. Joseph Oberto, pddm, with us during these next few days. Her task will be to lead us on a journey throughout the past hundred years or so, highlighting the key moments for our Congregation. Her departure point is taken from Vita Consecrata 110: "You have not only a glori...