Feast of Mother Mazzarello
Feast of Mother Mazzarello
This year the feast of Mother Mazzarello is also an opportunity to remember some important dates regarding the history of our Institute.
It is, in fact, 130 years since the death of Maria Domenica Mazzarello, which took place on May 14, 1881. Her 44 years of life were spent in loving God and young people. She became a Mother who always felt part of God's great plan. She saw herself as God's humble collaborator. She had a great gift, that of a special care for young people, and she felt a strong responsibility for making good use of this gift.
As spiritual mother to so many young people and FMA, she acted with great realism and good sense. She united a strong and well rooted spirituality to a great humanity. This was the fruit of a life that was always lived uniting work and prayer, action and contemplation.
Another important event for us FMA is the centenary of the pontifical approval of our Institute. The first article of the Constitutions reminds us of it. We were approved, on September 7, 1911, by Pius X while Paolo Albera was Rector Major and Caterina Daghero was Mother General. During that same year the cause for the beatification of Mother Mazzarello also opened.
It is 60 years since her canonisation, which took place in 1951.
Hers was a simple, everyday holiness, that of a woman who had a strong desire to evangelise. For her, it was important to “make God known and loved”. The Lord was her happiness, a happiness that overflowed, one which she could not keep for herself alone.
If one rereads the testimonies given during the process of canonisation, many give witness to the affection of a woman who knew how to preserve the characteristics of a practical, attentive mother, one who forgot herself.
A short time ago the celebrations for the feast of gratitude to Mother Yvonne Reungoat concluded. The province of Uruguay , in order to involve all the FMA of the world, proposed that each Interprovincial Conference should read and deepen one letter of Mother Mazzarello and try to respond to her. Many arrived and it would be beautiful, during these days when we are preparing for her feast, to take some of them up again and think about what they might be saying to us today.
Perhaps the most beautiful gift for her feast would be that of rediscovering the joy of a life of holiness, lived out each day in our everyday life, with hearts ready to enter deeply into each youth situation and context and eyes capable of looking towards a joy and love that comes from Beyond.