Year X - n. 50 November 2016 - January 2017 Figlie di San Paolo - Casa generalizia Via San Giovanni Eudes, 25 - 00163 Roma [email protected] - www.paoline.org God reveals himself as the living Word and Mary emerges as the human being who welcomed that Word. Contents DEAREST SISTERS... Calendar of the General Government PAULINE PANORAMA The Circumscriptions Philippines: Manila International Book Fair Italy: Good Escapes: A Jubilee Initiative Christmas from My Perspective #Bibbiattraversolapittura Naples Capodimonte: Meeting for Budding Readers Promoting the FSP Book Bank for Families Signis: Serving the Media for 65 Years Kenya: Seminar for Diocesan Book Center Managers Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy Pakistan: Celebrating the Year of Divine Mercy New FSP Book Center in Multan Our studies Violence and a Lack of Tolerance Toward Differences The Prodigal Father and His Two Sons THE JOURNEY OF THE WORD IN MARY Nazareth: Preserving the Word… MAOVING HEAD WITH Thecla Observing Maestra Thecla Helped Me Grow as a Pauline SHARING OUR STORIES You’re too young! AGORÀ OF COMMUNICATIONS The Moral Action of the Journalist THE PAULINE FAMILY XXXIV meeting of the General governments of the Pauline Family IN THE SPOTLIGHT Window on the Church Mercy Means Walking Together Tell Francis… Pastoral Care Workers Killed in 2016 Window on the World Jerusalem: Mothers March for Peace Happy Birthday, Unicef! 2 Yazidi Women, ex-Slaves of ISIS, Receive Prestigious Sakharov Prize Window on Communications A Prayer Book in Sign Language (Lis) Overcoming Diversity Through Music Mobile Internet Traffic Exceeds that of PCs EVENTS AND APPOINTMENTS New Professions Anniversaries of Religious Consecration CALLED TO ETERNAL LIFE 2 And in another letter written the same year: MAESTRA THECLA, “Act like a father who corrects his daughter. WOMAN OF COLLABORATION You know that I am in your hands. Use me as AND COMMUNION you would a handkerchief. I am always very afraid of not doing things well and of leading Dearest Sisters, the Daughters of St. Paul astray…” (LMT 87n.). As we prepare to rd And Fr. Alberione, as can be seen in many celebrate the 53 of his writings, used her as an intermediary in anniversary of Pri- transmitting his directives to the Congregation. ma Maestra Thec- la’s passage to eter- On the long apostolic trips by car and plane nal life, it is beautiful that she made with the Founder, he confided to take yet another to her his joys and sorrows. On 16 October look at our Moth- 1939, she wrote to Sr. Paolina Pivetta: “By Dearest Sisters... er so as to grasp now you know that I had to leave in a hurry. I above all her abili- was asked to see if I could help Primo Maestro ties as an intermedi- a little because he is in urgent need. Never be- ary and collaborator in the work carried out by fore has he been faced with so many pressing the Founder in obedience to the signs of God. material needs. I feel so sorry for him and I don’t know what I can do to help him….” In the thick Positio that documents the he- roic virtues of Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo, we Fr. Alberione felt Maestra Thecla to be his read: “Thecla Merlo […] was a great woman, a partner in the plan of God: he kept her in- perfect religious, an enlightened and far-sight- formed about every step he took and solicited ed Co-Foundress, open to the needs of mod- her presence in his visits to the houses (LMT ern times; a humble and faithful executor of the 22, 42, 57, etc.). He asked for her opinion divine will; a person who sought only and al- concerning problems and initiatives (LMT 4, 6, ways the glory of God and the good of souls.”1 7, etc.). He entrusted to her the task of trans- mitting to the sisters his norms regarding the From the very beginning, Maestra Thecla apostolate and he counted on her to arrange served as an intermediary of the grace of the things in such a way as to establish a proper charism, manifesting complete trust in God’s relationship with his other feminine Institutes chosen instrument. In the early years of the (LMT 3, 9, 53, 54). Institute’s foundation, she confided: “I have great trust in the Lord but also in the Theo- Prima Maestra accepted and applied every logian because I know he has been sent by directive of the Founder with the wealth of her God, thus where he leads I cannot be mistak- [mediatory] gift and she offered him the input en in following.”2 of her experience so that a more profound dis- cernment could be made in matters that were Sr. Nazarena Morando offered this testi- still unclear (LMT 53, note n. 1). mony: “When the Daughters of St. Paul did not yet have a name, a face or a house, Prima The Founder continually cast her in the Maestra believed and surrendered herself with light of a Mother in whose footsteps we should complete trust to God. She was docile to the point of heroism. Her faith led her to accept the will of God in the dispositions and direc- tives of Primo Maestro even when everything was unclear, compulsory and involved sacri- fices and renunciations. […] Prima Maestra’s character was anything but weak and passive. She was a strong-willed, energetic and deci- sive woman. […] Thus her self-surrender and docility were the fruit of her faith.”3 Maestra Thecla followed the Founder with a docile heart, knowing that through him God was pointing out the way. She wrote in 1950: “I have complete trust in your words” (LMT 86n.). 1 Informatio, p. 2. 2 Le nostre origini (Our Beginnings), p. 10. 3 Summarium, §684. 3 walk: “The docility of the Daughters of St. Paul was at times heroic and carried out on her feet to Prima Maestra explains their rapid devel- (that is, to the full)….” opment and the success of their apostolate” During the same Congress, Fr. Silvano (LMT 115). He affirmed that she was a great Gratilli, ssp, declared: “She [M. Thecla] car- help to him in setting up the Pious Disciples ried out the valuable service of intermediary and the Pastorelle Sisters, collaborating as between the Founder and the Daughters of St. she did in their birth, growth and canonical ap- Paul. She accepted, assimilated and transmit- proval (cf. AD 237). ted his inspirations, intuitions and directives On 2 September 1954, Fr. Alberione urged and saw to it that they were accepted. She de- the sisters to welcome the words of Prima veloped them and helped [the sisters] develop Maestra as if they were his own: “There are them. She put them into practice and saw to it not two thoughts here,” he said, “just one, and that they were put into practice. The result is I believe it is the thought and will of God.” the Pauline apostolate throughout the world. Dearest Sisters... On 15 September 1960, in preparation for To say that Prima Maestra Thecla Merlo was the Feast of St. Thecla, Fr. Alberione confided the Mother of the whole Pauline Family is not to the Daughters of St. Paul: “You owe Prima rhetoric but a statement of the truth.” Maestra a lot and I do too because she provid- Today too, Maestra Thecla would speak to ed me with light and direction in both happy and us about communion, collaboration, co-respon- sad circumstances. She was a comfort [to me] sibility, gratuitousness, and commitment to cul- in facing the problems that littered our journey.” tivating around us a more authentic family spirit Maestra Thecla fulfilled the role of media- so as to be “one in mind and heart,” all–both tor continually, as Fr. Renato Perino reminded religious and laity–united in ensuring that “the us on the occasion of the I Carry You in My Word of God races ahead and is glorified.” Heart Congress: “I think that the great mission and the great lesson of Maestra Thecla was this continual mediation, lived in a spirit of fi- Sr. Anna Maria Parenzan delity to Fr. Alberione, with an obedience that Calendar of the General Government Generalate, Rome Meeting with the Government General Government 7-8 January 2017 of the Italian Province 9-11 January Generalate, Rome Meeting of the G.Governments PF General Government 13-24 January Great Britain Fraternal Visit sr. Anna Maria Parenzan sr Anna Caiazza Mascherino, Rome Fraternal Visit. 14-16 January sr. Clarice Wisniewski 19 January -04 February Luanda, Angola Visit for a specific purpose sr. Gabriella Santon 6-15 February Kinshasa, Congo Visit for a specific purpose sr. Gabriella Santon Launch of the procedure for uniting 7-11 February Santiago, Chile the circumscriptions of sr. Anna Caiazza Argentina-Paraguay and Chile sr Lucia Kim 12-15 February sr. Anna Caiazza Bogota, Colombia SAL Assembly sr Lucia Kim 8-15 February Francie Fraternal Visit sr. Anna Maria Parenzan 16-23 February Antananarive, Madagascar Visit for a specific purpose sr. Gabriella Santon sr. Karen Anderson 18-19 February Borgo Angelico, Rome Visit for a specific purpose sr. Clarice Wisniewski sr. Anna Maria Parenzan 28 February-03 April Korea sr Shalimar Rubia Fraternal Visit sr. Clarice Wisniewski sr Samuela Gironi sr. Gabriella Santon (from 19 March) 5-21 March Great Britain Fraternal Visit sr. Karen Anderson sr. Anna Caiazza PHILIPPINES MANILA INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR The initiative’s provocative slogan, “Good Escapes,” wants to highlight the fact that books are food for the mind and heart. When made available to prisoners, they can help them escape the confines of their cells and The Daughters of St.