Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate——A Historical Chronicle Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate —A Historical Chronicle Angelica Fernandes The Founding Event and the Founders “A religious Congregation which newly enters into the garden of the Church must necessarily be a work of the Lord. He must be the one to inspire it and sustain it in its birth; support it in asserting itself and in its development. The Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate are willed by God and are the work of God.”1 The decision for the foundation of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate was arrived at in the General Chapter of the PIME,2 held in Hong Kong in 1934. 1 Msgr. Lorenzo Maria Balconi, What I have I give you, pp. 44–45. Balconi Lorenzo Maria was born in Milan in 1878. He joined the Foreign Mission Institute of Milan in 1898. In 1901 he left for the mission of Nanyang (Southern Henan, China). From 1928 to 1934 he was Vicar Apostolic of Hanzhong; he was elected Superior general of the PIME in the chapter held in Hong Kong, in 1934. He died in Milan on 4 October 1969. He was declared Co-Founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate in October 2006. 2 PIME: Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere (The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) came into being on 30 July 1850, at Saronno (Milan), as a seminary for foreign mission (MEM). Later, it was combined with the Pontifical seminary of Sts. Peter and Paul in 1926 to become a pontifical institute. See also, Louis Ha, Patrick Taveirne, eds., History of Catholic Religious Orders and Missionary Congregations in Hong Kong, Vol. Two, Research Papers (Hong Kong: Catholics Studies Publications, 2009), pp. 198–286. - 1 - ©2012 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved History of Catholic Religious Orders and Missionary Congregations In Hong Kong Vol. III: Historical Materials The proposal of the new Project was presented by Fr. Paolo Manna, the then Superior General and President of the Chapter. It was approved after a brief discussion, and the approval was worded as follows: “The Chapter votes that the important question of the foundation of an Institute for Sisters collateral with our Institute should be seriously and thoroughly studied and that the General Direction should do its utmost to bring about such a foundation.”3 This was the crowning moment of a twenty-year long pre-foundation history dating back to 1917.4 This period can be compared to a prolonged winter during which the seed of the missionary charism sown in the hearts of Mother Giuseppina Dones,5 a Reparation Sister and Giuseppina Rodolfi,6 a young lady of Milan, remained buried waiting to sprout in spring.7 Both the women found inspiration and nourishment for their apostolic zeal in the surroundings of the PIME, in Milan. Mother Dones was working in the office of the missionary publications of the PIME, whose Director was Fr. Paolo Manna. Giuseppina Rodlofi was a young lady attending the missionary activities organized by the PIME. The former was engaged in a painful discernment of the will of God regarding the new Institute and her role in it. She was sustained in 3 cf. Notes on our Origin (Milan: 1975) 4 Sandra Mazzolini, The History of a Foundation (Rome: Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate, 1986). 5 Dones Giuseppina was born at Seguro di Settimo Milanese on 8 January 1880. She joined the Institute of the Sisters of Reparation on 16 July 1899. On the request of Msgr. Balconi, the then Superior General of the PIME, she went as the formator of the first aspirants of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate. On 9 January 1948 she joined definitively the new Institute and was the Superior General of the same from 1948 to 1963. She died in Milan on 8 May 1967. 6 Rodolfi Giuseppina was born in Milan on 22 December 1899. For many years she upheld the idea of the foundation of a missionary congregation of women, which would cooperate with the PIME in the work of evangelization. Then she took part with Mother Dones in the foundation on 8 December 1936. She died in Milan on 21 September 1989. 7 Sandra Mazzolini, The History of a Foundation. - 2 - ©2012 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate——A Historical Chronicle her discernment by Fr. Paolo Manna. 8 The latter, with an unquenchable thirst for apostolate, waited patiently and painfully for the birth of a missionary congregation of women with the same spirit of the PIME. But the responsibility of fulfilling their dream fell on the shoulders of Msgr. Lorenzo Maria Balconi, when he was elected the Superior General of the PIME in 1934. Prior to that, he has been a missionary in China for 33 years. The Founders: (Clockwise) Blessed Paolo Manna, Mother Giuseppina Dones, Giuseppina Rodolfi, Msgr. Lorenzo M. Balconi Only after accurate historical-spiritual research by a commission9 on the main persons involved in the foundation, their specific roles were defined by the IX General Chapter of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate in October 2006. Three important stages of a single process in the history were recognized: 8 Manna Paolo was born at Avellino. He joined the PIME in 1891 and he left for Burma in 1895. But due to ill health he was forced to return to Italy where he dedicated himself to missionary propaganda through the publication of missionary magazines and books and founding the Missionary Union of Clergy. From 1924 to 1934 he was the Superior General of PIME. Fr. Manna died in Naples on 15 Sepyember 1952. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 4 November 2001. 9 “Towards the Identification of Founders”, Archivio, MdI (Rome: 2006). - 3 - ©2012 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved History of Catholic Religious Orders and Missionary Congregations In Hong Kong Vol. III: Historical Materials charismatic inspiration, the foundation and the co-foundation. Accordingly the Chapter declared Blessed Paolo Manna as the Inspirer, Mother Giuseppina Dones and Giuseppina Rodolfi as the Foundresses and Msgr. Lorenzo Maria Balconi as the Co-founder.10 Born in simplicity and commitment, the life of the new young community saw its members grow in numbers. On 25 March 1938 it was officially erected as a missionary Congregation (of Diocesan Right) with the name “Suore Missionarie dell’Immacolata”, (Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate), by his Eminence Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster, Archbishop of Milan, who also approved its Constitution. On 2 April 1962 by the DECRETUM LAUDIS, the Congregation was recognized as of Pontifical Right and it passed to the direct jurisdiction of the Holy See, through the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. “The Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate were founded to work side by side with the PIME, in the work of evangelization of non-Christian people; to help particularly in charitable works, assistance and education which are indispensable to the apostolate; especially for the abandoned children and education of women.”11 The CHARISM which gave life to the Congregation is centred on the living passion to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all people. This grace finds its inexhaustible source in the mystery of Jesus, Apostle of the Father, the very first one who lived the passion for the Kingdom. 10 “IX General Chapter”, Archivio, MdI (Rome: 2006). 11 Msgr. Lorenzo Maria Balconi, What I have I give you, p. 47. - 4 - ©2012 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate——A Historical Chronicle Called to share in His mission, the Missionary Sister of the Immaculate welcomes the gifts which make her capable of following the Lord Jesus: - In a total readiness to do the will of the Father, - In detachment from everything, - In a love that is open to all without distinction and to live the life of fraternal communion with the Sisters of different nationalities and cultures. In her life, placed entirely at the service of the Church, she finds strength and support in the Eucharist and in the Immaculate Virgin, Queen of the Apostles. (Constitution, art. 4) Fulfilment of the Charism The year 1948 will go down in the history of the Congregation as the year of grace, because of two events: Mother Giuseppina Dones moved definitively to the new Congregation and was appointed the first Superior General and the first departure to the missions of six Italian Sisters who had sailed on 30 August 1948. India (Andhra Pradesh) became the first mission of the Institute, where they were invited by the Bishop of Bezwada, Msgr. Domenico Grassi, PIME. This was the first of an uninterrupted series of departures, which took and continues to take, the missionary Sisters to different parts of the world. Now they carry out their Missionary apostolate in India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Hong Kong, Guinea Bissau, Papua New Guinea and Algeria. Sharing the same apostolic spirit of the PIME, in most missions they work side by side with the PIME Fathers. - 5 - ©2012 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved History of Catholic Religious Orders and Missionary Congregations In Hong Kong Vol. III: Historical Materials International Congregation with Local Insertion Arrived in India on 26 September 1948, the Sisters did not have much time to learn the local language and the customs . they were ready for everything. However, little did they foresee that two of them would be called to heaven in less than two years: Sr.