Items filtered by date: April 2025

Holy Ester 2024

“Our Redeemer has risen from the dead:

let us sing hymns to the Lord our God, Alleluia”

(from liturgy)

Dear Brothers,

with the arrival of Holy Easter, I would like to ideally reach each of you, wherever you are in the world, and offer you, in a big fraternal embrace, my best wishes for a Happy and Holy Easter celebration. 

May the song of Alleluia that accompanies the announcement of the Resurrection become our song of praise and thanksgiving to the Father because in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been given the certainty of salvation and the possibility of a new life in the spirit. 

This year’s Easter time takes on a particular meaning for our Congregation, as from 8^th April to Next May 5, it is called to celebrate its 33^rd General Chapter in Malagasy land. Strengthened by the light that emanates from the empty tomb and guided by the Word of the Risen One. I hope that this chapter assembly becomes a grace of conversion and personal renewal not only for the capitulants but also for every La Salette missionary present in the world.

The Easter spirit will positively influence, I am sure, the work of the Chapter called to write a new page in the history of our Congregation through the history, ministry and life itself of each of us and the election of the new General Council.

I ask everyone for the gift of personal and community prayer so that the search for God’s will for our Congregation is realized through a truly synodal path made of fidelity to our charism, mutual respect, humble listening to the Word and particular attention to the signs of times to better serve the cause of the Gospel in today’s world.

The common thread of the chapter discussions and resolutions, now known to all, is contained in the slogan: “A stronger identity at the service of Communion and hope”. This theme is intended to be not only a simple statement of our common purposes but above all a challenge to be welcomed and implemented in everyday life on a personal, community and pastoral level, where everyone must feel committed, no one excluded.

I would like to extend my Easter greetings, the last of this mandate of mine, in a particular way to young people in formation, to elderly and sick confreres and to those who are experiencing a moment of trial and physical or spiritual suffering. May the Risen One bring them the inner peace and serenity they need at this moment. The same well-wishing thought goes to those brothers who work in war zones or plagued by the raids of crazed armed groups, to our benefactors, to the La Salette Laity and to the Sisters of La Salette, as precious collaborators in our ministry in different parts of the world.

May the Beautiful Lady of La Salette extend her blessing and protection to each of you, make your ministry fruitful and make you authentic missionaries of the message of mercy and reconciliation that, our Blessed Mother entrusted to Maximin and Melania with this maternal and heartfelt recommendation; “Well, my children, let all my people know…”.

May the light of the Risen One shine abundantly in your hearts and in the lives of those you meet in your ministry as religious and priests of La Salette.

The General Council joins me in offering all of your fervent wishes for a Happy and Holy Easter.

Fraternally yours,

Fr. Silvano Marisa MS

General Superior

Holy Ester 2024

“Our Redeemer has risen from the dead:

let us sing hymns to the Lord our God, Alleluia”

(from liturgy)

Dear Brothers,

with the arrival of Holy Easter, I would like to ideally reach each of you, wherever you are in the world, and offer you, in a big fraternal embrace, my best wishes for a Happy and Holy Easter celebration. 

May the song of Alleluia that accompanies the announcement of the Resurrection become our song of praise and thanksgiving to the Father because in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been given the certainty of salvation and the possibility of a new life in the spirit. 

This year’s Easter time takes on a particular meaning for our Congregation, as from 8^th April to Next May 5, it is called to celebrate its 33^rd General Chapter in Malagasy land. Strengthened by the light that emanates from the empty tomb and guided by the Word of the Risen One. I hope that this chapter assembly becomes a grace of conversion and personal renewal not only for the capitulants but also for every La Salette missionary present in the world.

The Easter spirit will positively influence, I am sure, the work of the Chapter called to write a new page in the history of our Congregation through the history, ministry and life itself of each of us and the election of the new General Council.

I ask everyone for the gift of personal and community prayer so that the search for God’s will for our Congregation is realized through a truly synodal path made of fidelity to our charism, mutual respect, humble listening to the Word and particular attention to the signs of times to better serve the cause of the Gospel in today’s world.

The common thread of the chapter discussions and resolutions, now known to all, is contained in the slogan: “A stronger identity at the service of Communion and hope”. This theme is intended to be not only a simple statement of our common purposes but above all a challenge to be welcomed and implemented in everyday life on a personal, community and pastoral level, where everyone must feel committed, no one excluded.

I would like to extend my Easter greetings, the last of this mandate of mine, in a particular way to young people in formation, to elderly and sick confreres and to those who are experiencing a moment of trial and physical or spiritual suffering. May the Risen One bring them the inner peace and serenity they need at this moment. The same well-wishing thought goes to those brothers who work in war zones or plagued by the raids of crazed armed groups, to our benefactors, to the La Salette Laity and to the Sisters of La Salette, as precious collaborators in our ministry in different parts of the world.

May the Beautiful Lady of La Salette extend her blessing and protection to each of you, make your ministry fruitful and make you authentic missionaries of the message of mercy and reconciliation that, our Blessed Mother entrusted to Maximin and Melania with this maternal and heartfelt recommendation; “Well, my children, let all my people know…”.

May the light of the Risen One shine abundantly in your hearts and in the lives of those you meet in your ministry as religious and priests of La Salette.

The General Council joins me in offering all of your fervent wishes for a Happy and Holy Easter.

Fraternally yours,

Fr. Silvano Marisa MS

General Superior

Chapter in the Polish Province

A new Provincial Council was elected on February 9, 2024:

Fr. Grzegorz Zembroń, provincial (center)

Fr. Robert Głodowski, provincial vicar (left)

Fr. Piotr Grudzień, provincial assistant (right)

We wish the new Council the light of the Holy Spirit in their service to the Province.

Christmas 2023

New Year 2024

“I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord”

(Luke 2:10-11)

Dear Brothers,

It brings me immense joy, along with my council, to extend once more to each of you, wherever you may be in the world, in the Provinces or in our missions, in good health or enduring physical and spiritual suffering, as young aspirants, novices, my sincere and fraternal wishes for a Blessed Christmas and a fruitful New Year. May it be filled with the grace of God and the presence of the Blessed Lady, our Mother and Patroness.

The Christmas festivities, occurring at the end of the civil year and the beginning of a new liturgical year, offer us a particularly opportune moment to ideally come together in fraternal embrace. It is also a time to take stock of the passing time, which, in its relentless and swift flow, marks not only the life of the world and the Church but also our personal, communal, and apostolic lives, for better or for worse.

I wish for myself and each one of you that the light of the star that once appeared in the sky of Bethlehem continues to illuminate our religious life today. May it enlighten our personal history, enabling us to see them as privileged places of encounter with God and with our brethren, where the salvation brought by Christ is received and concretely realized.

1. The Religious as a Prophet

During the autumn assembly of the USG (Union of Superiors General) held in Sacrofano, near Rome, focusing on the theme: "Synodality: a renewed call to the prophecy of hope", it was strongly reaffirmed that by nature, a religious has the uncomfortable and not easily achieved mission of being an authentic prophet in the Church and in the world, primarily through their life and then through their words. Additionally, the religious is the one who also has the challenging and unique task of identifying signs and listening to voices that speak of God's presence, firstly in the everydayness of their own life and then in human existence. In other words, they are the ones who, as prophets, are still capable of perceiving and understanding reality through God's eyes. Therefore, not only must they live by hope but also promote and abundantly sow hope around them.

Furthermore, the religious has the mission in the Church and in the world to discover and indicate new and possible paths to be undertaken together with their community and the people of God to better correspond to the demands and needs of the Gospel. This synodal journey involves listening, prayer, dialogue, and discernment. Being Church and being a community together must become a habitual way of life to be constantly pursued, a form to be embraced with trust and courage, and a mission to be accomplished with hope and enthusiasm, not alone but together.

The religious life, as a whole, is embracing the longing and dream of Pope Francis to see a Church not only renewed in its structures but above all, more evangelical, poorer, closer to the most vulnerable, committed to going forth, and fundamentally, a missionary Church. Like all religious, we, the missionaries of the Weeping Virgin of La Salette, are called not to shy away from this commitment, which is both personal and ecclesial, but to dedicate all our human and spiritual energies to aligning our charism with the current needs of the Church and the world today.

2. Towards the 2024 General Chapter

As previously announced several times, in a few months, at the beginning of the new year, we will celebrate on Madagascar soil, the 33rd General Chapter of our Congregation. I invite all aspirants, novices, young and senior religious, as well as La Salette Laity, friends, and benefactors, to experience this anticipation and this truly special moment for all of us as a Kairos, a favourable time and a propitious occasion, inhabited by the Spirit, for a new beginning in the realm of our religious and missionary life. The Chapter, easily imagined, will urge us to re-appropriate with a new spirit the richness of our charism, to courageously present it, and to vivify it joyfully for all those whom Providence places on our pastoral journey as La Salette religious and priests. This will be a challenging yet healthy challenge for us, one that we must responsibly embrace with much humility and hopeful trust.

3. Italian Province on Celebrations

On the 8th of December, the Italian Province experienced a truly historic, gracious, and joyous moment with the diaconal ordination of Fr. Luca Anderloni, originally from Verona. This event is noteworthy as it occurred more than 25 years after the last priestly ordination. Another historic moment will be the Perpetual Vows of Bro. Antón Rodriguez, a Spaniard, scheduled for the 31st of December this year in our community in Turin. These are two signs of hope, both for the Congregation and for the Italian Province. I wish these two young adults, supported by the affection and prayers of all of us, to remain faithful and steadfast in their religious and missionary vocation under the maternal gaze of Mary.

4. Priestly Jubilee

I take this opportunity to deeply thank all those, near or far, who accompanied me with their affection and prayers during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of my priestly ordination. I carried all of you, without exception, to the altar during the jubilee mass. I also express my gratitude to my fellow brothers, whether living or deceased, who, in one way or another, supported and encouraged me in these fifty years, urging me to live the gift of priesthood as a La Salette Missionary in a spirit of service. I am highly grateful to them for the exemplary nature of their religious life and the testimony of their apostolic zeal, which has greatly shaped my religious and priestly being. May the Blessed Lady of La Salette, our mother and patroness, bless and protect each and every one of them.

5. Greetings

I wish to extend these heartfelt wishes to our La Salette Laity who, wherever they may be in the world, endeavour to spread the message of the Weeping Lady of La Salette and to embody in their lives and in their congenial environments the richness of the charism of reconciliation. My best wishes also go to the Sisters of La Salette who collaborate with us in many missionary realities and particularly to the La Salette Shrine in France, where together we share the responsibility and challenge of welcoming and accompanying pilgrims who ascend the holy mountain from various parts of the world.

May the birth of the Saviour strengthen our faith, steadfast our hope, and make our charity and fraternal communion visible and joyful.

May the Blessed Lady of La Salette help us joyfully welcome her Son into our lives and our mission, and may she accompany us constantly and tenderly on the synodal journey towards the celebration of the upcoming General Chapter.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fraternally yours,

Fr. Silvano Marisa MS

Superior General

Christmas 2023

New Year 2024

“I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord”

(Luke 2:10-11)

Dear Brothers,

It brings me immense joy, along with my council, to extend once more to each of you, wherever you may be in the world, in the Provinces or in our missions, in good health or enduring physical and spiritual suffering, as young aspirants, novices, my sincere and fraternal wishes for a Blessed Christmas and a fruitful New Year. May it be filled with the grace of God and the presence of the Blessed Lady, our Mother and Patroness.

The Christmas festivities, occurring at the end of the civil year and the beginning of a new liturgical year, offer us a particularly opportune moment to ideally come together in fraternal embrace. It is also a time to take stock of the passing time, which, in its relentless and swift flow, marks not only the life of the world and the Church but also our personal, communal, and apostolic lives, for better or for worse.

I wish for myself and each one of you that the light of the star that once appeared in the sky of Bethlehem continues to illuminate our religious life today. May it enlighten our personal history, enabling us to see them as privileged places of encounter with God and with our brethren, where the salvation brought by Christ is received and concretely realized.

1. The Religious as a Prophet

During the autumn assembly of the USG (Union of Superiors General) held in Sacrofano, near Rome, focusing on the theme: "Synodality: a renewed call to the prophecy of hope", it was strongly reaffirmed that by nature, a religious has the uncomfortable and not easily achieved mission of being an authentic prophet in the Church and in the world, primarily through their life and then through their words. Additionally, the religious is the one who also has the challenging and unique task of identifying signs and listening to voices that speak of God's presence, firstly in the everydayness of their own life and then in human existence. In other words, they are the ones who, as prophets, are still capable of perceiving and understanding reality through God's eyes. Therefore, not only must they live by hope but also promote and abundantly sow hope around them.

Furthermore, the religious has the mission in the Church and in the world to discover and indicate new and possible paths to be undertaken together with their community and the people of God to better correspond to the demands and needs of the Gospel. This synodal journey involves listening, prayer, dialogue, and discernment. Being Church and being a community together must become a habitual way of life to be constantly pursued, a form to be embraced with trust and courage, and a mission to be accomplished with hope and enthusiasm, not alone but together.

The religious life, as a whole, is embracing the longing and dream of Pope Francis to see a Church not only renewed in its structures but above all, more evangelical, poorer, closer to the most vulnerable, committed to going forth, and fundamentally, a missionary Church. Like all religious, we, the missionaries of the Weeping Virgin of La Salette, are called not to shy away from this commitment, which is both personal and ecclesial, but to dedicate all our human and spiritual energies to aligning our charism with the current needs of the Church and the world today.

2. Towards the 2024 General Chapter

As previously announced several times, in a few months, at the beginning of the new year, we will celebrate on Madagascar soil, the 33rd General Chapter of our Congregation. I invite all aspirants, novices, young and senior religious, as well as La Salette Laity, friends, and benefactors, to experience this anticipation and this truly special moment for all of us as a Kairos, a favourable time and a propitious occasion, inhabited by the Spirit, for a new beginning in the realm of our religious and missionary life. The Chapter, easily imagined, will urge us to re-appropriate with a new spirit the richness of our charism, to courageously present it, and to vivify it joyfully for all those whom Providence places on our pastoral journey as La Salette religious and priests. This will be a challenging yet healthy challenge for us, one that we must responsibly embrace with much humility and hopeful trust.

3. Italian Province on Celebrations

On the 8th of December, the Italian Province experienced a truly historic, gracious, and joyous moment with the diaconal ordination of Fr. Luca Anderloni, originally from Verona. This event is noteworthy as it occurred more than 25 years after the last priestly ordination. Another historic moment will be the Perpetual Vows of Bro. Antón Rodriguez, a Spaniard, scheduled for the 31st of December this year in our community in Turin. These are two signs of hope, both for the Congregation and for the Italian Province. I wish these two young adults, supported by the affection and prayers of all of us, to remain faithful and steadfast in their religious and missionary vocation under the maternal gaze of Mary.

4. Priestly Jubilee

I take this opportunity to deeply thank all those, near or far, who accompanied me with their affection and prayers during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of my priestly ordination. I carried all of you, without exception, to the altar during the jubilee mass. I also express my gratitude to my fellow brothers, whether living or deceased, who, in one way or another, supported and encouraged me in these fifty years, urging me to live the gift of priesthood as a La Salette Missionary in a spirit of service. I am highly grateful to them for the exemplary nature of their religious life and the testimony of their apostolic zeal, which has greatly shaped my religious and priestly being. May the Blessed Lady of La Salette, our mother and patroness, bless and protect each and every one of them.

5. Greetings

I wish to extend these heartfelt wishes to our La Salette Laity who, wherever they may be in the world, endeavour to spread the message of the Weeping Lady of La Salette and to embody in their lives and in their congenial environments the richness of the charism of reconciliation. My best wishes also go to the Sisters of La Salette who collaborate with us in many missionary realities and particularly to the La Salette Shrine in France, where together we share the responsibility and challenge of welcoming and accompanying pilgrims who ascend the holy mountain from various parts of the world.

May the birth of the Saviour strengthen our faith, steadfast our hope, and make our charity and fraternal communion visible and joyful.

May the Blessed Lady of La Salette help us joyfully welcome her Son into our lives and our mission, and may she accompany us constantly and tenderly on the synodal journey towards the celebration of the upcoming General Chapter.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fraternally yours,

Fr. Silvano Marisa MS

Superior General

REGION OF MARY, MOTHER OF THE MISSION

Regional Chapter: 1-2.12.2023, Pyin OO Lwin, Myanmar

New Regional Council:

Fr. William Phyo Wai, regional superior (center)

Fr. David Kyaw Zwa Latt, regional vicar (left)

Fr. Patrick Kyaw Lin, second assistant (right)