Items filtered by date: April 2025

(First Sunday of Lent: Genesis 2:7-9 & 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11)
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. The context of those words is worth noting: “The Lord let you be afflicted with hunger [in the desert] … in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord.”
There are two places in her message where Our Lady of La Salette echoes this thought. First she speaks of a “great famine” that is about to ravage much of Europe. Later she complains that her people eat meat all during Lent.
Today, abstinence from meat is no longer universally required of Catholics except on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the Fridays of Lent. But the challenge is still there. Mary’s point is not about a rule that has been broken, but about the meaning of Lent.
The story of the Temptation of Jesus makes it clear: if we are not nourished by God’s Word, the life we live is but a shadow, a shell of what it might be. If we do not place our hope in God’s Grace which, as St. Paul writes, “overflows for the many,” even our deepest hopes cannot achieve their fullness.
The serpent held out a false hope to Adam and Eve, and they brought sin and all its effects into the world. The devil held out false hopes to Jesus, but Jesus was not deceived.
He does not deny the importance of bread. But bread is not enough. Psychology tells us that merely feeding a child is not sufficient for the child’s well-being. Human relationships are more essential still.
The season of Lent, and the Beautiful Lady, both remind us of our need for a healthy relationship with God. Of course, material needs cannot and must not be ignored, but in another place in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (Mt 6: 33).
It is a good sign that Ash Wednesday, which is not a Holy Day of Obligation, is among the days that have the highest Mass attendance. Its meaning may even change from year to year. That’s a good thing, too.

Dear Confreres, with this Eucharistic celebration the Council of the Congregation, begun on February 6, closes its doors, but not before having accomplished its agenda.
The Lord and the Virgin of La Salette - we are certain of this - have accompanied us throughout these three weeks, and we firmly believe that the Holy Spirit has guided us in the discussions and decisions which have come forth.

We have endeavored to dialogue with one another, listening to each one’s reasoning in a spirit of communion and family, with our sight always fixed on the good of our Congregation and on the mission to which she is called in the Church and in the world.
We have had the experience that walking together is at times not easy because of the varying sensitivities of culture and language, but a richness is always revealed whereby new horizons are opened to us, as well as new possibilities for understanding and collaboration.

Our Congregation is going through a significant period marked by interdependence, characterized by support and mutual collaboration among the Provinces on a number of levels: ministry, mission, community - as well as finances. It is a time of grace, which we should not squander, but make fruitful to the greatest extent possible.
In particular, three decisions taken by this Council of the Congregation capture for me in a clear way the path of our Congregation in this precise moment of our history: the raising of the District of Myanmar to the level of a Region; the “missionary” response to a church very much on the periphery, with the opening of a new mission of La Salettes in Mozambique, and the work we are doing with those laity desiring to make their own and live along with us the charism of reconciliation. These decisions constitute real challenges that we must confront in faith, with courage and without fear, in full trust and awareness that God is always with us and that the Beautiful Lady will never withhold her maternal guidance and protection.

In this Council of the Congregation we have also officially begun preparing for the General Chapter, which will take place in Las Termas (Argentina) from April 9 to May 5, 2018. This constitutes, as does every Chapter, a very important step on the road of charism and mission that our Congregation is called to travel in the heart of the Church and the world of today.
We must arrive at this ecclesial and charismatic event having prepared well along with all our confreres, supported by the human and spiritual solidarity of many laity, friends and benefactors who share with us the joys and challenges of mission.

“Nella grazia della Salette, profeti per un mondo riconciliato” is the theme chosen to accompany the preparation and celebration of the General Chapter. Herein there are three important elements which call for our attention: the return to the roots of our religious and La Salette vocation, which stems from the apparition of the Virgin to Maximin and Melanie and the need to make clear our identity; the call on the Church’s part to be credible witnesses in our lives and by our words; and putting our charism at the service of reconciliation.
I ask you, dear Provincials, to help the confreres live this time of preparation as a time of grace and a new opportunity for a profound renewal that touches our personal and communal identity as religious and as missionaries.

In light of Isaiah 43:19, our theme for the year, I invite you to see, with the Spirit’s help, all the good that our confreres are doing, in order to thank God for this and at the same time to notice what new thing is emerging within and around us, in our communities and in the world of mission. This attentiveness to the signs of the times is a characteristic that has accompanied us from our very beginnings in the Church. Let us open our eyes to the reality of sin, of injustice, of the disregard for human dignity which surrounds us; let us listen to the “cry of the poor,” of the marginalized, of those who do not count, and let us be ready to act there where the Church calls us to our mission in today’s world.

Silvano Marisa MS

General Sup.

The Lord in our Midst
(Third Sunday of Lent: Exodus 17:3-7; Romans 5:1-8; John 4:5-42)
There are many springs flowing in the mountains around La Salette; only one is called miraculous, and this for two reasons. First, it usually dried up in the summer, but since September 19, 1846, it has never stopped flowing. And second, a great number of miraculous cures have been attributed to its waters.
Today’s Gospel features a well. Its source was not considered miraculous, and no miracles were attributed to the water; but this well witnessed a miracle of conversion, not only of the Samaritan woman but of many others in the town.
The spring in the desert that God caused to flow from rock through Moses was a response to the people’s complaints. They had gone so far as to ask, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
The Beautiful Lady spoke with sadness about those who did not recognize the Lord in their midst, who used the name of her Son in anger. She came to tell us that the Lord is truly in our midst, i.e. among us and within each one of us. Her words echo what St. Paul writes, “The love of God has been poured into our hearts.”
That is what many have experienced on the Holy Mountain of La Salette. Through what we might call the miraculous spring of Mary’s tears, as well as through her warnings and encouragement, pilgrims have come to know and encounter God’s boundless love, God’s presence in their lives. It has often been said that at La Salette the truest, deepest miracles occur in the confessional.
A biblical image similar to the spring is that of the torrent, a rushing stream typically caused by melting snows or a severe storm. Some torrents are so violent as to carry away everything in their path.
This image can be used in a positive sense. How hard it is to resist the torrent of the Blessed Virgin’s tears. How hard it is to withstand the torrent of God’s love once we have become aware of it.
Lent is the perfect time to make that discovery, or to deepen it. It is a reminder, in a different key, so to speak, of Emmanuel, God-with-us, God in our midst.

A lifetime of healing. Interesting testimony of Fr. Phil Salois MS about his experience in Vietnam and his vocation to became a Missionary of La Salette.
“I said a quick prayer to God,” he says. “I said, ‘You know, God, I’m going to go out there and rescue these guys. This is a crazy thing to do. If you get me out of this mess safe and sound without a scratch, I’ll do anything you want.’”
Salois began studying – the “first time in my life I really enjoyed studying” – and passed the test in 1972. A couple of years after joining the seminary, he was walking through the woods, praying the Rosary, when he had a flashback to the battlefield.
“I remember saying to God, ‘You know, God, I’m really happy here. I’m really glad you called me here,’” Salois says. “And I heard that inner voice say to me, ‘Well, do you remember that promise you made to me four years ago?’”

Five American La Salette missionaries ventured to the unknown land of Myanmar (Burma) eighty years ago and started their mission in Arakan State, following the mandate of Our Lady of La Salette to make the message of reconciliation known. Subsequently, they founded Prome Diocese with Bishop Thomas Newman, MS as the first bishop of the Diocese. The missionaries left the country when the situation in the country turned unlivable for foreigners. Nevertheless, the growth of the Church continued under the diocesan clergy.

The La Salette Missionaries returned to Myanmar and reestablished the mission in Mandalay Diocese in 2005 with Myanmar La Salette priests trained in the Philippines. The mission and vocation continue to grow in the country.

To further the growth of the missionaries in Myanmar and of the entire congregation, the District of Myanmar has been elevated to the status of Region by the 2017 Council of Congregation in Bangalore, India.

Through the intercession of Our Lady of La Salette, may God continue to bless the newly erected Region of Myanmar as well as all the La Salette Missionaries working in different corners of the world.  

ks. Philip Mahka Naw Aung MS

This year the Council of the Congregation was held in India, at Bangalore (the official name of the former Bengaluru). A city of 11,000,000, it continues to grow in the direction of Electronic City, a growth that might, unfortunately, be described as uncontrolled. A few decades ago, the largest software companies began establishing themselves here, where labor was cheap. This attracted thousands of young professionals looking for work. Developers build wherever they find space. Huge houses have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. Opposite our seminary and provincial house, built in 2002 in what was the outskirts of the city, there now stands, among poor homes, a whole city of ten-story buildings.

The meeting began on February 6 and will end on February 26. Present were all the Provincials (from India, the Philippines, Angola, Madagascar, Italy, France, Poland, and Brazil), as well as the Regional Superior of Argentina-Bolivia and the Superior of the District of Myanmar, with, of course, the General Council, the General Treasurer, and two translators: Jack Nuelle, and Belarmino Tchipundukwa, who is also General Secretary. During the sessions of the Council of the Congregation, each Provincial presented a report on his Province, focusing on experiences since the last Council of the Congregation, joys and problems. This Council of the Congregation also discussed the elements of a unified Formation Program for the whole Congregation; international programs and meetings; the new mission in Tanzania; vocations; the virtual library; software for the General Secretariat accessible to all Provincial Secretaries; the Commission of European Provincials (KEP); the role and formation of La Salette Laity; and preparation of the next General Chapter.

Rome, 10-01-2017

Dear Brothers,

We still find ourselves in the glow of Christmas season and the beginning of the New Year of 2017. Our mission, began thanks to the two shepherds of La Salette 170 years ago, makes us look upon our history with joy and gratitude, so that we turn to the future seeking the means of continuing this mission ever under the protection of the Beautiful Lady and with the light of the church’s teaching in our time. Given the above, I begin this letter with sincere wishes for a Happy New Year.

After our Superior General’s Christmas letter I have just a little news concerning the General Council or the Congregation at large.

1-      In Rome:

• The General House is beginning to recapture its normal hubbub after of quiet, during which it seemed to be abandoned: our guest students are beginning to return from Christmas vacation to resume their studies.
• Fr. Adilson has been in Brazil since December 23 for vacation with his family. On December 23, before departing, he held a community meeting in his new role as Director of the House. He will return to Rome February 1. We wish him a good vacation.
• For Christmas celebration the community of the General House welcomed the confreres from the community of Via Andersen, here in Rome.
• The General Administration had a community outing January 7 under the guidance of Fr. Silvano. The site chosen for this was Subiaco, a city known because of the spirituality of Saint Benedict and situated about 70 kilometers from Rome.
•  January 9, Fr. Joe Bachand, General Councilor and Superior of the International Community of La salette in France, was welcomed to the General House.
• As for our planning goes we have been involved with procuring  visas for India (for the Council of the Congregation) and for Angola (Fr. Henryk, Henryk General Council, is presiding over the extraordinary chapter there). I remember the provincials to organize their travel to India as advised by Fr. Roy, the provincial Superior there.

2-      In the Provinces:

• Thanks to the photos posted on Facebook, we were able to follow, with much joy, the community gathering that took place around Christmas, as well as some moments shared with our La Salette laity. Long live family spirit!
• Here are some other events taking place in the Provinces this month:

ü  The Extraordinary Business Chapter in Angola (January 10-13);

ü  Temporary Profession in Angola (January 14);

ü  Provincial Assembly in India at the end of month, with ordination following;

ü  Annual retreat in the Province of Brazil and Temporary Profession;

ü  Meeting of La Salette Laity of the Italian Province in Rome       (January 20-22).

All this, along with other news perhaps not forwarded to us, along with the program of the General Council, are part of the journey lived by the Congregation this first month of 2017.

Once again, wishes for a Happy New Year, and a good living out of our mission.

Fr. Belarmino Tchipundukwa MS

Secretary General