Mary invites us to choose God

Transcription

1 n th November2010 Because it is the month dedicated to the deceased, within the liturgical calendar the month of November is a powerful remainder that we should not lose sight of the ultimate goal of our earthly journey: eternal life. We are made for God! Don Bosco often reminded his young boys of this: You know my dear boy that you have been created by God in His image, with no merit whatsoever on your part. You know that God, through Baptism wished to make of you his child, and that he loves you with such tenderness that he has set you the task of one day being FOREVER HAPPY WITH HIM in Heaven. Our Lady encourages us to commit fully in order to reach such a goal through prayer and conversion. The latter are the two wheels, the two legs with which you must walk along the path which leads to Eternal Life. We constantly need to be spurred into action and reminded of our decision to commit to following the path of conversion, as we are unsure, full of doubts, incapable of making radical choices, so that once we have started ploughing we may no longer look back. Mary reminds us of the daily fight we must experience in order to be faithful to our choice: God. She reminds us that we must be free from all attachments, for which we are naturally an easy prey, unless we keep in mind God and his will. Such attachments can be directed towards material things, other human beings or ourselves. But if our heart is set on God alone, the rest collapses. In order to succeed in such undertaking, it can be useful to repeat to Jesus and to God throughout the day the invocation from the Psalm which says: You alone oh Lord are my only blessing! The Saints example can help us to take this decision, as they have already reached the destination we Mary invites us to choose God Monthly message are longing for: our Blessed Motherland. As Revelations says: An immense multitude, clothed in white robes. This immense multitude Revelations talks about, which is clothed with the Sanctifying Grace, this vision of brothers who have preceded us with their example and their joy, spurs us to move forward in our journey towards Eternal Life. Young people in particular need to be helped to take this decision: Dear young people, let me once again appeal to you: God wants you to become saints, because he knows the depths of your hearts and he loves you with the kind of love which exceeds human understanding. God knows what is in your heart and is waiting to see the wonderful gift he was given you bear fruit and blossom You too can make of your youth an offering to Christ and to your brothers you can decide, at this time in your life, to have a bet on God and on the Gospel. You, dear young people, are not only the hope of the Church; you are already part of its present! And if you have the boldness to believe in holiness, you will be the greatest treasure for your Church! (Benedict XVI message for the IV Centenary since St Carlo s canonization). The fruit of this renewed decision for God is to see God, which means understanding his action in our life and in history, hearing his voice in our hearts, perceiving his presence where he can be found: in the poor, in the Eucharist, in his Word, in fraternal communion, in the Church. It means anticipating God s presence right in this life by walking in faith and not yet in vision until we will see face to face eternally. The path we are going through as ADMA towards the International Congress of Czestochowa is a great help to share in the will to keep walking together towards the Lord, guided by our Mother Mary Help of Christians and by all the Saints. Fr Pier Luigi Cameroni Promoter of spiritual activities

2 Let us pray to Mary Help of Christians Towards Czestochowa 3.Jesus and Mary, a yes with no limits (Fr Roberto Carelli) The unity and reciprocity between Mary and Jesus cannot be considered in the same way as ordinary human relationships, as it is neither incomplete nor imperfect, but rather it is total and perfect, both from the point of view of human possibilities and from the point of view of God s needs. Such totality and perfection within a human relationship has a name: virginity! Virginity will help us to better understand and prepare for our act of entrusting to Mary: there is a deep kinship between virginity and reliability! Virginity means many things: chastity of the body and order of the heart, upright intention and honest actions, a simple soul and a pure gift, it is the space of love, sincerity and modesty, an inner life and openness, exclusiveness and welcome, creativity and generosity, unity within the person and integrity in one s relationships. In this sense, we understand that virginity is the intimate guarantee of love, a guarantee which is not added to love from the outside, but which springs from its deepest need: communion among people. That s why virginity is the best premise for marriage, where man and woman wish to be one, and this is a fundamental need also for consecrated and priestly life, where men and women unconditionally hand themselves over to God and to his plans. Considered in relation to God, virginity is the total availability to listen and put the Word in practice, to welcome and do God s will, to interpret life as a vocation and as a mission. It entails purity of the heart and chastity of the body, because the Word is concrete, it is God s word made flesh: it cannot stand compromises or half hearted commitments. Virginity is what makes Heaven and earth reciprocally transparent: it means opening our human dimension (which is limited) to God s infinity, opening up our limitations as creatures to the Creator s limitless initiative. Man is limited, the only thing in him which can be limitless is his availability. When man acknowledges his limitations, overcomes his conceitedness, his demands, and his fears without setting God any limits, then Mary and Jesus, the man and woman of faith step in! Considered in relation to Mary, virginity is the premise of both her divine and ecclesiastical maternity, and this elevates and expands her human fertility to her divine fertility. Mary s virginal body and soul, expressed in her limitless and unconditional yes in relation to God s will, is the holy land which God prepared for himself for the Incarnation of his Word, it is the holy womb on which the Church is built. This is Mary s fruitful virginity: the distinctive character and the intimacy of her relationship with Jesus is the reason for her universal opening to all of us. Thanks to her virginity, her limitless availability to God is transformed into limitless availability to all mankind: Mary personally fulfils the truth which states that the closer one is to God, the closer one is to man. This is why holy virginity, or Mary s virginal holiness is what (by consecrating her to the Redeemer s person and work), consecrates her to us as to the work of our redemption. From this comes the joy of entrusting ourselves to her and to her virginal love! 1. MARY IS ALL FOR JESUS The unity and reciprocity between Mary and Jesus is not without content. Its content is holiness, grace, God s life which shares in man s life. Mary is The All Holy, holy by special grace, holy because of her generous response. Mary totally conforms to God, she is in no way separate from God. Mary is a masterpiece of grace and faith, she is the full of grace, the one who is blessed because she believed. This is why she is able to fully welcome the Word, to be the Ark of the Covenant, to become the Mother of the Son of God. Her virginity, which means unconditional openness, full availability of body and soul, quick and full consent, ensures her total welcoming and her total agreement to God s plan. Mary s yes, meaning her virginal faith because fully available to God, perfectly poor because free from any earthly attachment, absolutely obedient because fully oriented to God s will is the heart of Christianity, the decisive element in Mary s personality and the heart of the Church: It is precisely Mary s faith which marks the beginning of God s New and Eternal Covenant with humanity through Jesus Christ, this heroic faith precedes the apostolic testimony of the Church, and is still at the heart of the Church, as a special legacy of God s revelation (RM 27).Mary s virginity has been praised in countless expressions of gratitude throughout the centuries. In Mary s pure faith God finds access to man and man finds access to God. Recent Church s teachings talk about Mary s virginity using evocative images connected to the idea of welcome and femininity : in Mary s faith, right 2

3 from the Annunciation first and at the foot of the Cross later, man s inner space is once again open, which the Father can fill with all spiritual blessings : the space of the new and eternal Covenant (RM 28). In the Marialis Cultus, Mary s faith makes her the listening Virgin the Virgin who gave birth believing and by believing conceived, the praying Virgin, the Virgin mother who, because of her faith and obedience, gave birth to the Father s Son on earth. And lastly the offering Virgin. (MC 17-20). But the fundamental reason for Mary s sublime dignity and fertility in her availability as a virgin and her intimacy as a Bride, it is her limitless consent to God s will which she proclaimed in Nazareth: Mary represents above all a model of that form of worship which consists in making an offer to God of one s life And Mary s yes is for all Christians a lesson and an example to make obedience and God s will the means of our sanctification. (MC 21). Moving on to the great spiritual masters of the modern age, Bérulle splendidly associates with Mary s virginity the characteristics of perfection and silence. Mary s silence should not be understood as the contrary of the word, but rather as the womb of the word. Silence means it makes the voices of the world silent. Above all silence listens to the highest inexpressible, a pure space reserved for God, his holiness, his initiative: In the order of creation, God hasn t created and will never create anything greater than the Virgin!...Jesus cannot belong to anyone more than he does to Mary who is his mother, and she alone is his earthly mother. He does not have an earthly father, just as God is his Father in Heaven without a mother. Who then can speak of the Son, of the one who takes the place of a mother and father at the same time? And yet she is silent, spellbound by Her Son s silence. One of the holy and divine fruits of Jesus silence is to let his holy Mother in a life of silence, a humble, profound silence, which adores the incarnate Wisdom in a way which is holier and more eloquent than man s and the angels words. Among the most precious pearls of marian literature is the following page by saint Bernard who, contemplating Mary s virginity, establishes a profound link between virginity and humility. Authentic virginity is humble and real humility is virginal because, as was the case with Mary, God s presence requires man giving up the bonds of flesh and blood and the giving up of man made temples: Who is this Virgin who is so worthy of veneration to be greeted by an angel, and so humble to be promised to an artisan? This unity between virginity and humility is beautiful, and God cherishes this soul in which humility makes virginity precious, and virginity becomes the ornament of humility. What praise could be good enough for the one whose fertility exalts her humility, and whose giving birth consecrates her virginity? You hear people talk of a virgin and of a humble woman: if you cannot imitate the humble woman s virginity, imitate the virgin s humility. Virginity is a virtue worthy of praise, but humility is more important. The first one is recommended, the second one is demanded. You are encouraged to keep the first one, but you are forced to achieve the second one.. Of the first one, people say: only those to whom it is given can accept these teachings (Mt 19,12), and of the second one Unless you become like children you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mt 18,3-4). Therefore, the former is rewarded, the latter (humility) is demanded. You can be saved without virginity but you can t without humility. Humility may appeal once virginity is lost, but without humility I cannot venture to say that God would not have appreciated Mary s virginity. And what is my resting place? But this is the one to whom I will look: to the humble and contrite is spirit (Isaiah 66,2) You might not be able to follow him wherever he goes, but follow him at least to where he comes to help you. This means that if you can t follow the sublime path of virginity, at least follow God in the sure path of humility Venerate then, oh married couples, that integrity of the flesh is a perishable flesh; and you oh consecrated virgins, admire a virgin s fertility; all of you, imitate then the humility of the Mother of God! 2. MARY IS ALL OURS Mary s absolute purity is therefore important not just so that God holiness may dwell in this world, but also because sinners may dwell once again near God. Salvation is fulfilled precisely thanks to Mary, but it is the kind of salvation for the world which the world is incapable of receiving. Let s listen to what Monfort has to say: When God pours his celestial favours and the delicious wine of his love into our soul which has been spoilt by both the original sin as well as our every day sins, his gifts normally become corrupted because of the bad yeast left in us by sin The world was unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father. The latter gave him to Mary so that the world could receive him through her. The Son of God became man for our salvation but in Mary and through Mary. Mary s immaculate and virginal heart is on the other hand hospitable: it can welcome God s holiness on behalf of mankind and can represent sinners in front of God. 3

4 In the analogy Eve-Mary the Church clearly proves to be aware of Mary s role in the history of redemption. The light had to come into the world, but the world was incapable of welcoming it, therefore, at least one creature was necessary who, free from sin through grace, could welcome the grace which defeats sin. And just like Eve had contributed to the fall into sin because of her disobedience, so Mary contributes to our redemption through her obedience: the merciful Father wanted the predestined mother s consent to precede the incarnation, so that just like a woman had contributed to give death, a woman could contribute to give life Therefore, several Fathers of the Church during their sermons would quote Ireneo s words: Eve s disobedience was redressed by Mary s obedience; What the Virgin Eve tied through her unbelief, the virgin Mary loosened through her faith; when compared with Eve, Mary is called mother of the living and it is often stated that: death came through Eve and life came through Mary (LG 56). The analogy between Eve and Mary can be expanded even further: just like Eve s sin severed the link between virginity and fertility by handing over mankind to death, so Mary s grace and her virginal conception severed the dark link between mankind and death, and brought it back to its original destiny of love and life: divine providence has given us Mary, Virgin worthy of the Creator, bestower of graces, not to encourage us to disobey but rather to encourage us to obey; not to hand us a mortal fruit but to present us life giving bread; not to easily seduce souls but to strengthen them it is because of you oh Mary, that the sufferings which began with Eve have come to an end; because of you all evil has disappeared ; the curse was taken away and Eve was redeemed Hail to you then, Virgin full of grace; Mother among Virgins, Virgin among mothers, role model for the one and the other, superior to the one and the other. In Mary human love is reconciled with God s love, the two are in harmony with each other, one leads the other! Mary s maternity in no way takes anything away from God s paternity, but contributes with its perfect transparency to our divine generation. Bruno Forte rightly calls Mary the Father s maternal icon.» A very appropriate way to describe the paradox of Mary s distance and closeness to mankind, of her being matchless and of her being a role model is to consider her precedence. Mary precedes the Son and precedes the Church: she is the first when it comes to creation, she is one of the causes of the Incarnation; she is the mystic sunrise of redemption, she is the Mother and eminent member of the Church. Her excellence does not separate her from us; she does not become unapproachable but on the contrary, wonderfully unites her to us and makes her extremely accessible. In brief, Balthasar states: The fact that she precedes us opens up for us the path to God, and this does not mean we are isolated from her, actually this opens up the possibility that we too can say yes to God. 3 FOR PRAYER AND FOR LIFE I contemplate Mary s virginal purity and I think about the fact that God was always first in her life, ever since she was a child. I think about her chaste love for Joseph, about her yes in Nazareth uttered with the greatest faith possible and with total availability of her body and soul. I think about the simplicity of her look, her thoughts, her gestures, and of her love for all. I ask for the grace to love as God loves, and to love with God s love. How do I keep my body chaste? How do I cultivate the purity of the heart? How can I cultivate honesty in words, coherence in actions, integrity in relationships? How radical is the gift of myself in the mission and vocation I have received? How much selfishness and pride is left for me to remove from my actions? Let s ask for Mary s intercession: may she protect the young ones innocence; may she protect teenagers purity; may she give the courage to make choices to young people; may she inspire us all about the value of chastity. Through Mary we implore the gift of many holy vocations to marriage, to the priesthood and to the consecrated life. The paper can be read at the following site: Italian: French: Spanish: Portuguese: English: German: For every comunication you can contact the following adress: pcameroni@sdb.org 4

5 Family Chronicle PRIMARY ADMA TESTIMONIES FROM THE YOUTH ADMA Thank you MUMMY for having called me to you once again! I thank you Virgin Mary because you are taking care of my soul. Why is my soul so important to you? Could it be because my poor soul is nothing but the poor house of Nazareth? A small, simple house, made up of four walls and full of cracks. A fragile house situated in a small village: Nazareth. Every time I approach the Eucharist, I feel Baby Jesus decides to enter this house, and not only to enter but also to stay here in order to live, play, run and love his Holy Family. Mary is the kindest mother in the whole world. In such a poor house Mary wants to bring up her Beloved Son. But she doesn t want her Divine Creature to grow among dirt and clutter. Therefore she commits (with Joseph s help) to clean it and embellish it. Even in the most beautiful houses, dust is inevitable! Once a month Mary takes care of my soul which becomes Jesus home through the sacrament of the Eucharist and Confession. Everything I have just described I felt it in my heart on the day in which I decided to join ADMA. (Iulian). I got to know ADMA by chance, as it always is the case with God s most beautiful plans. Once again it was some promoters of spiritual activities who helped me to get to know about ADMA through their testimonies. This was followed by a pilgrimage to Medjugorje with Fr Pier, and the subsequent decision to meet every 24th of the month A meeting which I always long for and enjoy enormously. The promise on the 3d of October was the logical consequence of a journey of faith which lasted a year. Initially that s simply what it was I did not ask myself too many questions. Then I was afraid of not being up to such a task, which is to bear witness to my faith where the Lord decides to place me: in my family, with my friends, at work at university etc, but this fear was about to put an end to all this. Luckily, thanks to Don Pier and Don Roby s words I became aware that precisely because I was experiencing all these problems I was in greater need of Jesus and Mary s help. And so I made my promise the emotion I felt in the previous days was not great, but when I saw the basilica full of family members and brothers and sisters in the faith who were praying for me, and seeing all those who were as committed as I was, filled me with joy. I felt I was being protected and watched over by Her, and this is a feeling I still carry in my heart to this day, and which keeps me company every time I am called to bear witness to my faith. And for this I constantly thank the Lord. (Francesca). The decision to join ADMA was the result of a journey which I have undertaken, walking hand in hand with Mary. I have tried to recall a specific moment, a particular event during which I felt her holding my hand and then I remembered: I was about to take my final exams in secondary school, and while at that time my mum was on a pilgrimage in Medjugorje, she sent me an sms with the following words: Pablo, Our Lady sends you her love. I think that was the first moment I felt loved by our celestial Mother. Her love is so reassuring because it is the kind of love which helps us along the way! From that moment on, I desired to respond to this love, to meet her half way. And shortly afterwards I had the chance to do so: Medjugorje. I must admit that I took advantage of the occasion to test her love: I would have only gone on that pilgrimage after passing the English test I was so afraid of. Needless to say, the test went extremely well! And so, accompanied by Michela and Enrico and obviously Don Pier, after the pilgrimage I brought back with me Mary s presence in the world, who continues to fight for our conversion, as well as the importance of prayer and of entrusting ourselves to Her. After reaching such conclusion, how could I possibly respond? I received the answer a few months later: the youth ADMA. What a wonderful experience to be able to belong to an Association which is not about Mary but belongs to Mary. What beauty to be able to say from a young age: ;Mary, I m yours...do with me what you like! Through ADMA and with Mary and Jesus help I commit to giving back as much as possible some of the love they have for me. (Pablo). Choosing to commit to ADMA was a response dictated by love. After a pilgrimage to Medjugorje last summer, I felt for the first time a special devotion for Our Lady. One rosary bead after another, Mary entered my heart, taking me further away than I could ever have hoped for. I had almost stopped praying: I actually thought it would be impossible for me. Following that trip, after ten years during which my heart had been closed, Mary allowed me to start praying with my heart. I feel she is so close! In the morning, when I wake up my head is immediately filled with all the worries and things that are ahead of me, but at the same time, I think that together with Mary I will be able to face them with a peace of mind I never had before. (Renzo) 5

6 ADMA ECUADOR - CAPILLA DI SAN BARTOLOMÉ DE SEVILLA DE ORO (PROV. DEL AZUAY). On the 24th September people consecrated themselves to Mary Help of Christians; they are humble people but with a big heart and devotion, who have been preparing under the guidance of Fr Antonio Bravo sdb. On the 25th September, in the region of La Esperanza della Provincia de Azogues 28 people joined the Association and said their yes to Mary Help of Christians. They too have been training and studying spiritual subjects, again under the guidance of Fr P. Antonio. It was a joyous day for all new members. In total, 104 new members have committed to fulfilling the Association s goals. (Jeaneth Barahona National Secretary). MUMBAI (INDIA) - A MARIAN PILGRIMAGE - Saturday 9 th October 2010 was chosen as a suitable day to go on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. We celebrated a Mass together in the little Church well decorated for the feast on the 13 th. ADMA members were content to have the opportunity to pray the novena prayer and spend time in personal prayer. This pilgrimage also served to offer members a chance to get to know each other better, this being their first outing together (Fr. Wilfred D'Souza sdb Spiritual Animator). FIRST EAST ASIA OCEANIA MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS CONGRESS - 28 TH ADMA NA- TIONAL CONVENTION United by Mary s love, we turn our gaze to Jesus... This is our theme for the first East-Asia Oceania and 28 th National Convention which took place on October 21-24, 2010 at the Seminaryo ng Don Bosco in Parañaque City, Philippines drawing from the inspiration of the Rector Major s Strenna This momentous event was graced with the presence of our local and foreign delegates most especially Fr. Pier Luigi Cameroni, (Spiritual Animator, ADMA Primary Office in Turin, and the Postulator General for the Salesian Family), Mr. Tullio Lucca (National President- ADMA Primary Office in Turin), Fr. Mario Yamanouchi, SDB (Provincial Vicar- SDB Japanese Province), Fr. Angel Yamanouchi, SDB (Parish Priest in Japan), Jacinta Stevens (National President- ADMA Papua New Guinea) and Vicki Nauru (ADMA Member/ Librarian of Don Bosco Gabutu). 6

7 On Day 1 (Oct 21-PM), we had a brief welcome to all the delegates followed by a welcome prayer service and Buona Notte from Fr. Jose Reinoso, SDB. On Day 2 (Oct 22), we had a concelebrated Eucharistic Celebration with Fr. Nestor Impelido, SDB (ADMA SDB Delegate) as the main celebrant and Fr. Cameroni as the homilist. It was well-attended by the members from the different sectors of the Salesian Family. After breakfast, the organizers gave their warm welcome through socialization followed by series of conferences and sharing. In the morning, Fr. Pier Luigi Cameroni, SDB gave the first conference on Salesian Identity: Don Bosco s Devotion to Mary Help of Christians. In the afternoon, Fr. Nestor Impelido (SDB Delegate) and Sr. Maria Asela Chavez (FMA Delegate) gave the second input on The Filipinos Devotion to Mary. One outstanding label of the Filipinos which was coined for him even before the Spaniards finally settled in the Philippines was that he is a Pueblo Amante di Maria. It is a description of the Filipinos who is not only a believer of Christ but who is also a lover of the Mother of Christ. After the break, the 2 ADMA Presidents from Turin and Philippines, also gave a sharing on their respective ambient, i.e. Mr. Tullio Lucca for the ADMA Worldwide as well as their best practices in Turin evolving in the family ministry and Ms. Junifer Maliglig for the journey of ADMA Philippines. At dinner time, the ADMA Juniors from St. Jude Thaddeus Chapter (Pasig City) prepared a cultural presentation which became interactive afterwards and gave simple joys to everyone. After supper, Sr. Sarah Garcia (Mother Provincial FMA Philippine Province) gave the Buona Notte on Live Jesus. On Day 3 (Oct 23), 2 bishops arrived to give conferences and sharing on Mary. The auxiliary bishop of Manila, His Excellency Most Reverend Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D. gave a solid biblical formation by deepening on The Seven Words of Mary. After the break, the auxiliary bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, His Excellency Most Reverend Renato Mayugba, D.D., our very own ADMA Bishop, shares his personal experience regarding the maternal presence of Mary in his life and how he is presently shepherding the flock with Mary Help of Christians. After lunch, the much-awaited Marian Pilgrimage took place. The delegates visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baclaran, Manila, Our Lady of Remedies in Malate, Manila, San Agustin Church and the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Concepcion (a.k.a. Manila Cathedral) in Intramuros, Manila. It was a well-prepared pilgrimage rooted deeply in solid Marian spirituality done in an atmosphere of prayerful silence and filial reverence as a child in the presence of one s mother. The day was concluded with a solemn concelebrated mass with Bishop Mayugba as the main celebrant and homilist. After Holy Communion, he asked everybody to stand at the feet of our Blessed Mother for the renewal of promises. It was truly a very moving experience of unexplainable joy which overflowed in the hearts of everyone. On Day 4 (Oct 24), the 28 th ADMA National Convention took place graced by the members of different ADMA Chapters. After the parade, Fr. Cameroni gave the opening remarks followed by simultaneous formation for the ADMA Seniors, Juniors and Aspirants. The invited speakers focused on the Rector Major s Strenna 2010 Let us bring the young to Christ and Christ to the young by strengthening our devotion to 7

8 Mary Help of Christians. Fr. Renato de Guzman, SDB gave the input to the Seniors, Sr. Josefina Carrasco, FMA to the Juniors and Ms. Alejandra Tica to the Aspirants. It was truly a very enriching experience of being rooted in one s Salesian/ Marian Spirituality. The event concluded with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration which took place at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians with Fr. Roberto Roxas (SDB Delegate- Salesian Family) as the main presider. In summing up the day Fr Nestor Impelido, Spiritual Animator for the North Philippines, made three points: devotion to Mary Help of Christians as proposed by Don Bosco, is a genuine path and means to holiness; the ADMA vocation finds its natural place to begin and to mature within the family; the need to work with the help of Mary on one s own conversion in order to grew in the journey of faith. Just like St. John the Baptist who leapt for joy in the womb of his mother Elizabeth when he heard Our Lady s greeting and experienced the presence of Our Lord in his mother s womb, everybody goes home with the same deep joy, peace and love in one s heart: the fruit of having encountered God, Our Lady and each one in this grace-filled event which will be deeply etched forever in one s heart(by: Sr. Maria Asela B. Chavez, FMA). SEVILLE (SPAIN) RENEWAL OF THE INSPECTORIAL COUNCIL By following the Rule we have set up our Inspectorial council. We thank the previous members for their dedication and commitment. Their work has been truly precious, particularly during the change and joining of the inspectorates of Seville and Cordoba. May Mary help of Christians continue to bless them and may God our Father reward them for their work! Thank you! We welcome the New Council and we wish them all the best! (Abel Medina Inspectorial Promoter). VILAS-MORGADANES (VIGO-ESPANA) On Sunday 24th October 2010 in Vilas-Morgadanes Vigo-España, (the birthplace of Don Manuel Benito Hermida, the first Salesian from Spain), five people joined the Association of Mary Help of Christians. Last May the Senior Rector presided the ceremony during which the first 22 members of the local ADMA group became members. (Eusebio Martinez- Inspectorial Promoter) 8