LETTER OF THE RECTOR MAJOR DON ÁNGEL FERNÁNDEZ ARTIME
As indicated in the ADMA Regulations, the Association of Mary Help of Christians is “an itinerary of sanctification and Salesian apostolate”.
Don Bosco, inspired by the teachings of St. Francis de Sales, proposed the goal of holiness as a call for all and repeated to the young people:
“I am waiting for you all in Paradise!”
It is a path that sometimes requires us to go against the tide, but we must not be discouraged by our sufferings, because living as Christians makes us happy already on this earth and opens wide the doors of eternal life.
The Rector Major reminds us that first and foremost it is a path of holiness to be lived in the family, seeking the good of spouse and children, accepting them as they are, dedicating time to dialogue, knowing how to understand and forgive with affection and respect, without complaining.
“A family that does not give up in the face of difficulties and where both parents and children live their faith in God and His Providence, like the Holy Family of Nazareth, is a great support and a fruitful resource for the Church and for society”.
Consecrated women and men are called to give their witness to make the path of holiness accessible to all, and to propose to children to follow Jesus in day-to-day life, made up of knowledge, friendship and service.
In the Salesian Family, there are many saints, blessed, venerable and servants of God under 29 years of age. Even today, there are young people who are committed to a path of authentic Christian life that leads them to a holiness ‘next door’, as Pope Francis reminds us.
The ADMA proposes to all the two great pillars of Salesian spirituality, the Eucharist and Mary Help of Christians, and invokes the intercession of the Saints to support us on the path of faith. In particular, among the members of the Association, we mention the Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, a Portuguese mystic, who offered herself to the Lord to ‘love, suffer and convert’, the Blessed Teresa Cejudo Redondo, wife and mother, martyr in 1936, who contributed to the foundation of the ADMA in Pozoblanco (Spain); the Servants of God Rosetta Franzi Gheddo from the group of Nizza Monferrato (Italy) and Carmen Nebot Soldan from the group of La Palma del Condado (Spain).
The new Saints of the Salesian Family include Artemide Zatti, Salesian nurse and coadjutor, recently canonised by Pope Francis. These models are a stimulus for the sanctification of ADMA members, the Salesian Family and the whole Church.
Andrea and Maria Adele Damiani
