A PROMISE

9th June 1965

The General Chapter is aver. Amongst many things the Holy Father Pope Paul VI says to Mother Maria Candida Torchio …

“Be faithful to your spirit which is that of Jesus Christ! The world changes but the spirit of Christ always remains … You are on the Aventine, is it so? I will come to you! “

Wednesday 10th August 1966 – General Audience at Castel Gandolfo:

“Behold the Sisters of Charity who have their house on the Aven­tine … We know them well and we will go to them … “

19th October 1966

To the Mother Maria Candida Torchio at an audience with the Superiors Provincial:

“You are on the way of renewal. We are conscious of all you do to to the poor… We will come to you…”

Wednesday 18th January 1967 – Generai audience at Saint Peter:

“There are the novice mistresses of the Sisters of Charity … We will come in a short time to your house…”

7 february 1967 –  to 16.30: Official Announcement: The Holy Father will come to-morror

8 february 1967, Ash Wednesday, to 18.00:

The arrival of the Pope Paul VI in the General House

 Received by the General Superior, Mother Maria Candida Torchio and Council and by the Superior Provinciale Sister Annunziata Robbiani, the Pope headed toward the Chapel dedicated to Saint Vincent of Paul where was united more than 300 sisters come from Rome with the postulants and the novice.

After the song You are Pierre, sung by the choir of the general House and a brief Worship of the Saint Sacrament, the Holy Father addressed to all the assembly :

SPEECH OF POPE PAUL VI

to the Sisters of Charity

We are giving the text of the speech which was addressed by His holiness the Pope to the Sisters of Charity, as it was possible to get it from word of mouth of His holiness.

Dear daughters in Christ,

We do not remember having ever entered this house. We were in Rome before it was built, and at that time we lived a little far away from here, in Via Terme Deciane, and we used to see the building in process. We did not know to which community this edifice was destined. Afterwards we knew. But we do not believe we have ever entered into this Mother House.

This does not mean we do not know you. First of all how many times did we see you lined along the road when we passed, is it not so? with all your kindness and almost inviting us: « Why don‘t you stop also at our house? ». And we perfectly understood your desire and in our heart we used to say: “Yes, one day we will go and greet the Sisters of Charity “.

And then we have other remembrances, other friendship, another build­ing, the one near Brescia, is’nt it so? The Provincial House, where we, when young, used to pass, riding the bicycle and looking, we used to question our­selves: « What is this new building? ». And it was exactly the house of the Sisters of Charity which was being built on that hillock near the city.

But most of all I came to know you during the years of our pastoral work at Milan. How many times I have met your Sisters, the daughters of this relígious family in our parishes… Every time we went for a pastoral visit we used to see your beautiful flying wings which now you have put away though without putting away the spirit which they nourished and protected.

And even then we have understood what was the spirit of your congregation, which is that of charity, service to the poor, of the imitation of Christ and so on.

And we here give you a sincere and positive testimony, moreover we are happy to have the occasion, dear daughters, to tell you thank you. Thank you not only in our name, and this would already have been an accomplished duty, but thank you also in the name of Christ, of that Lord of whom we have the almost crushing but overwhelming fortune to represent. In the name of the Lord, to you daughters of Saint Joan Antide, we say thank you for the testimony you give to the Gospel, thank you for the example you give of the religious life, thank you for the service you render with patience and which has no limit or measure, to the poor, to the young ones, to children, to the sick, to the rich and to those whom nobody wants to look after, thank you for all this goodness, for all this spirit of sacri­fice, for all this self-giving to charity, we, in the name of the Lord say to you « Thank you! ».

And then we will tell you, in this brief meeting, a very short word, so short that we almost do not consider it, but which has its importance! It is the word more. Is it all here? Behold the Pope’s speech to the Sisters of Charity.

He comes to tell us: « Dear daughters to-day you must be more conscious of your vocation. Why? Because to-day it is much more difficult! To a negative more we need to put in opposition a positive more.

At one time religious life had its difficulties and presented its sacrifices; but it was accompanied, let us say, by two consents: that of friends and that of parents…  This happens because now-a-days to practice religious life, one needs more force, more conviction, more consciousness, one needs to have a greater he­roism. This word more is always present. And behold I have come to bring this word more first of all to console you, so that you might be happier in the choice you have made. You have made your free choice, who knows with how much trepidation, how many doubts, with what enthusiasm, perhaps even with many tears, to reach this goal, but then, if God wills it…. And I carne to tell you: « Be more content, be more happy! ». Why? ”Because you have chosen well!”

And now-a-days to be a good religious you need to have, I dare say, this autonomy which nourishes one’s own vocation and not just to hang on to the right or to the left, to the Community, or to the Novice Mistress, or to the Rule…. But no! It is because I love better Christ! Because I have Him in my heart and I want to love Him more! lt is for this reason that I offer to Our Lord my life as a sacrifice and the sacrifice of all myself!

This more in the consciousness of your vocation. And it is not enough because this small word more can also be applied to many other aspects of religious life that is, to your work, to the accomplishment of your vocation in the field of charity. Is it easier to-day or was it easier yesterday, to-stay in hospitals, with lay administrators, with all their difficulties? Even here, to-day things are more difficult. The exterior exercise of religious life implies greater difficulties, sacrifices, an awareness, constancy and perseverance. We have around us a net of attractions, not to say right away, of temptations and to remain faithful, and to remain to what we want to be, and to remain perfect, what a greater sacrifice we need, how many more!

To-day you need to give qualifications to these Sisters. They must he well trained nurses, it is not enough for them to be just good. To stay with children there is need of a diploma, to go to the hospitals there is the need of a certificate and so on, that means one needs to be more instructed than yesterday and we wish you also this. Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid! Face willingly the efforts, the training of this better preparation which is asked of you.

Yuu may be tempted to say: « Nobody wants us to-day! ». Nobody wants you!? But everybody wants you! Why do they always speak badly of nuns but afterwards write to the Bishop: « Have you any nuns to send us? ». That means that your work is necessary.

It may be, you know, that the evolution of society will not need your presence in hospitals or clinics as to-day but you will be more inserted in the christian Community…

I always remember the moving and happy impression which we had during our voyage in Africa, in 1962, meeting different missions even as far as South Africa. What did we see during all the ceremonies? We used to see the Sisters in the first row! Why is it so? But be­cause they are the representatives of the people of God, of the christian people who said « yes » to Christ’s call.

… These are exterior forms. But we want to say that you are being called, always in an increasing manner, we hope, to be in the core of the parish or in schools, or in communities or in associations. … be true religious even when you are among the people… serve the community, the faithful, the people of God, and try to bring them to Christ, with the example, with the word, with your service and with your sacrifice.

And this is an aspect which makes us dose our small discourse with another more; and that is you must be more grafted in the Church.

Before, I do not know if this is still so, the religious had their own prayers. But why not those of the Church? They did not even know that the liturgy existed. On the contrary, why not be instructed also in this art. in this style of the authentic prayer, solemn, beautiful, communitarian of the Church? That means you must become perfect and become more part of the Church, not a separate Church, but a total, whole Church, to which baptism and your same vocation call you.

And so, dear children, while I greet you, I thank you once more, I bless you and I pray you:

love the Church,

pray for her,

suffer for her.

You know, it is true, in this grand season full of vitality, everything is ir motion after the Council, but there is great need…. There are still infi­nite crowds to convert. What is the Church in this world, in proportion to all the inhabitants of this planet? And even in this society so called christian, what is this true christian fife compared with the evil and profane one? It is true the Church is facing immense duties, immense needs, immense obstacles and sometimes also immense sufferings which spring up from those very children who should console her and support her.

Be you, my daughters, those to console the Church with your love, with your perfection, with your dedication, and we come to a dose with another more, and that means, that even here we could say so many more things. We remember the impression which religious fife left on us in other countries more than in ours, in America for example, in Ireland, where, whenever we met the religious we used to find them more joyous than ours, more happy, more serene, more gay, well I wish that also you might answer more liberally, more generously to the Lord, but not to become scrupulous, sad, timid, in front of the big task which the Lord presents to you: but more happy, more full of joy and with the ‘security that you have chosen well and that being good, good religious, you are going towards your spouse Jesus Christ!

To the term of his/her/its Exhortation, the Saint Father blesses the whole community, greeted the General Superior, and other sisters. The Pope also greeted the present priests, of which two benedictines of Saint Anselme: P. Nicola and P. Andrea.

Before going away, the last gesture of fatherly love: The Holy Father c many times the workmen who were looking at him timidly from afar, al hidden amongst the bushes …

Amongst them there is a little boy ..

–       Where were you that evening when the Holy Father carne?

–       In the arms of my father.

–       And then?

–       In the arms of the Pope!

FOTO

  • L’arrivo del Papa: foto 1
  • In Chiesa : foto 2-3-4-5
  • Alla « Consolata »: foto 6-7-8-9-10
    • Madre Maria Candida Torchio, superiore generale
    • Suor Maria Kostka Petit, assistente generale
    • Suor Annunziata Robiani, superiora provinciale di Roma
    • Suor Maria Luisa Memma, consigliere generale
    • Suor Angela Maria Tufano, assistente provinciale di Roma
    • Suor Giovanna Giordana, consigliera generale (in ginocchio)
    • Suor Antonietta Tabasso, superiora della comunità dell’ospedale S.Spirito a Roma
    • Suor Imelde Giacomazzi, econome generale
    • Suor Lucia Marinozzi, superiora locale casa generalizia (in ginocchio)
    • Suor Giovanna Francesca Giri, segreteria casa provinciale Roma
    • Suor Maria Chiara Rogati, segretaria casa generalizia
    • Suor Giovanna Rosa d’Agostino, assistente provinciale di Napoli
    • In ginocchio: Mons. Poletti, direttore della rivista “Nostra Stella”