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- THERE IS NOT A CORNER OF ROME WHICH IS NOT A MONUMENT OF FAITH OR PIETY
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“A father’s communication with his many children… that is one of the most agreeable occupations of my life” 1857
This morning I find myself drawn to how Eugene shares the letters of the missionaries in Canada with the rest of his growing congregation, his growing family back in France. In a time when there were no photocopiers or typewriters capable of making carbon copies, he would take the time to make copies and send them to the other houses.
In a time when there was no social media to catchup on what others were doing, if they were well and what directions of growth they were excelling in it took deliberate actions and work to share the good news with the entire family. This was a lived way of being a part of a greater community, and Eugene, knew the importance of sharing this.
Today it seems easier to catchup with all who make up our Mazenodian Family around the world especially through some forms of social media available to us. Yes easier, but it also takes a commitment and a desire to genuinely seek out the news of another on a regular basis. It speaks to me of growing hearts being stretched to hold ever more those who are separated from us, by distance, by language, by cultures.
These are not occasions to count and measure the growth of other Provinces or to compare the numbers of other communities, who is growing and who is not. I picture before me this morning Gail, Lorcan, Ludmilla, Frank, Sandra, Vlastimil, Ken and Zuzana… and so many more as I join them in their celebrations and their sorrows. They have become a part of my heart and they inspire me.
We share in the charism, the same mission, all of it handed down by God. It is more than just some idealic sounding words and phrases: it is real and lived. We find each other in the living communion of saints.
I did not start out on this journey to get to know every member of the Mazenodian Family. Dear Eugene, look at what you started. Even with your heart, as big as the world, you could not have imagined this. It is as you said: “…ideal and beautiful for missionaries who live only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.”