The occasion, as explained by the Rector of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, Fr Michele Viviano, was the 158th anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica, celebrated on 9 June 1868 and built by St John Bosco, whose mortal remains now rest within it.
Cardinal Artime, drawing on his recent book of interviews, began by saying that the time available would not be enough “to share my reflections on religious life following the seven intense days spent in Spain with the Holy Father. ‘For example, in the Canary Islands I met men and women religious who stand alongside migrants and who, just as in Turin – the birthplace of the “social saints” – continue, in accordance with the charism of their founders, the work of welcoming and comforting people wherever there are social problems and a search for meaning in a world that is increasingly indifferent to suffering’.”
Hence, in response to questions from Sister Maria Trigila, of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the Presidency of the Union of Major Superiors of Italy (USMI) – Sicily, and from Father Costa, on the possibility of overcoming the current challenge of the decline in vocations (“the numbers”) and in religious works (“the walls”), the Cardinal stated that the decline in the number of religious should not be a cause for concern or distress. It should be viewed,
“rather as an opportunity for the renewal of consecrated life: with communities that are simpler to run, more family-like and closer to the people, outside those fortress-like religious houses that have often become more of a constraint than a resource.”
“It is one thing to speak of Teresa of Avila’s ‘inner castle’; it is quite another to shelter ourselves within the walls and barriers of the past. Today, humanity – and we have experienced this first-hand in Spain over the past few days as the people welcomed the Successor of Peter – is in great need of a contemplative life within the reality of everyday life.”
According to the Salesian cardinal, anyone who crosses paths with consecrated men and women “must feel that they are meeting people who are happy because they are deeply faithful and surrendered to God: then consecrated life will have a future because it will be inspiring even for the younger generations.”
