Missionary Sister of the Evangelization

We are an institute of pontifical law. Our founder is the Servant of God, Father Vincent Idà.

Who are we?

We are an institute of active life, dedicated to different types of apostolate, especially catechesis, following in the footsteps of our founder, whose ardent desire was always preaching.

Our main goal is to bring the message of Christ the Lord, especially to the most needy. The Eucharist is the source from which our apostolic life emanates. Contemplation and action characterize our charisma.

Our beginnings

Our Founder, Fr.Vincent Idà, when he was the parish priest of Anoia Superiore in Reggio Calabria (Italy), began to prepare a group of girls through catechesis for a life dedicated to a deep love for the Eucharist and missionary apostolate, and another group of young men in formation for priesthood and religious life.

The young girls, numbering twelve, were called “the Living Hosts” and, although they had not yet entered religious life, they committed themselves with a private vow of virginity.

With this nucleus of “Living Hosts,” the foundation began in Anoia Superiore, RC, on August 5, 1939.

The first woman to lead the others as superior was Pasqualina Condò, and she is therefore considered a co-founder of the Congregation.

Continuously and persistently, the priest sought the approval of the emerging congregation, which Mons. Paolo Albera, Bishop of Mileto, delayed in giving, perhaps because he did not believe in the goodness of the initiative.

The submission, loving insistence, and heroic obedience of Father Idà were clear signs to the bishop of a man of God.

The bishop then officially recognized the female community, giving it the name “Pia Unione,” as provided by the Code of Canon Law of 1917.

The new bishop, Mons. Enrico Nicodemo, not only supported the institution, canonically recognizing it as a Pious Lay Association, with a decree on December 6, 1945, established in the parish of Santa Maria dell’Assunta in Anoia Superiore, but also granted permission to have a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament within the house and to wear a uniform-habit.

On January 1, 1951, the bishop approved the constitutions of the congregation.

Our congregation of the Sisters of Rural Catechesis Missionaries was recognized as a lay association for worship and religion with DPR n. 1642 of November 6, 1960. The congregation remained under diocesan authority until 1972.

On March 25, 1972, with Decree n. P144-1/71, the Holy See accepted our request and sanctioned the merger of this Congregation with the Congregation of the Sisters of the Mountain, which numbered ten and had their main domicile in the diocese of Marsi in Aquila (Constitutions #1).

Our Charism

To implement our charism for the benefit of our brothers and sisters, we must first feel it and live it within ourselves, loving Jesus, the bread of life, with passion and love, and imitating His Mother, the Virgin Mary, as affectionate daughters and devoted disciples.

Our charism is expressed through the combination of three realities: the Eucharist, the fraternal life nourished by communion and service, and the mission of evangelization. (Constitutions #6, 7, 8).

Our Spirituality

According to the Founder, spirituality is a life lived in coherence with a radical orientation towards God and towards our brothers and sisters.

“To engage in an endeavor and to choose a solution as Christians, we must first take refuge in God; to speak and judge as Christians, we must first listen to God.

To be more present in the world, the Missionary must be united, oriented, joyful, and fulfilled in God alone.”

Our life is centered on:

Amore a Gesù

Per realizzare il carisma, le Missionarie dell’Evangelizzazione dovranno vivere di Eucaristia.

Aver fame e sete del Verbo, saperlo vedere e udire nelle parole della Sacra Scrittura, nelle pagine dei Padri e Dottori della Chiesa, vederlo e amarlo nel Magistero ecclesiastico, specialmente nella parola del Papa.

“Solo ai piedi dell’altare, le Missionarie apprenderanno ad amare Gesù, ad essere sante” (costituzioni #13)

Amore alla Madre del Verbo

Accanto a Maria, Madre del Verbo, le Missionarie si porranno come figlie affettuose e discepole devote: vivere con Lei e per Lei come gli Apostoli nel Cenacolo, ascoltando e conservando nel cuore le sue ineffabili parole.

Amando teneramente, servendo fedelmente e imitando attentamente la Madre del Verbo e Madre nostra, lo Spirito Santo formerà e farà crescere sempre più in noi il Cristo, concepito e nato da Lei. (Costituzioni #15)

Amore alla Chiesa

Come Gesù – Signore amò le anime e diede la sua vita per loro, così noi dobbiamo amare gli altri, dando la nostra vita per loro in un apostolato umile, gioioso e instancabile.

La Chiesa è il segno efficace, sacramento della speranza redentrice di Cristo. La Chiesa è la presenza visibile e sacramentale del Cristo glorioso e invisibile. (Costituzioni #16)

Emblema

L’emblema, con l’Ostia divina circondata dalla corona del Rosario, mentre raffigura le prove supreme dell’amore di Dio, nel dono dell’Eucaristia e della Madre Divina, rappresenta pure le supreme fortezze della Chiesa e le premure amorose della Congregazione. (Costituzioni #10)

Motto

“Ave, vero corpo, nato da Maria Vergine” è il motto proprio della Congregazione, che deve animare ed entusiasmare le Missionarie a santificarsi e a lavorare in unione con Maria, per la gloria di Gesù Sacramentato e a beneficio delle anime. (Costituzioni #9)