Tivoli - Old Town

Early in November, Jesús Manuel Garcia asked me to facilitate three-days of ongoing formation for the Oblate Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Tivoli.

Okay, okay - let me say that he did not ask me. Good Spaniard from Madrid that he is, he told me that I would be doing this. It was not an invitation, nor was it an order. It was more like information about my activities that I must accept just as I must accept the fact that yesterday it poured rain and today there was a sun that split the stones on the ground.

Of course, I laughed at this and told him that I had other plans for Christmas… but again on 30 Novemer he informed me that the Sisters were ready for me to come to facilitate the three-days of ongoing formation, and that I would be speaking to them on the theme of Hope. Hope, of course, is the theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s second encyclical, which was published on that very day of 30 November.

Yes, it was all set. He told the Sisters that I would be coming; he told the Sisters that I was very qualified to speak about Hope from a Salesian point of view; he told me that I was going to like it.

Well … if this approach sounds outrageous, then you have an insight, not only into the personality and administrative approach of Jesús Manuel Garcia, but also into how Isabel and Ferdinand were able to drive out the Moors; how Cortés was able to conquer México; how Generalísimo Francisco Franco was able to overcome the Communists; how president José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero today is able to rewrite the laws of Spain inspite of the protests of the opposition parties. In the case of doing the ongoing formation days for the Oblate Salesians, I realized that opposition would be useless, and so “I agreed”. More about all that later… this is only a blog.

In any case, a sister came to pick me up at 15.50 this afternoon – well, I was told it would be a sister, but there were three sisters. We made the trip to Tivoli; I met the mother general, Mother Carmelina Mosca, and together with suor Graziella we planned the time-table. Jesús had said three-days: it turns out to be four days…

The Oblate Salesians of the Sacred Heart belong to the Salesian Family. Their founder, Bishop Giuseppe Cognata, was a Salesian who had worked in southern Italy and in Rome before becoming Bishop of Bova. I have know of their existence since I was 12 years old, but this is the first time I have actually met any sisters of this Congregation.

In any case, everything began with Eucharist this evening at 17.30, over which I presided and preached (feast of St John the Evangelist). Following the Mass, I met quite a number of the sisters who are participating in these four days: young and old. The youngest sister here is from Bolivia and in her early 20s; the oldest is called Sister Pia, and she is 92. We chatted until supper at 19.30…

But I have some conferences to look over for tomorrow and I’ll continue this blogging after I have delivered those.