VDB Centenary prayer (1917 - 2017)
Rome, 5 March 2017 -- Dearest Sisters and Brothers in the Salesian Family,
Again i'm happy to share the English translation of our Formation - Animation magazine Crescere (Grow!) available also on the Boscolink. Due to our Centenary Mobile (Pilgrimage) retreat talks translation it's rather late, but better late than never!
Here is also our Prayer for the VDB Centenary. May we all have a fruitful Lenten Season.
In Don Bosco and Don Rinaldi during our Centenary Jubilee Year!
PRAYER FOR THE VDB CENTENARY 2017
Holy and merciful God,
the time in which we will celebrate the Centenary of our Institute is near and we are here before You, aware that without You, we can do nothing, but united with You, we can be fruitful instruments of good.
We wish to express to you our gratitude:
- for the joys and the difficulties lived in the course of our history that have made us discover the project of the secular salesian consecration,
- for Don Bosco who has fascinated us with his spirituality.
- for Don Rinaldi who has defined our identity in the Church and in the salesian spirituality,
- for our first sisters who were sensitive and docile to your call,
- for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians who were close to us with maternal spirit,
- for all the Presidents General and their councils and for all the sisters who have accepted different services in the Institute,
- for all the Assistants and priests who have given their contributions because today, we can be adults and available to carry in the world the fire of the Spirit to make the Kingdom of God grow,
- for how much they have helped us with generosity, becoming concrete signs of your love,
- for all the sisters who have made the big VDB tree a reality,
- for the large growth that you have gifted our Institute in the whole world.
With humility, we wish to ask Your blessing in order that each one of us may live:
- the fidelity to the Gospel and to the Constitutions, with a simple and clear witnessing,
- the humility, the mercy and the tenderness among us and towards our neighbors,
- the sensitivity to the needs of the world of today,
- the creativity and the openness to the Holy Spirit to find new ways of living our mission.
We pray to you:
- give us new, dynamic and holy vocations for our Institute;
- that every VDB, through the prayer and generous service, grow in the complete donation to You.
Send down upon us your blessing and your grace.
Mary, mother and teacher, our founder Blessed Philip Rinaldi and all our sisters who are already in the House of the Father, help us to complete in us your will for continuing to realize your dream of our vocation. Amen.
