May 3, 2025 | NEWS
On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, during the Easter octave, we were able to inaugurate our first house in Indonesia. It was a great joy for us to see how many guests had accepted our invitation: priests, religious, representatives of public institutions, even a representative of the provincial government of the island of Flores, as well as friends, helpers, and residents of the town and surrounding area. We had already received a great deal of help and support in the preparations for this day. Our great friend and helper, Fr. Tadeusz (a Steyler missionary), had organized many things: over a hundred chairs were provided and tents were set up to protect the guests from the sun. On the day itself, many helpers arrived to take care of the provision and preparation of drinks and food, as well as serving the guests. We ourselves, the sisters, the postulants, and the candidates, had already been busy the day before with the decorations and festive arrangements.
It was a joyful celebration, which began with a festive prayer service. A representative of the bishop (who unfortunately could not attend that day), Dean Aster, had prepared it and at the end he blessed our house and the individual rooms. Afterwards, our postulants and the candidate delighted us all with a dance in the traditional clothing of the country, which was rewarded with much applause and inspired our guests and also us sisters to dance ourselves. Then everyone was invited to the buffet, and the celebration gradually came to an end with good food, lively conversation, and getting to know one another. May God’s blessing accompany the work of our sisters on Flores, so that they may be a blessing to the people there.
May 2, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Athanasius, Bishop, Doctor
Friday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
First Friday: Let’s entrust ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
First reading Acts 5:34-42
In Acts 5:34–42, the intervention of Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law, offers a moment of surprising clarity and wisdom amid growing hostility toward the Apostles. He counsels restraint, suggesting that if their movement is of human origin, it will collapse on its own, but if it is of God, no force can stop it, and opposing it would be to fight against God Himself. This scene is a profound Eastertide reflection: the Resurrection of Christ has set into motion a divine work that cannot be silenced or undone by human resistance. The Apostles, emboldened by the Risen Lord, willingly embrace suffering for the sake of His Name, rejoicing not in triumphalism, but in faithfulness to God’s will. In the face of persecution, they do not retaliate or despair, they persevere in hope, daily proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. Gamaliel’s wisdom, though perhaps cautious and uncommitted, nonetheless speaks a vital truth for every believer: our task is not to control outcomes, but to align ourselves with the will of God and to trust that His purposes, often hidden and unfolding gradually, will prevail. Let’s reflect: Easter is the season in which we celebrate the triumph of God’s will through the Resurrection of Christ, inviting us to live with bold trust in His enduring purpose, even amid trials.
Don Giorgio
May 1, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Joseph the Worker
Thursday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
First reading Genesis 1:26-2:3
On this Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, the reading from Genesis (1:26–2:3) invites us to contemplate work as a sacred reality rooted in the very act of creation. God, who made man and woman in His own image, entrusted them with the stewardship of the earth, an invitation not merely to use creation, but to collaborate with the Creator in shaping it responsibly and reverently. In this perspective, labour is not a burden or a punishment, but a noble expression of human dignity and vocation. The light of Easter, which illumines all aspects of life with the hope of resurrection, allows us to see that work is not just about earning a living or achieving results; it is a path to communion with God and service to others. It becomes a means of sanctification when animated by love, justice, and dedication. St. Joseph, the silent guardian of the Redeemer, exemplifies this truth through his hidden, faithful labour, transforming the workshop of Nazareth into a place of grace. In him, we see that every honest task, no matter how humble, is a participation in God’s ongoing creation and a contribution to the redemption of the world. Let’s reflect: Easter is the radiant celebration of Christ’s Resurrection that transforms every aspect of life, including human labour, into a sacred participation in God’s creative and redemptive work.
Don Giorgio
Apr 30, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Pius V, Pope
Wednesday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 5:17-26
“We found the gaol securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door, we found no one inside”. The mysterious release of the apostles from the securely locked prison in Acts 5 is not merely an extraordinary event; it is a powerful symbol of the inner liberation that the Resurrection of Christ offers to every believer. Easter is not only about the stone rolled away from the tomb, but also about the chains that fall away from the heart, the fear, guilt, and despair that once confined us. The guards, doors, and walls remain, but the prisoners are gone, for the Risen Lord cannot be contained by human limits or closed systems. This is the transformative freedom that Christ bestows: not merely an escape from external oppression, but a deep, personal release into the light of truth, courage, and joyful witness. In the quiet prisons of our minds and hearts, He enters unseen and leads us out to proclaim the Gospel without fear. Let’s reflect: Easter is the liberating power of the Risen Christ who breaks through every confinement, external or internal, and sets us free to live in truth, courage, and joyful witness.
Don Giorgio
Apr 30, 2025 | NEWS
On April 16, 2025, we had the great joy of welcoming the first three young women from Indonesia into our community as postulants.
In preparation, the Superior General, who was visiting Flores at the time, held a three-day retreat for them.
During Holy Mass on the afternoon of April 16, Filomena, Ursula, and Veronika were accepted as postulants. Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Jan (a local Steyler missionary, SVD), who accompanies our candidates and postulants as spiritual director and confessor. Concelebrants were Fr. Tadeusz and Fr. Bosco (both SVD). After the homily, the candidates knelt before the altar and asked Our Lady, our patroness, for help, protection, and guidance to her Son, our Lord, to whom they now wish to belong completely in our congregation.
As a sign of acceptance, the Superior General presented each of them with a small Miraculous Medal.
After Holy Mass, everyone congratulated the new postulants, and the day ended with a joyful dinner together.
Let us accompany our postulants and the new beginning of our congregation in Indonesia with our prayers, so that the work of our founder may grow there and become a blessing for the people.
