Provincial Message on the Solemnity of St John Baptist Scalabrini

June 1, 2023

Dear Confreres,

Reviewing briefly the history of our Scalabrinian Family, there have been already 135 years since St. Scalabrini founded our Congregation with the approval of Pope Leo XIII on November 28, 1887; 118 years since he went to the Father House on June 1, 1905; after that, 83 years passed since he was declared a Servant of God by Pope Pius XI on June 30, 1926. After that, 35 years ago, St. Pope John Paul II gave him the title of Venerable on March 18, 1987. He was also beatified by Pope and Saint John Paul II on November 9, 1997, 25 years ago. Recently, as we were celebrating the Scalabrinian Year, he was canonized and elevated to the altars for the Universal Church to emulate on October 9, 2022, by Pope Francis.

I am delighted that we are celebrating the Solemnity of our Founder and Saint John Baptist Scalabrini as an Apostolic and Religious Congregation for the first time in our history.

Through the great event on October 9, 2022, God showed his mercy and justice:

1. To our Founder, St. Scalabrini, who always trusted and loved a) the Divine Providence, b) The Eucharist, c) the Cross of Our Lord, d) the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through these four loves, our Founder and Saint got the strength, inspiration, consolation and faith to overcome the trials and challenges in his life as a child, teenager, seminarian, priest and Bishop and to accomplish his mission on earth, which was to serve and love the People of God, especially the neediest among them - the migrants.

2. To us Scalabrinian lay people, consecrated lay women, religious sisters, brothers and priests, children of Saint Scalabrini, who decided to follow God's call through the Sca- labrini Family and for decades, we have been praying to God for public recognition within the Holy Mother Catholic Church the virtues and sanctity of our Founder.

3. To migrants and itinerant people, who are the reason and meaning of our existence as an Apostolic and Religious Congregation, and for decades have been crying out to God for assistance and justice to overcome their difficult live conditions as foreigners in another country different from theirs.

4. To the Holy Mother Catholic Church, that gave St. John Baptist Scalabrini as a protector and intercessor for the millions of migrants, refugees, seafarers and itinerant people on their journeys, characterized for its challenges and risks.

Now more than before, we have on our shoulders the responsibility to carry on the legacy of St. John Baptist Scalabrini and to discern constantly under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the call of the migrants, seafarers, fishers and itinerant peoples where we must be present in order to be of service to them.

I encourage each one of you, my dear brothers, not to be discouraged or falter in your service to migrants, refugees, seafarers, fishers and itinerant people and let us journey with them by listening, learning and supporting them. Furthermore, let us remember that they remind us that Jesus Christ has a migrant face.

Invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Migrants and our Founder, Saint John Baptist Scalabrini, be assured of my prayers and fraternal support, and Happy Solemnity of Saint John Baptist Scalabrini.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Martin Ignacio Gutierrez, CS

Provincial Superior

Solemnity of St John B. Scalabrini.pdf

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