The variety and beauty of God’s mission adorns the Consolata ShrineWith hearts full of gratitude and joy, today, October 24, the pilgrims of Saint Joseph Allamano filled the Consolata Shrine of Turin where the new saint worked for 46 years and founded two congregations at the service of the mission ad gentes.
By Jaime C. Patias *
The rector of the Sanctuary, Canon Giacomo Martinacci, welcomed those present by underlining one of the virtues of Saint Joseph Allamano to be put into practice in our lives and in the life of the Church: “trust” in God and in Our Lady Consolata to whom he entrusted all his work.
The shrine was filled with fervor and prayer, but also with celebration, colors and music, that of the choir that rehearsed the songs. A church filled of people from all over the world embellished it and also welcomed those people who followed from afar thanks to the internet streaming present in all the celebrations of these festive days.
From this shrine of Our Lady Consolata, Saint Joseph Allamano sent his first missionaries into the world, and today this same place receives the abundant fruits of cultural diversity represented by missionaries, faithful and pilgrims from the most diverse geographical contexts. The Shrine, a place of departure for the Consolata missionaries, was filled with the beauty of God’s mission.
Father Gianni Treglia, superior of the European Region, takes the floor and introduces the celebration in several languages: “Saint Joseph Allamano spent his entire life in this Shrine and from this Shrine he became a lamp that radiates light for many: priests, religious, lay people, rich and poor. Saint Joseph Allamano was a priest full of zeal: always ready to give each person a good word, a comforting smile or a look full of tenderness. Two loves have captured and shaped his life – Father Treglia emphasizes – the love for Jesus in the Eucharist and the love for the Virgin Mary with the title of Consolata, our most tender Mother. Today we can name him a saint among the saints and for this we thank the Lord”.
The songs in different languages, animated by the splendid choir of the Consolata missionaries, harmonize the celebration presided over by Mons. Alessandro Giraudo, auxiliary bishop of Turin. In his homily he invites us to follow the example of Saint Joseph Allamano in listening to the Word of God and in placing Christ at the center of our life and mission. “Allamano – the bishop reminds us – continues to tell us to be aware that if the Lord is not the protagonist then our life ends up being filled with many things, perhaps even good works and apostolic zeal, but we risk losing ourselves. Joseph Allamano’s holiness does shine because he remained profoundly united to Christ and always lived trusting in God; he wanted others to know the Gospel and fall in love with the word of God; he experienced the sweetness of Mary’s consolation and with her sends us to meet the lives and hearts of people near and far”.
Mons. Alessandro explained that “the Gospel continues to be fulfilled in as much as we become instruments in the hands of Christ; we are bearers of his word and his presence; we come out of ourselves to enter the life of those whom God places on our path”. According to the bishop, “Saint Joseph Allamano knew how to send others, and be a father without replacing or confusing himself with his sons and daughters”.
To continue to bring the light of the Gospel to the world, we must treasure and multiply its teaching. The miracle that the Church recognized as a sign of holiness, the prodigious healing of Sorino Yanomami, is the miracle that occurs when, letting ourselves be led by God, we learn to care for others.
In Saint Joseph Allamano, the Church of Turin receives yet another great gift: a concrete path to holiness offered to all and within everyone’s reach. This gift, through his sons and daughters, also reaches peoples from every part of the world.
The final song well expresses the moment of celebration and the commitment that comes from this celebration: “your light, oh Consolata, may shine on our long journey, we want to follow in your footsteps… Regina caeli laetare”. At the foot of Our Lady Consolata, nourished by the word of God and the Eucharist, we too as pilgrims, animated by Saint Joseph Allamano’s holiness, set off again towards the world to show the light of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
After the celebration, all gathered in the shrine’s courtyard to view an exhibition on the life of Saint Joseph Allamano. Then, organized in linguistic groups, they went to the Youth Missionary Service Hospitality centre (SERMIG) for lunch and a tour of the facilities.
* Father Jaime C. Patias, IMC, General Communications Office.
St Joseph Allamano lives (Video made by Brother Adolphe Mulengezi)
