In the history of us, the Missionaries of Mary Xaverian Sisters, two dates have indelibly marked our birth and our journey: May 24 and July 2.
On May 24, 1944, in the midst of the Second World War, in Capriglio, a small village in the Parma Apennines where Fr. Giacomo Spagnolo had taken refuge with the Xaverian theology students—of whom he was Rector—because of the German bombing of Parma, and where Celestina Bòttego had sought shelter after her home had been requisitioned by the German command, Celestina finally said her "yes" to Fr. Spagnolo, accepting to become the founding mother of the new missionary Family he had long envisioned.
In fact, when Fr. Spagnolo had asked her the previous year to collaborate in the foundation, Celestina had refused, saying that she was "more capable of spoiling God's works than of accomplishing them." However, the image of Velázquez's Crucified Christ, accompanied by the word "ALL," which Fr. Giacomo sent her at Easter 1944, stirred within her a profound unrest. Moreover, the days of retreat she was spending in Capriglio helped her understand that, if she truly wished to seek only God's will, she had to say her "yes."
Thus, in his Diary on May 24, 1944, after speaking with Celestina, Fr. Giacomo wrote:
"In essence, today (May 24) the Society has found its foundress, who says her fiat to the Lord."
That "yes" was only the first step of a long journey, one that the ongoing war would continue to mark with new hardships and greater sacrifices.
During the night between July 1 and 2, German troops arrived in Capriglio and also entered La Provvidenza, the farmhouse where the Xaverians were living. The students and priests were lined up in front of the house under the threat of machine guns and taken to Lagrimone, where they were gathered with other prisoners before being transferred to a concentration camp in the province of Reggio Emilia.
The prompt intervention of the Bishop of Parma and the Superior General of the Xaverians prevented their deportation to Germany. Shortly afterward, despite many difficulties, Fr. Giacomo and all the students were able to return to Parma.
It was July 2, the day on which the liturgy at that time celebrated the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth, a date that already held a special significance in the history of the Xaverian Congregation.
On July 2, 1921, Saint Guido Maria Conforti, deeply inspired by the profound meaning of the Visitation—an event missionary by its very nature and dynamism—wrote his Testament Letter to his missionaries.
Later, on July 2, 1927, Saint Guido Maria wrote to Propaganda Fide, once again proposing his plan to found a Xaverian women's congregation.
Then, on July 2, 1943, Fr. Spagnolo proposed for the first time that Celestina Bòttego collaborate in founding the new Xaverian Family.
It was therefore no coincidence that Mother Celestina and the first three sisters made their first religious profession on July 2, 1950.
Five years later, once again through a remarkable act of Divine Providence, on July 2, 1955, the Bishop of Parma, Bishop Evasio Colli, officially established our Missionary Family as a diocesan religious congregation.
For this reason, it was only natural to choose July 2 as the feast day of the Missionaries of Mary Xaverian Sisters and as the day on which religious professions would be celebrated.
Today, our task is not only to commemorate these historic dates but also to live out and fulfill the prophetic message they contain.
In a world now more than ever torn apart by conflicts, wars, and violence, Fr. Giacomo's determination to establish a missionary Family despite the difficult historical circumstances he was living through, together with Mother Celestina's "yes" spoken on May 24, 1944, in the midst of the Second World War, when its outcome was still uncertain, reminds us that by vocation we are called to proclaim the Gospel with humility and parrhesia—bold evangelical courage—especially in situations of conflict and suffering, with the certainty that Jesus has already overcome the world (cf. Jn 16:33).
The events surrounding July 2 also remind us that we are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus in a troubled world that is always in need of salvation; that Jesus sends us out as "lambs among wolves" (Lk 10:3) and asks us to bring peace and reconciliation wherever we are, remaining faithful to His Gospel.
In the different situations each one of us is called to live, personally and as a community, may we also, on this July 2, 2026, allow ourselves to be shaped by the words of our Father:
"Jesus gave everything, to everyone, forever. He kept nothing for Himself and excluded no one. His love was truly total. [...] Love calls for love; total self-giving demands complete self-giving. This is precisely what we chose when we accepted His invitation to belong to Him."
The word "ALL," written on the image of Velázquez's Crucified Christ that Fr. Giacomo gave to Mother Celestina, was not meant for her alone.
It is an "ALL" that runs through the history of our Missionary Family and continues to challenge each one of us—Missionaries of Mary Xaverian Sisters, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
