On August 20, 1980, Celestina Bottego, Mother and Co-foundress with Father Giacomo Spagnolo of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Mary, entered the Father’s house. Thus was fulfilled in her the desire she had cherished intensely “throughout her whole life,” from the day of her First Communion, according to her own testimony: the desire “to see Jesus and to know quem amavi, quem petivi, quem semper optavi [Him whom I have loved, whom I have sought, whom I have always desired], face to face, forever.”

As we gratefully remember our Mother and her journey of holiness lived in the ordinary circumstances of daily life, we like to recall the final moments of her earthly existence. They open a window onto the mystery of a life totally given, lived in constant intimacy with the Lord.

On her final day, as her physical condition continued to deteriorate, Mother often repeated: Yes, yes. At other times she would say: Here I am!

The Xaverian Bishop, Most Rev. Gianni Gazza, celebrated the Eucharist in her room. At the moment of Communion, as though summing up the meaning of her entire life, Mother opened her arms in her customary gesture of welcome and, with a clear voice and radiant face, pronounced an Amen which, because of its strength and intensity, remained deeply impressed upon those who were present. She passed away peacefully a few minutes after midnight.

Speaking of her in the funeral homily, Msgr. Pasini said:

Whenever I met Mother Celestina Bottego, I always had this impression: a joyful person, a soul who radiated trust and serenity, a heart that invited you to love Jesus in your brothers and sisters. Always! I would say that she lived the Beatitudes of the Gospel to the full... In the various encounters I had with her, I was always filled with admiration and edified by her... A soul so great, also in her stature, her personality and her gestures, made herself small and humble before everyone.

Equally significant is the description offered by Bishop Gazza, who knew Mother well, during the farewell rite celebrated in the chapel of the Mother House:

Mother: a title that was so singular in her and, I would say, so fitting, so truly suited to her. In giving birth to the Institute of the Missionary Sisters, her motherhood truly became immense, as vast as the world. And here Mother brought her human journey to its completion, exactly as she had lived it.

He continued:

During these days, living here close to you, I have been able to perceive an atmosphere of serenity, faith and love. And this is the most beautiful legacy that Mother has left you, because within it lies the faith for which she lived, for which she founded the Institute for the Missions, and for which she gave her life.

The luminous example of our Mother, declared Venerable by Pope Francis, rekindles in us the desire for holiness.

Mother encourages us to live with generous fidelity the call to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel, fully rooted in Jesus Christ, the Missionary of the Father.

Through her intercession, let us ask the Lord for this gift.