By starting this short writing, I ask myself: “Who is able to say something of Mother Celestina’s inner life?” Only God and the Holy Spirit who led her earthy life!

I can only catch some glimpses of her personality - at best. I can attempt  to summarize a little of her great qualities with some words.

A first word is “Welcome”. Mother Celestina was the greatest welcoming person I ever met in my life. Her open arms with a big smile as she stood in front of our Mother House in Parma demonstrate perfectly how Mother Celestina used to welcome people. Through her rich humanity, she was able to make any person feel at home in her company. It seemed like she knew everyone long time before they met. When I entered the Congregation, “The Mother”, as we used to call her, realizing our inexperience, called our group to teach us how to meditate; to make us at ease, she invited us in her room for a cup of tea and cookies during which time she asked questions and listened to us as we shared about our families.

I think Mother Celestina saw every person through God’s eyes because she didn’t make any distinction between rich and poor. She enjoyed time with her friends playing piano and taking a special cup of Irish tea with them. In the same spirit she went to the “Capannone” – very poor apartments – to teach catechism to children, to instruct youth, especially girls, or to visit families with jailed relatives. Quite often people came to Mather Celestina asking for money for their rent or for food. Nobody left disappointed. During War World II, the Red Cross International Flag was flown in front of her house as a sign of welcome to every person looking for shelter.

Another word I like to use to describe Mother Celestina is “Motherhood”. When, after the first Chapter of our Congregation she was freed from her many duties, she chose to dedicate all her life to her “Figlie”, daughters, that is all the missionaries spread out in the missions around the world. She took every opportunity to be present to them with her love and care by sending a little gift, a card, or by recording on tape  the voice of the missionaries who lived in Mother House.

Also, I can speak of Mother Celestina “Faithfulness” in accomplishing her mission by cooperating with Fr. Giacomo Spagnolo for the foundation of our Congregation. She had her own ideas on religious life because she had been a lay Benedictine but she was always ready to give up her ways of thinking to make of all of us Missionaries Sisters according to the Xaverian Spirituality.  In this light I can speak of the “Modernity” of our Mother because she was able to change herself to accept something new,  different from her style of life. A very little example of this modernity regards the wearing of the veil to go to Church. It was very important to her to cover her head, but after the Council Vatican II when she realized that was not the practice anymore, she took off the veil to be like her “daughters”.   

Sometimes, I ask myself: “How could Mother Celestina be this way?”

She used to spend many hours a day in front of the Eucharist praying, contemplating and talking to Jesus. This was Mother Celestina secret of her life, and her heritage for all of us as Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary.