The 200th Anniversary
Latest updates
- Apostolic Letter Admirabile Signum of the Holy Father Francis on the meaning and importance of the Nativity Scene, 01.12.2019
- LCWR Assembly 2019, Scottsdale, Arizona
- PUENTE LATINOAMERICANO MEX-GUATEMALA/ ColPaPe SMR Nov 2018 - Enero 2019
- BOLETIN INFORMATIVO SMR ITALIA/ESPAÑA ENERO 2019
- Puente Latinoamericano: celebrando los 200 años de Emilia de Oultremont
- Visita General ColPaPe 2017
- 11th OCTOBER 1818 – 11th OCTOBER 2018 I consider it a special gift of God to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Our Mother Foundress, whilst preparing our 2019 General Chapter.
- Mi experiencia en Casa Betannia: ...fue la primera vez que tuve un contacto tan cercano con la realidad tan dura que afronta la gente en diversas partes del planeta, que hacen crecer a cualquiera como persona...
- VOLUNTARIADO SMR - PROYECTO CASA BETANIA 2018, LA ENSENADA: ...Me siento afortunada de haber podido participar en este proyecto...
- MY EXPERIENCE FOR TWO WEEKS IN CASA BETANIA WITH VOLUNTARANS
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Vocations | SMR Projects |
Pray with us
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Mother Mary of Jesus
Mother Mary of Jesus
- We must live in the presence of God; then all we undertake will be for His glory, the salvation of souls and our own sanctification.1
Women, my sisters |
![]() Many of these women have already spent time in prison, having been found guilty of diverse offences, such as stealing or drug trafficking. Regarding the latter they may have been involved voluntarily or may have been the victims of manipulation or lies on the part of the drug barons. However the majority are the victims of the trafficking of women for prostitution. Victims of poverty, they are attracted by the promise of finding remunerative work and earning money to raise the standard of living for their families who are submerged in misery. They also want to fund education possibilities for their children. These latter live in nightmare conditions under the yoke of pimps and prostitution networks. On leaving their respective countries the women have their passports confiscated and so they are left without legal documents. The police pick them up from the streets (of Rome) and bring them to the Detention Centres until the Immigration Services decide their fate. This process takes about two months. Each week, in my group, I meet women of different nationalities but who speak a common language. I go to meet them simply because I see them as sisters who are wounded by the injustices of today’s society and who, on their journey through life, have encountered criminals without pity, who wish only to dominate the world by the power of money. I wish to draw close to them, to welcome them, to listen to their stories with great respect, and offer them comfort. Together we can share on certain topics and there is also a space and time for personal sharing. I am always touched by their simplicity, their openness and trust, and I feel my own littleness in face of their situation. We also have a space in which to meet God in his Word. Even though the women are from various religious confessions they participate in this time of prayer and sharing on the Word of God with great mutual respect. They are wounded women, victims of so many injustices and their dignity and human rights are scoffed. They arrive at the Centre discouraged about their future but little by little the silence and solitude of the environment and their weekly meetings enable them to re-read their harsh experiences and discover there a tiny sign of God. (We do not have activities except some sporting events for a few) However small these signs of God are for them, a new hope returns with another vision of life, and they desire to let-go of the past and look towards the future. By the end of their first month at the Centre I am able to help them take their lives in hand and plan for their future. One of the fantastic results of their reflection together is that these women invariably want to warn other women, especially younger ones, so that they do not fall into a similar trap. They risk this, in spite of the fact that their own lives are always in danger because the networks to which they belong do not wish to lose their pray. All of this shows the necessity of having Safe Centres in their own countries for their protection, and we therefore encourage religious congregations to mobilise their efforts to rescue these women from danger. Each evening when I return home from the Detention Centre I feel as if I have spent the day in a profound encounter with God. These women challenge and evangelise me through their suffering, their faith in life, their conviction that with God all things are possible and that we must always hope against hope. I am very grateful that they have crossed my path in life, because I have been enriched by them and they have taught me to enlarge the space of my heart and my life. There is still Maria, Jeanne, Claudia, Anita… so many of my sisters who, in the silence of the night, suffer the shame of being trafficked and forced to sell their bodies in order to cram the pockets of their merciless tyrants. I pray that the Lord will come to their aid, for nothing is impossible with him. I pray also for the tyrants whose craving for money has turned their hearts of flesh into hearts of stone, so that one day the light of the death and resurrection of Christ may find a place in their hearts. Euphrasie Razafielinoro |