3826(II)_Forever a Gift and a Grace

Thanksgiving for the 60 years of presence of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in the Philippines!

By FMA@60 Celebration

Manila, Philippines, Decembre 2, 2015 - About 15,000 FMA, students, parents, Lay mission partners, MHC Past Pupils, Salesians SDB, friends and benefactors gathered at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City on November 30, 2015 to thank God together for 60 years of FMA sisters presence in the Philippines.

The celebration was the climax of a three-year journey for the Provincial Educating Community of FMA-Philippines on the theme "REMEMBERING our roots, EMBRACING our spirituality, RELIVING Don Bosco's dream and mission today," which also incorporated the celebration of the bicentenary of Don Bosco's birth and the Year of Consecrated Life.

The solemn Eucharistic celebration, presided by His Excellency Bishop Patricio Buzon, SDB, DD of Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, began with a symbolic dance, in which a vessel containing soil from Mornese was brought by the "missionary spirit" to the Philippines. Holy Communion was followed by the "Lumina Pandit," in which the light of the Salesian charism was symbolically passed on to families, to our lay mission partners, to the young people.

A 55-member orchestra accompanying the choir made up of FMA, formande and our college students, added to the solemnity of the liturgy.

A coffee table book that celebrates our story in the Philippines was launched before the concert. The concert showcased not only the talents and creative efforts of the members of the Educating Communities, but also the Salesian spirit and spirituality that have grown in them through the years: gratitude for the education they have received from the FMA, the joy of being young people and members of the Educating Community, filial love for Mary, appreciation for our faith and culture, a hope-filled perspective of the future, the family spirit and spontaneity.

The Philippine Province of the FMA (Philippines - Papua New Guinea) has 148 members and 4 novices (Elenco generale, 2015, vol II) with 19 canonical communities, 142 perpetually and 6 temporary professed sisters.