June 1, 2018: Blessed Scalabrini’s Feast

An excerpt from the message of Father Gazzola, general superior of the Scalabrinian congregation, for the Founder’s anniversary

«June 1st is the anniversary of the heavenly birth of Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini. The Church venerates him as a distinguished Bishop and an enlightened protagonist of the events of his lifetime, who, rooted in his love for Christ, was able to give concrete and far-sighted answers to the most urgent problems of his time, mostly in being able to grasp, glimpse and outline proposals to respond to contemporary forced emigration to the Americasof thousands of Italians and others».

Scalabrini’s legacy: our mission with migrants

«For us, however, not only is he the enlightened and farsighted Bishop, attentive to the challenges of social justice in his contemporary society, but also a resolute man able to open engaging paths and new apostolic roads without surrendering and pulling back; for us, Scalabrini is the Founder.

It follows then that, for us, keeping his memory, is more than just celebrating an anniversary, it calls rather for an ever-needed renewal of the awareness of the legacy handed on to us, a mission we need to hold sacred and take up continuously by applying it to current events».

The General Chapter is approaching

«In this perspective of fidelity to the Charism of our Blessed Founder, we must also consider the General Chapter we will hold in the upcoming months of October and November. (…) I wish everyone a joyful and grateful celebration of the memory of our Founder».

Padre Alessandro Gazzola, Superior General