| Daughters of our Lady of Pieta |
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| Written by Admin |
| Tuesday, 08 December 2009 13:20 |
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Our humble origin is traced back when Maria Teresa Camera lived in community with few companions who day after day increase in number in 1849 in Ovada. In 1931 Bishop of Asti, Msgr. Luigi Spandre authorizes our name as Congregation of the Daughters of our Lady of Pieta.’ Such a name has a value of deepening and clarification in the Spiritual journey of the institute because each sister, in her apostolate, service and charity chooses as a model the Sorrowful Mother active and sharing in the suffering of Jesus. On July 19, 1972 the church rewards the humble and attentive work of renewal the humble and attentive work of renewal, granting to the Congregation of the Daughters of our Lady of Pieta’ the pontifical recognition and becomes a Religious institute of Pontifical Right. Our charism is to continue the attitude of Mary at the Foot of the Cross where she accepts with love her son Jesus, as she asks us to continue such attitude towards the needy, with respect, gratuity, silence and joy. Our communion of life draws inspiration from the prayer of Jesus: “FATHER , THAT MAY ALL BE ONE AS WE ARE ONE.” We celebrate together the EUCHARIST which raises us to the communion with God and t is the center of Union among us. We live in the SILENCE which is essential for listening, for the encounter with God and among us. We give WITNESS to the providence of the Father working above all for his kingdom. With Joy we submit ourselves to the common law of WORK, sharing the creative work of God. The joy of fraternal love finds its expression and its strength also in the RECREATION time “how good it is how pleasant, where the brethren dwell as one. At present our different houses are located in Italy, Peru and Philippines. Maria Teresa Camera In the village “San Lorenzo” located not far from Ovada, in a humble countryhouse which was then called “alberghino”, Maria Teresa was born on 8 October 1818 to Angelo Camera and Caterina Merialdi, peasants of very poor fortune, but rich in piety and in faith. They called her Marietta and she was the third among eight children (1). Her family was truly a nursery of peace. After a day of intense work in the fields under the scorching sun, the pious parents at twilight, after having poorly refreshed their tired bodies and given food to their numerous brood, closed the day on their knees with the recitation of the holy rosary and with the evening prayers. Marietta, preceded by the Spirit of the Lord, distinguished herself for her piety and for her modest composure; she was a true little angel who, while she attracted the attention of the numerous family, was also an admonition to all, a stimulus for all to pray with faith and fervor. A true little angel of goodness, she fled from childish plays and, although small, she helped her family as she knew best with the work in the fields and in the house chores, under the direction of her good mother. How she was avidly learning the things of God! She enjoyed listening to the glorious deeds of the Saints; she wanted to imitate them in their love for God and in their virtues; every day she studied more and more how to remain good and invited her little brothers and the children of the village to always flee from sin, to be obedient. She was always careful to do her own duty at the cost of whatever sacrifice. The parents were moved by her; the neighborhood was edified by her. The mother was heard to exclaim not only once: my Marietta has never given me the least displeasure, and many of the neighborhood, turning to the mother went on to say: Your Marietta is an angel of Paradise more than a human creature! And that Marietta must have been truly an angel is affirmed by her resolutions: to die first rather than commit a fault and offend Jesus! And she was very faithful to her resolution. From the cradle to the grave she kept herself pure, never contaminated by mortal sin. http://www.figliepieta.it/filippine/home.htm |