8 Mar 08 – A Day of Sharing with the Laity

Today the Chapter Sisters listened to the sharing of some lay people.
In the morning, ROUND TABLE discussion led by Mons. Domenico Segalini, the Bishop of Palestrina (Diocese of the south of Rome) since 2006. He is also the National Assistant for Catholic Action.
With him there were:		Alessandro Zaniboni from Offenengo (Crema), teacher and student of information technology in a vocation school. He work with our Sisters in Sunday school, is an educator of Catholic Action, responsible for the formation of children, member of the pastoral team in the parish.
Alma Voja, a young married Albanese. She works in the infirmary of the community of Bedizzole (Brescia) taking care of our sick sisters. In 2006 she received baptism, having learnt about the Christian faith that she never heard of in her country.
		Pina Greco (Enna – Catania), married and work as a teacher in our primari school in Catania for 26 years. She offers the sisters even many other services whenever it is necessary.
Maristella Bisogno, Milanese, a Canossian consecrated lay missionari, works as person-in-charge of the dispensary in the social medical centre of St. Bakhita in Togo. She also works with the Canossian Volunteers who come to work there.
These friends shared with us how they came to know the charism of Magdalene through the relationships with particular Sisters. They want us to be women in love with God and to be attentive today to the needs of youth; to be women capable of deep relationships, with our arms – and our convents – open to gratuitously welcome youth.
In the afternoon the LAY CANOSSIAN FAMILIES – with the assistance of M. Mariangela Casagrande, presented to us their specific lay mode of living our charism.
Francesco Girolamo, of the Lay Canossians – Fathers of Fasano:		Adele and Giancarlo Cremonesi, of the Lay Canossian Association:
Anna Maria Daverio, of the Secular Missionaries of Magdalene of Canossa		Michele Rigetti, of the Lay Canossian Brothers and Sisters
Their shared desire is to ‘sit around the same table’ together – Sisters, Fathers, and Lay Canossian family – to share the charism and its formative aspects.
The day concluded with a wonderful stage show by Italian youth: “Magdalene, Yesterday, Today and Forever” prepared and performed by young people coming all over Italy, ‘directed’ by M. Silvana Capretti, National Co-ordinator of Youth Pastoral Work. In the photos we see the passion and enthusiasm of these young people who presented in their own way the discovery of the person of Magdalene and the Canossian charism.