The Superior General's Letter

BLESSED JOSEPH ALLAMANO

December 1, 2002

My dearest brothers and sisters,

This is the beginning of the 2002-2003 Liturgical Year and I am certain that all of us are preparing for the coming of the Lord with renewed joy and commitment. I would invite you to reflect on a theme that is close to the heart of our two institutes. A few days before he died our Blessed Founder made a promise: "I will work from heaven - I will work!" "I will do more there than I do here." We might ask ourselves - how do we perceive his presence today? Do we feel him close and active? Is he still a point of reference for each individual and each community? Do we follow his criteria when we make decisions in our lives and our apostolate? Do we ask his intercession with confidence? Have we the honor and the courage to present him to people as a model and a protector?
We know that our two missionary families are faithful to a Father of whom we are proud and who we "would not exchange for anyone else,." but deep in our heart we know we could be more attached to our roots. We could live the values of Allamano's missionary charism more intensely and share them with others. He received this charism from the Holy Spirit and passed it on in its entirety to his sons and daughters in the hope that they would live it, cultivate it and share it with others. These charismatic values can be found in Allamano's life and teaching and that is why we are making this meditation - looking at Allamano from this special perspective.
The contents of this letter were developed within the two General Councils and are addressed jointly to both men and women missionaries. Our Founder is Father of both sons and daughters; he loves and looks after them in the same way, without distinction. He wants them to follow a common path with the same missionary and religious spirit he gave them as an inheritance. It is always very moving to hear again the magnificent words of his last will - addressed to his "dear men and women missionaries". "I have lived these many years for you. For you I have consumed my property, my health and my life. By dying I hope to become your protector in heaven." (Lettere X, 540). We have already experienced Blessed Allamano's precious protection - both in our own lives and in the lives of those who are dear to us.
In this spirit we are making some suggestions that can help us live our communion with the Father Founder more intensely; these suggestions may help us involve all those people who share our spiritual riches and enjoy his intercession with God and our Mother, the Consolata.

1. "Let your light shine before men." (Mt 5,16)

We believe that Blessed Allamano is a lamp that should not be put under a bushel but on a lampstand so that it can give light to the Church. Although we never met him here on earth, through study and the perceptions of the heart we feel close to him. Now, thank God, we can know him well and be in a position to spread his genuine message. The people of God have a right to this message - Allamano belongs to the whole Church. We, his sons and daughters, must spread this message and make him ever better known. We must not keep this light to ourselves; we must not lock it up inside our Institutes.
Here are some suggestions.

On February 16
The Liturgical Feast of Blessed Allamano should be preceded by a novena, triduum or other appropriate exercise that illustrates his life and holy witness. These exercises should be celebrated with great solemnity and wherever possible include forms of popular piety that will involve the local Christian community. Let us renew the beautiful tradition of recalling his life, his teaching and his missionary insights on his feast day. The communities of both men and women missionaries should actively work together to prepare and celebrate this holy day.

16th of every month
Let us take advantage of this date to involve our friends and the Christian communities entrusted to our care. We must put renewed emphasis on celebrating this date - it should become a fixed point of spiritual encounter for everyone: the sons and daughters of Allamano and the whole Christian people. When the liturgy allows it we should use the votive Mass of Blessed Allamano on this day, especially in our parishes and places of public worship. All those who are close to us must realize that the 16th is a special day for us - and consequently for them as well. The General Office of Postulation will send out study aids on this subject.

Catechism and Preaching
We should make frequent reference to Blessed Allamano's teaching in our evangelization. We should do the same in our work with retreats and days of recollection. Including Allamano in our talks can be simple and straightforward. Experience has taught us that his ideas and spiritual, apostolic insights are appreciated by all who know them. Sons and daughters do not mention their father frequently or willingly - is it because they love him?

Publications on Allamano
Let us take advantage of the many publications that illustrate about Allamano and present so many different facets of his personality. Through his letters and Sunday conferences we have the rare privilege of access to his rich and practical thought - something many envy us. This is precious material and we do well to share it with others. It is a gift. This is especially true for those of us in close contact with priests, seminarians, consecrated persons, novices. Let us not forget that Allamano was a born teacher for everyone who is called to follow Christ closely and be His minister.

His Image
We have an abundance of holy cards with the picture of Allamano accompanied by a quotation. We should avail ourselves of these low-level and simple means to spread his message and make his face familiar to many. A short but professional documentary film on the Founder is about to appear. It is done in Italian but we are contemplating translation into other languages. It is a modern and effective way of making Allamano better known.

2. "This is how you should pray." (Mt 6,9)

Our Father was a man of deep interior life and a master of prayer. Who has not visited the small choir chapel at the Consolata to see the place where he spent long hours in adoration? To those preaching retreats he suggested that they include this idea, "I want to pray well and often" (Conf IMC, III, 611). In this he was on the same wavelength as Jesus who would retire to solitary places to pray and who told his followers "pray always without tiring" (Lk 18,1). What we would like to emphasize here is that our Founder is now in heaven, he intercedes with God for all those who call upon him. We can pray God through the intercession of Allamano, and pray Allamano to intercede for us with God.
We would like to offer a few simple suggestions on this subject as well.

Pray through the intercession of Allamano
At present we are accustomed to reciting the traditional or new formulas of prayers common to our Institutes. In these prayers we address Our Heavenly Father through Allamano and speak of things closest to our hearts. To address God through the heart of our Father Founder seems to us a familial and effective way to pray. Let us continue and strengthen this custom: it keeps us in close contact with our Founder who prays with us and for us.

Teach the faithful to pray like Allamano
There are so many reasons to turn to God: praise, thanksgiving, pleading for pardon, asking for help, etc. Allamano's teachings on prayer are especially rich and we know them well. Let us spread this knowledge to our people - we have no doubt that this is prayer with substance, prayer that corresponds to the spirit of the Church. We should place particular emphasis on Allamano's "special favorites" - the Eucharist and Our Lady. The faithful will be happy to become disciples of our Founder - a wise master of prayer.

Graces and favors
In times of special need let us teach people to make their requests for favors and graces though the intercession of Allamano. Let us never forget that the Founder is "always at the pugiol [balcony]" as he promised during his life (Cf. Conf IMC, II, 482). He looks upon us from the balcony, waiting, ready to listen to us and to all those in need of divine assistance. It is a beautiful thing to see a Consolata Missionary praying to Our Heavenly Father together with a person in need, and asking for the intercession of their Founder.

3. "If you have faith … nothing is impossible" (Mt 17,20)

We have a special reason for writing this letter. We feel the need to ask everyone to pray with faith and perseverance that Allamano will ask God to grant the miracle that will bring about the canonization we so long for. Thanks to all those who worked with love and intelligence the process of Beatification at the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints has come to a happy conclusion. Now all we need is a valid miracle, approved in the usual fashion, and the Pope will proclaim our Founder, a Saint. We are all hoping earnestly for this to happen, because we are certain of his holiness and we think he should be held up to the whole Church as a model of spiritual life and apostolic, missionary dedication.
Allamano himself had a similar experience when it came to the beatification of his uncle, Giuseppe Cafasso. If we look through his voluminous correspondence with the Postulator of the Cause we will quickly become aware of how much effort he put into the two miracles necessary at that time. At a certain point he went so far as to write to the Postulator, "Tell the Venerable that he has to begin producing miracles or else …" (Lettere, IV, 663). After the beatification a few Cardinals remarked, "Now it's up to you to make him a saint - to find the miracles" (Conf. IMC, III, 723). Certainly Allamano prayed a great deal and had others pray for miracles through the intercession of Cafasso. He was especially insistent with his sons and daughters. When he presented the students at the Motherhouse with a relic of his uncle his word were especially significant, "Don't be afraid to ask for favors - even really big miracles" (Conf. IMC, II, 606). On rare occasions he was even known to say things like, "This blessed man just won't work miracles and we have to suffer as a consequence. Maybe he'll work them later … but we need them now!" (Conf. IMC, III, 536). In reality we really don't know which is more impressive - the founder's desire for miracles or his willingness to abide by God's will. These words on his return from Cafasso's beatification in Rome express a certain satisfaction: "Now they want to make him a saint. The Cardinals insist […] and you've to ask him favors - he likes this and he grants them willingly. But since this is not enough, you have to ask for material favors - above all surgical miracles (make a novena, or even two or three, don't give up). Ask for a genuine apostolic spirit" (Conf. IMC, III, 723). Now we are in the same situation and our immediate goal is Allamano's canonization. We turn to him with that same faith and stubbornness he had - but also with his willingness to abide by God's will.
What we suggest in this regard is very simple.

Pray for a Miracle
Above all let us pray for a miracle through the intercession of our Founder. We come into contact with so many desperate situations, with so many sick people. We must think immediately of asking his protection and intercession. If we have faith nothing is impossible.

Urge people to do the same
Let us share the confidence we have in Allamano's intercession with others. As was the case with the beatification - a miracle in a missionary area would be especially fitting for Allamano who very much loved those people to whom he sent his sons and daughters. We are sending you an outline for a novena along with this letter. Regional Superiors of both Institutes should see that it is translated into the local languages so that it can be distributed and used.

Keep us informed of favors received
Finally we would ask everyone to inform the appropriate offices in the two Institutes of any favor received through Allamano's intercession so that it can be publicized - for the glory of God and our Founder.

We conclude our letter by turning to Our Lady, the Consolata, who has always shown a special love for this son of hers. She made him her "treasurer" so that he could obtain for us the grace to grow in love and communion at his side - and if it is God's will, to venerate him soon with the whole Church as a "Saint."
In the name of the General Councils, we greet you fraternally,

Father Piero Trabucco, IMC Mother Gabriella Bono, MC
(Superior General) (Superior General)