Pope Francis remembers a nun who influenced his formation in Argentina

On the morning of this June 6, Pope Francis received at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican the Sisters of San Félix de Cantalicio and the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, the order to which the school where he studied in Buenos Aires belonged. (Argentina).

In his speech addressed to these nuns who are celebrating their General Chapter, the Holy Father recalled the beginnings of both religious orders, founded in the 19th century.

On the one hand, he pointed out that Sofia Camilla Truszkowska founded the Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalicio in Warsaw (Poland), whose mission was to be “at the service of children, the disabled and young people in danger.”

From these beginnings, the Pontiff highlighted the episode in which, given the escalation of the armed conflict, “she and the sisters decided to care for all the wounded, regardless of which side they belonged to. For this reason they were accused of treason and the work was suppressed by the civil authorities.”

For this reason, Pope Francis encouraged religious women to “not be afraid of losing the security of structures and institutions, to remain faithful to charity.”

In this sense, he stressed that “structures are not the substance: they are only a means. The substance is the love of God and neighbor, exercised with generosity and freedom.”

Later, she set her sights on the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, an order started by Benedetta Rossello in Savona (Italy).

When speaking about this order, the Holy Father told a personal anecdote: “It was in one of your schools, in Buenos Aires, in the Flores neighborhood, where many years ago I received the Sacraments of Christian initiation. How can I forget dear Sister Dolores, from whom I learned so much and whom I continued to visit for so long?”

Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to all the sisters, “because my current service to the Church is also the fruit of the good that I received, at an early age, from your religious family.”

“Dear sisters, see how we are all instruments in the wise hands of God. “Who can imagine what He will bring out of our little ‘yeses’,” she noted below.

Therefore, in conclusion, the Holy Father invited them to renew their adherence to His will, “in fidelity to the vows that you have professed and in docility to the action of the Spirit. Abandon yourselves to Him and give everything, always, with generosity,” he concluded.