Redazione
Congratulations Sister Nadia newly elected President of the UISG
"For me it is a great joy to welcome this call. I am very grateful for the journey that, as Superiors, we have made together in these years. And it is in the wake of the steps already taken that we will continue to walk together as consecrated women, and a sign of shared life and hope in the Church.
Our mission is to make vulnerability an opportunity to embrace wounded humanity, to welcome one another and to walk together: this is what the Church asks of us and what the world wishes to see from us - women religious."
Sr. Nadia Coppa, ASC
Sr. Nadia Coppa was born on 21 January 1973 and has been Superior General of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ since 2017, a congregation whose charism focuses on charity towards God and our neighbour, especially in favour of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalised.
She graduated in Psychopedagogy from the Faculty of Education at the University of Florence, earned two master's degrees: in psychomotricity and pathological addictions, as well as an additional degree in Religious Sciences.
She has worked as an educator in the field of rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addicts in Pisa, as a psychopedagogist and helping abused women, as team coordinator of a centre in Livorno.
She has also been a human and spiritual trainer for lay people and she has practised counselling for women in need.
Within her Congregation of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, she provided several services : as Coordinator and Delegate of the Northern Zone of the Italian Province, General Councillor, General Bursar as well as Superior General.
She was elected President of the UISG on 10 May 2022.
Source: UISG has a new President and Board, in https://www.uisg.org/en/news/Eletta-Presidente-UISG, May 10, 2022
Happy Easter
April 2022
The Gift of Blood for Peace
Welcome to this time of prayer promoted as a time of powerful communion within the Congregation to invoke peace and pray for this torn and divided world of ours.
Immediately I want to thank the Sisters of CIS (Patrizia, Rani and Elisabeth), the availability of interpreters and especially each of you for having chosen to be here, to intercede and invoke the power of the Blood of Christ, blood shed in the victims of war and every kind of violence.
The war in Ukraine is inevitably affecting all of us. It is a bloody conflict, a senseless attack against a people who are now victims of heavy bombardments.
Stunned and helpless, we are witnessing an absurd war unleashed in a devastating way. Each day chilling images flow before our eyes, images that powerfully touch us and make us feel the precariousness of our social systems and the vulnerability of peace.
War is always a defeat for humanity and there are never valid reasons to legitimize violence. It is truly sad to see men, women, children and the elderly devastated by so much suffering caused by carefully calculated choices to destabilize humanity and developed with such coldness and arrogance.
The days are passing since that February 24th … and it seems that there are no paths to stop the use of weapons and begin processes of dialogue and peace. It is a conflict that persists and seems impossible to stop.
We recognize that the only conflict to be supported and strongly advocated for at this point is the conflict of restless consciences searching for peace. We must seriously ponder, we must raise awareness, we must not take anything for granted and, before pointing a finger, always ask ourselves if evil exists also because we have made it possible, because we have often turned away in silence or indifference, fueling unjust systems.
Putin’s unacceptable invasion of Ukraine stems from an “armed peace”: from economic, political, etc. conflicts.
This evening, together we will pray for peace … there are so many wars in the world.
Wars endure and always create victims. There are never winners, we are all losers. Wars leave the situation for civilians unchanged in time. Civilians continue to be the true victims of conflicts.
As Adorers of the Blood of Christ we be aware of the urgency to pray for peace, but we must also be committed to daily actions fostering peace. It is not enough to protest against the Russian act of force and show solidarity for the Ukrainian people unjustly attacked, but we must contribute to creating conditions for an unarmed peace not based on economic interests but on a global ethics of sharing, of co-responsibility and fraternity.
There is no peace without justice. There is no life without restless consciences longing for peace and in constant and productive conflict with unjust systems that fuel divisions and the power of the strongest.
This evening I would like to recall several passages of the encyclical Pacem in Terris in which St. John XXIII exhorts humanity “especially those invested with public responsibilities, to spare no effort to give things a reasonable and humane course,” so that the dramatic risk of a nuclear war be removed.
Roncalli continues “Let them do everything in their power to save the peace: thus avoiding the horrors of a war, whose frightening consequences no one can foresee. […] Let them continue to negotiate, promote, encourage and accept negotiations on every level and in every time. It is a norm of wisdom and prudence which attracts the blessings of Heaven and earth.”
With St. Maria De Mattias, we too want to collaborate with Christ in the redemption of humanity … giving our lives to reconcile earth with Heaven.
“Peace on earth, the deep longing of human beings of all times, can be established and strengthened only in the full respect of the order established by God.”
Christ shed his blood to re-establish this new order .. a beautiful order that was won at a great price … by shedding all his Blood.
In this River of Mercy we find that peace we must search for and establish within ourselves and around us.
With this prayer for peace we want to become close to the Ukrainian people with the power of intercession and to all the victims of this war … to those who are endeavoring to foster dialogue….
Let us pray and intercede for those who are suffering and are leaving their homes in desperation and in search for refuge.
But we also want to express our closeness to the ASCs in Poland who are involved in welcoming the refugees and who are suffering for their loved ones in Ukraine. Our thoughts go out to the Sisters in Belarus who find themselves sharing the fate of a people who do not want war but who find themselves involved through political alliances.
Let us powerfully invoke the Precious Blood of Jesus to grant peace, to put an end to wars and to always prefer dialogue to any form of violence, abuse and oppression.
Sr. Nadia Coppa, ASC
General Superior
March 2022
February 2022
February 4, 2022 – Solemnity of St. Maria De Mattias
Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ
The Generalate
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Via B. Maria De Mattias, 10 – Tel. 06/70.08.816 – Fax 06/ 77.20.88.84
00183 ROME (Italy)
To all Adorers of the Blood of Christ
“Courage! Lift up your heart often to God and trust completely in God. Oh! How God loves us!”
(St. Maria De Mattias to Sr. Rosa Maria Possenti)
Prot.#18/2022
February 4, 2022 – Solemnity of St. Maria De Mattias
March 4, 2022 – Anniversary of the Foundation of the Institute
Dear Sisters,
Joy and peace in the Lord!
Each year, the liturgical commemoration of the birth of St. Maria De Mattias and the anniversary of the Foundation of our Institute are two very important occasions that allow us to renew our sense of belonging to our community of faith and savor anew the riches of our charismatic identity.
We are living in a historical, cultural and ecclesial time of unique importance: ours is a time to understand: to take, grasp and comprehend” to be able to dwell in it adequately. It is a time to love: because it is ours, because there is not, nor will there be another for us and because it is a time when the Holy Spirit is working despite our difficulties. It is a time to evangelize: because it was given to us by the Divine Master; it is the precious pearl of the Reign, the saving word of the Gospel.
Celebrating St. Maria De Mattias during this time of precariousness and uncertainty is an opportunity to remain in her company and allow ourselves to be taught by her who welcomed the Spirit, the Fire and the Blood, kept it and shared it, overcoming the challenges of her time. We wish to focus our attention on her heart journey and life pilgrimage that led her toward her encounter with Jesus Christ whom she loved, sought and desired and for whom she offered her whole self. She lived “with her gaze and heart set wholly on Christ Crucified witnessing that God is happiness (Contemplate n.4)
“Gaze often at the Crucified Jesus, and especially on his most holy wounds…. Oh, what love! What a strong source of perfect peace which flows from the loving wounds of Jesus. Tender love, tremendous love for Jesus and for saving souls. Never turn your gaze away from Jesus’ wounds. Discover in those wounds how to bring happiness to all.” (MDM to Sr. Luisa Abri, August 8, 1862, Letter in English n. 725; Sister Angelita Myerscough’s translation: set III n. 450)
We encounter many challenges that urge us to be passionately involved in generous apostolic activity, but, as Pope Francis reminds us, “we know that on our own we can do nothing. The contemplative dimension becomes indispensable in the midst of the most urgent and difficult and taxing undertakings. The more the mission calls us to go toward the existential peripheries, the more our hearts feel the intimate need to be united to that of Christ, full of love and mercy.” (Tirana – September 21, 2014)
Maria of Vallecorsa lived the challenges of her time by living each moment in which she found herself and with an alert heart, she stood attentive, open, in recollection, and concentration so as not to squander the salvific significance of each moment lived in inner union with God and reaching out toward others.
She lived in intimate contact with her own deepest self, there at the source of every transformation, but above all of every sharing. She nourished her actions to become fully human, day by day, learning like Jesus to stop and value the little things and recognize the presence of the Father in the faces of those she met.
“My daughter, let’s be happy to die for Jesus Christ and to bring souls to his heart. They cost him Blood. I encourage you to treat them with love and patience. They are dear to the Heart of Jesus. Often have them repeat the sweet names of Jesus and Mary.” (To Vincenza Ferri, October 20, 1855, Letter in English n. 432; Sister Angelita Myerscough’s translation, set III n. 387)
Dear Sisters, we are called to recharge the contemplative dimension of our lives: that of simply being there where life has taken us and, with perseverance, accept every moment without possessing or controlling so that the harmony, fullness and “life in abundance” (Jn. 10:10) promised by Jesus may spring from this deep listening.
In fact, St. Maria De Mattias was a woman who made listening the fundamental trait of her personality. She lived her discipleship in a prophetic way through this interior stance. She cradled the Word within herself, keeping it in the shelter of her heart, scrutinizing it and above all letting it act. She listened. She understood and assented to it, but she also made room for others, welcoming them into her life and making their pleas and needs her own. She tried to listen to everyone genuinely, mutually and cordially as an exercise in welcoming them without preconceptions or prejudices in order to advance and grow in the dynamic of friendship and communion.
Open to the challenges of life and aware of her own poverty, Maria De Mattias tried to take care of the brokenness of every person with the supportive, attentive and neighborly attitude of the good Samaritan. She served everyone, appreciating and valuing the beauty and goodness of all created things (cfr. LC 16) and accepting that life, at certain times, impoverished her, she accepted her own brokenness as a space to embrace and bring everyone into herself.
She had discovered that there is no greater richness than her own weakness.
From her courageous and persevering example we discover the call to “walk humbly with our God” (Micha 6:8) because to become sisters and grow in humanity we must set out on a journey without stopping. Letting go of every security, we must go out to meet what happens with open eyes capable of scrutinizing and passionate, humble hearts and we must take steps toward something beyond and elsewhere, but ready to go together.
As Adorers of the Blood of Christ, we want to cultivate the healthy restlessness that made the heart of St. Maria De Mattias throb and that stems from the living charism we carry written in the depths of our own identity: wanting to undertake new ways, open processes of proclaiming and closeness that bring life to everyone.
- I ask myself: am I a stagnant person or someone in process? What wind is pushing me?
The fire of the Spirit allowed St. Maria De Mattias to glimpse wider horizons making her capable of rethinking herself in relation to what was happening. It let her bear witness to an impetus that challenged her and pushed her to dare, to question, to reconsider, to be mistaken and also to learn from her errors, but above all to hope despite the challenges.
By her actions, this disciple of the Blood of Christ opened doors and windows, tore down walls, broke chains and opened borders. This same Spirit urges us to dare ever-new paths, indicating for us brand new roads, beyond ourselves.
“Synodality: constitutive nature of consecrated life. How to balance service in authority and faithfulness to the charism today”
In spite of the uncertainty of this unprecedented time caused by the pandemic that continues to worry us, we celebrated the annual assembly of the Rome Constellation of UISG on January 11.
It was a great joy to be able to be personally present after so long a time: to tell each other about ourselves, to rejoice in the presence of the others, to look each other in the eye and experience the joy of being together. The remote opportunities offered by the Constellation and by the International UISG during these two years of pandemic were certainly a blessing, but presence makes a difference in everything. The marvel of the fruitfulness of encounter!
The theme chosen by the leadership group, after consulting with the assembly members saw all of us participants involved in a very current topic of great interest: “Synodality: constitutive nature of consecrated life. How to balance service of authority and faithfulness to the charism today.”
Sr. Tiziana Merletti sfp, canon lawyer and UISG consultant, facilitated the morning with an inspiring sharing on the proposed theme and then elaborated on several considerations that had surfaced from the table sharing.
Sr. Tiziana began by saying that consecrated life is a par excellence “synodal” component of and in the Church. The underlying criterion of this constitutive nature is precisely communal life as an essential element for identifying the essence of discipleship and the following Jesus.
Fraternal life not only invigorates missionary activity, but also the awareness of acting communally in the name of Christ. Therefore, by their essence, Institutes of consecrated life live the reality of synodality of the Church in an absolutely prophetic way. In the Church as communion, we discover the beauty of togetherness, of being together, of walking with others.
We are aware that synodality is a dimension to be continuously conquered because it is not a status but a process. It is a dynamic to be continuously renewed and nourished with as many educational and formative processes.
Sr. Tiziana also reminded us that the exercise of synodality is the style of the communal vocation of consecrated life and is a difficult conquest because, in addition to being a dynamic of grace, it is a method of sharing, participation and missionary commitment. If synodality is not a principle, but rather a method for experiencing mutuality and concern in the ecclesial reality according to the style of evangelical nearness, then fraternity will need to be lived as a synodal mystique.
The synodal way is neither simple nor comfortable, but it can help us to grow in the spirit of the Gospel, beginning with trust in the Spirit who guides the Church and each faith community and who acts in all of them. It helps us reject the logic of power and dominance to adhere more and more to the proposal of service and humility. (Cfr. Mk. 10:35-45) Although it may seem a slow and inefficient way, incapable of keeping up to the speed that characterizes this time and, therefore, inadequate, synodality is generative because it develops the participation and co-responsibility of the members.
Synodality is walking together, having the same goal at heart: the Trinity, paying special attention to the personal work within a process of continuous transformation, facing challenges within, cultivating fraternal relationships to change and agreeing on rules to be respected.
Fraternity and synodality, therefore, refer to each other and are intrinsically connected.
After having outlined several characteristic of a sister called to service in synodal authority, Sr. Tiziana underlined that the synodal process is a method to be learned. Consecrated life is experiencing a time of profound transformations and, after many centuries of history marked by other models, we are called to re-appropriate that style of co-responsibility that characterized the apostolic community. We are aware that there is an initial effort to be reckoned with, a chaos we have to go through to start those processes that will allow us to learn and progressively assume that style. It is the sign of community that tries, that begins, that sets out…. The rest will come about because, if we set out, the path “opens step by step.”
January 2022
The Power of Listening
