THE 14TH GENERAL CHAPTER IN THE VATICAN: Mass at Sant’Anna and Audience with Pope Francis

It was a tiring journey accepted with commitment, prayer and joy, the 1,300 km from the Oltrepò Pavese to the Vatican, to be there, present at the audience which Pope Francis gave to the Chapter Members meeting at Montebello (Pavia).

In the morning at 9.30 am, all gathered in the church of Sant’Anna in the Vatican for the Mass presided over by the new Superior General Fr Tarcisio Vieira with the new Councillors.

Also present were the Invited Guests of the Orionine Family to the General Chapter, led by the Mother General, Mother Maria Mabel Spagnuolo, Rita Orrù, General Responsible of the Orionine Secular Institute, and by Javier Rodriguez Mendez, General Coordinator of the Orionine Lay Movement.

The homily of Fr Tarcisio was simple and beautiful.   He took his lead from the Gospel of the day which presented the fig tree and the temple, both without fruit, without life.  A temple full of leaves, merchants and attractive items, with apparent glamour, but without fruit.  Jesus curses, that is, recognises the evil, of that fig tree and of the sterile temple.

“A Congregation, “one tree with many branches”, but without fruit, would certainly be a magnificent Congregation, giving a good impression, attractive to the eye, solid, perhaps fascinating” said Fr Tarcisio, “but it would be without outreaching force, not able to spread the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Church and the Pope, especially among the people, to unite the people to the Apostolic See, through the apostolate of charity.  It would be a Congregation which would have lost its life and service of God and people.  It would be a Congregation without fruit”.

“You were called and consecrated by God”

"Pope to Orionines: Remain with Jesus, and serve the poor"

The newly elected General Council held an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis last May 27 at 12 pm in the Vatican City. Here is the report of Vatican Radio.

PopeFrancis on Friday greeted members of the Congregation of Don Orione, the Sons of Divine Providence, on the occasion of their 14th General Chapter.

The Congregation takes its inspiration from its founder, St Luigi Orione, whose motto was: “Do good to all; harm no one.” St Luigi Orione is remembered for his commitment to social justice and the service of those in need, a service guided and inspired by the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In his address to the General Chapter, Pope Francis said, “The whole Church is called to journey with Jesus along the paths of the world, to encounter the humanity of today, which needs, as Don Orione wrote, ‘the bread of the body, and the divine balm of the Faith’.”

To put these words into practice today, the Pope said, the members of the Congregation must keep in mind their identity as “servants of Christ and of the poor.”

“You were called and consecrated by God,” he said, “to remain with Jesus and to serve Him in the poor and in those excluded from society." He called them to vigilance, that their faith “might not become an ideology,” or their charity a mere “philanthropy.”

Pope Francis recalled that, even during the lifetime of Don Orione, the Orionine Fathers were known as “running priests” because they “seemed to be always on the go, in the midst of the people, with the rapid pace of those who care.”

He exhorted them, “with Don Orione, to to not remain enclosed within your particular environment, but to ‘go out’.”

At the same time, it is important to never “lose sight of the Church” or of their own religious community. Rather, he said, “your heart must be there in your ‘cenaculum’, but then needs to go out to bring the mercy of God to all, without distinction.”

Here a video of the audience.

Vidoe 1

Video 2

Parvum Opus Divinae Providentiae, Habemus Superiorem Generalis!

Great joy for the Sons of Divine Providence. We have a new Superior General.

He is Brazilian, 52 years old and his name is TARCISIO GREGORIO VIEIRA.  He is the 8th Successor of Don Orione at the head of the Little Work of Divine Providence, present in thirty nations.  The new Superior General of the Orionines was elected by the members of the 14th General Chapter which is being held at Montebello, near Tortona, with the theme “Servants of Christ and the Poor”, fidelity and prophecy in dialogue with the fringes of poverty and the New Evangelization.  

Fr. Tarcisio Gegorio Vieira was born on 25th May 1964, at Ouro Branco in Brazil, in a parish run by the Orionines.  After the normal course of formation, he made his vows on 5th January 1983 and became a priest on 22nd December 1991.  At Brasilia, he was responsible for pastoral work, formation, was the provincial secretary and also adjunct to the Apostolic Nunciature in Brazil.  In September 2001, he was called to Rome, as an official of the Congregation for Bishops until in December 2007 when he was appointed General Councillor of the Congregation.  In 2010, he returned to Brazil and became Provincial Superior of the Orionine Communities of North Brazil.

It is the first time that a Brazilian has become the Superior General of the Sons of Divine Providence.  He succeeds Fr Flavio Peloso who has guided the Congregation for 12 years. With Fr Tarcisio the Congregation begins a new stage of its journey marked by the indications of the 14th General Chapter.

The elective part of the Chapter started at 5.30 pm after an afternoon of silence, prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  After the formal introductory proceedings, the election of the superior general took place and at 5.55 pm the required number of votes were reached for him to be elected.  This was followed by a long applause by the Chapter Members.  The President of the Chapter, Fr Flavio Peloso, after having received his acceptance of the task, officially proclaimed Fr TARCISIO GREGORIO VIEIRA Superior General of the Sons of Divine Providence.  This was followed by the personal homage of the newly Elect by each Chapter Member and the other religious present in the house.

After that followed election of the Vicar General, Fr ORESTE FERRARI, who up to then had been the Superior of the Missionary Delegation, “Mother of the Church” and the Bursar General, Fr FULVIO FERRARI, who was thus confirmed for a second six-year period.

Holy Mass and a celebration supper concluded an important day of the 14th General Chapter.

In the morning of May 26, was completed the election of the entire General Council with the three other members: Fr PIERRE ASSAMOUAN KOUASSI, from Ivory Coast, currently Provincial Vicar of “Notre Dame d’Afrique”; Fr FERNANDO FORNEROD, from Argentina and Fr LAUREANO DE LA RED MERINO, from Spain.

May 16, Saint Luigi Orione, a Saint for the Church and the Universe.

Today May 16, the whole Orionine Family have celebrated with great solemnity the 12th Anniversary of the Canonization of our Founder.  

Born on June 23, 1872 in Pontecurone, Allesandria, Italy, he died on March 12, 1940 in Sanremo, Liguria, Italy. Don Orione is the Founder of Sons of Divine Providence and the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity

Beatified on October 26, 1980, by Pope John Paul II he was canonized on May 16, 2004, Vatican City, by the same Pope John Paul II.

Happy Feast to all the spiritual Sons and Daughters of such a great Saint.

From Payatas, QC, Philippines

"You have offered a life of prayer that no words can describe or praise. To restore all things in the light of Christ's name. How can we endure the faith you've shared?" (Excerpt from the song "Fr. Orione we pray in one with thee)

Happy Fiesta St. Luigi Orione (Founder of the Little Work of Divine Providence Congregation)

Post. Jeric Batas

For some news from Tortona.

"The Kingdom of God belongs to the poor and the sick. He who care for the poor becomes honorary citizen of Heaven." 

Don Flavio Peloso the Superior General