The Gift of Life

Inside the Parish Church at Mornese

The morning session facilitated by Sr. Josephine Rani focused on how Main grew in her life of faith. Having an intelligent awareness of God from childhood and provided with a religious environment in the family and in the parish, Main gradually matured particularly through the guidance of her parents and Fr. Pestarino.

Through the patient pastoral care and guidance of Fr. Pestarino, the people of Mornese were able to overcome the Jansenistic mentality until they learned to give importance to the frequent reception of the Eucharist. As a child, Main received spiritual direction from Fr. Pestarino as she faithfully attended catechism lessons and little by little learned to value regular Confession although, at first, she felt a certain repugnance to it.

The baptismal font in the Parish Church at Mornese

In the afternoon, we visited the parish church which is the center of religious life in Mornese and where Main was baptized. We also entered the small (original) chapel attached to the church which was the meeting place of the DMI when they had an invited speaker such as Fr. Frassinetti. Then after the tour in the sacristy, we had a prayer service in front of the baptismal font. After renewing our baptismal vows, we had the ritual of using the water from the baptismal font as we made the sign of the cross. This became an occasion for us to be grateful once again for the freshness and the richness of the gift of faith we have received when we were baptized and to continue to witness to this faith in everyday life.

A part of the beautiful animated nativity model
 done by the Mornese people

The last activity we had in the parish was the visit to the parish crypt where a unique display presenting Christ’s birth in the midst of everyday life in Mornese. It is indeed an interiorization of the mystery of the Incarnation. God has really come to dwell among his people. Our eyes also wondered at the collection of “presepi” (nativity scenes) coming from the different FMA communities all over the world.

In the evening, we gathered once again for a presentation by the Bangalore Province of their work for the children of the slums, which is one of their ways of being one with their people.