Dear Brothers MS and Sisters SNDS,

A warm and sincere thank you to all for the possibility to have been able to listen, see, experience once again Maximin and Melanie’s encounter with the “Beautiful Lady”. Indeed, La Salette brothers and sisters who are preparing for perpetual vows gathered as one family, despite our cultural and linguistic differences, at the Holy mountain of La Salette, the very root of our two Congregations.
Two words come to mind when thinking about this experience that took place during the month of July: joy and light. Light: it recalls the Transfiguration of Jesus and his encounter with Moses and Elijah; it reminds us of the light that was surrounding Mary and the two children during the Apparition at La Salette; a light that reaches to all of La Salette brothers and sisters who are preparing for perpetual vows, since it is simply the light of the risen Christ. And then joy: the joy of gathering together to spend time in prayer and fraternal sharing; the joy of sharing the same commitment to the message of Our Lady of La Salette even though we come from many different cultural backgrounds; the joy of having prayed together at the Apparition site and Shrine which has deepened our fidelity to Jesus Christ and to the people of God through the compassionate love of Mary. The joy of having come together and learned about being faithful to our vows; together, we prayed Mass, Lauds and Vespers, each taking a part in our own languages. This international experience has broadened our horizons beyond just our Provinces. Our multicultural background, the various talks given to us and the recreational activities brought us great joy. What we experienced is the joy of having worked together and striving to make ours the Message of Our Lady of La Salette; the joy of being called together by Our Lady to go down to the valleys of our lives and to become new “Maximin” and “Melanie” for the people of God of our times.
The gathering was attended by 42 young Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette: 11 from Angola (4 sisters and 7 scholastics), 9 from Madagascar (2 sisters and 7 scholastics), 6 scholastics from India, 5 scholastics from Brazil, 4 scholastics from the Philippines, 3 scholastics from Poland, 2 from the United States (1 priest and 1 scholastic) and 2 sisters from Myanmar,
We have grown through the cultural exchanges which has helped us see that we belong to a global community of La Salette Missionaries. Being here at the Shrine has also helped us connect to the history of our Congregation of which we have learned during our initial formation.
May God, through the intercession of our Mother of La Salette, bless the La Salette family, so that it may continue to live the joy of the Gospel in this world that needs Justice, Peace and Reconciliation.