Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary
The Xaverian Missionaries of Mary are a religious community of the Missionary Sisters of the Roman Catholic Church. The Institute of Consecrated Life was founded in 1945 by Father Giacomo Spagnolo SX and the nun Mother Celestina Bottego OSB in Parma (Italy) and is the female branch of the Xaverian Missionaries.
History
From Guido Maria Conforti founded by 1895 Congregation of the Xaverian Missionaries, the congregation developed female. Their primary focus is the proclamation of the Gospel, life in charity and proselytizing by non-Christians. 1945, the establishment in Parma was completed. Your life and work they follow the rules of St. Francis Xavier.
The Founder
The Spaniard Giacomo Spagnolo (1912-1978) occurred in 1928 in Parma in the Congregation of the Xaverian missionaries. In 1934 he was ordained a priest and afterwards studied in Rome Missiology at the Pontifical Urban University. After graduation, he went to the seminary of the diocese of Parma and there formed young seminarians to mission priests. At the same time he studied at the University of Parma and University of Bologna engineering. In 1943 he was rector of the seminary of Parma.
Since 1936, the nun Mother Celestine Bottego taught ( 1895-1980 ) at the Motherhouse of the Xaverian Missionaries in Parma the English language. At the age of 15, she had moved to Parma with her mother from Montana (USA). Later she studied in Parma and taught over 20 years in the public schools of the city of Parma. In 1922 she joined the Benedictines as Benediktineroblate and came in 1935 for the first time with the missionary priests and later rector Giacomo Spagnolo together. With him, she discovered another and deep spirituality. From the joint work in the Mother House and with the future missionaries, the idea of establishing a community of missionary nuns developed.
Organization
The nuns do not wear religious garb, they live among the population. You drop the vows of the evangelical counsels and live in small communities, a simple and sisterly life. The Congregation is one of 244 members and is active in 39 facilities. She has offices in Germany, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Japan and Thailand.