Mission as discipleship, unity and love.
The 100th World Mission Day, celebrated this October, invites us to rediscover the true essence of evangelization through the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV: “One in Christ, united in mission “. It is an invitation to understand that the proclamation of the Gospel is not the fruit of individual plans or human tactics, but springs solely from intimacy with Jesus and fraternal love.
As the Pontiff himself observes, this involves
“abiding in Christ like the branches in the vine (cf. Jn 15:4), immersed in the life of the Trinity. From this union flows mutual communion among believers and all missionary fruitfulness.”
A common thread unites the teachings of Pope Leo XIV and the testimony of Blessed Irene Stefani, a Consolata Missionary who died in Kenya at just 39 years old: the profound conviction that mission arises first and foremost from union with Christ, from presence, compassion, and unity, even before words.
Looking to God and listening to the Word…
The Pope continues by saying that placing Christ at the center of our personal and community life means orienting every thought, action, and relationship toward Him, allowing His presence to transform us from within to the point of being able to say: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). This full unity with God finds its daily strength in faithful listening to the Word and in sacramental life, the source from which we draw to be living stones within the Church.
Blessed Irene’s life demonstrates that union with God does not isolate one from reality, but rather builds community and regenerates faith. Her extraordinary missionary strength stemmed from prayer, listening to the Word, and sacramental life: it was from this intimacy with the Lord that she drew the ability to sense the suffering of others and to give herself totally for the love of Christ and her brothers and sisters.
The writings of Blessed Irene clearly confirm this:
” Do everything intimately united with our Lord, everywhere and always. Remain intimately united with our Lord even in small things, never losing that union and familiarity with Him, even in the midst of a crowd, so that no circumstance can weaken the life of the spirit.”
Reconciled and united hearts…
Blessed Irene was a true bridge of reconciliation between different cultures, languages, and faiths, demonstrating how kindness and hospitality can break down all prejudices and build a single family in Christ. As contemporary accounts recount: “Sister Irene’s affability and benevolence attracted many to the church. Her gentle and gentle way of speaking attracted people to the church, even though at that time it was not easy to reach the place where the missionaries had settled.”
Pope Leo says that preserving and renewing fraternal unity is the Church’s first true mission. Conflicts, polarizations, and misunderstandings end up weakening our witness. To bring the Gospel to the world, as Christ asked us to do, we must begin with a conviction: there can be no mission without reconciled and united hearts.
This principle finds extraordinary embodiment in the life of Blessed Irene Stefani. Immersed in the drama of the First World War, in a context marked by fierce ethnic divisions and conflict between colonial powers, Sister Irene spread the Gospel not only through words, but also by preserving its living unity in daily life. For her, even before her great works, her mission was to heal the wounds of prejudice and disarm misunderstandings, guided by her spiritual purpose:
“Sweetness, great affability, and much, much patience.”
Love is the substance…
If unity is the condition of mission, as Pope Leo reminds us, love is its substance , a love that finds its concrete face in mercy. Proclaiming the Gospel means extending Christ’s work in the world, through a mission born of God’s faithful love, nourished by the experience of his mercy, and impelling disciples to act guided by his own Spirit.
In this context, the holiness of Blessed Irene Stefani is revealed as a progressive and constant journey, marked both by
“the totality of her orientation to the Lord, and by the radical nature of her religious and missionary consecration without reserve, because she lived forgetful of herself and concerned only with his service” (testimony for the beatification process).
Charity was her characteristic virtue, as those who knew her strongly confirm:
“Her love was so great for the good God for whom alone she worked, and made her completely charitable towards her neighbor, to the point of total self-forgetfulness.”
Another testimony vividly portrays her heroic drive:
“I always observed in Sister Irene a heroic charity; she always had one foot raised to serve others, regardless of whether she was at table or resting, engaged in urgent tasks, or engaged in interesting conversation. She was all eyes, all hands, all feet, all heart, all sacrifice to please and serve others, regardless of skin color; she was never tired, as long as everyone was comfortable. For her, working hard was a duty.”
In conclusion: Watching Sister Irene’s life is a concrete invitation to rediscover mission in our daily lives: living union with Christ as a source of mutual communion and missionary fruitfulness, faithfully abiding in the Word, and giving ourselves to others without reserve. Only in this way will our presence become a living reflection of God’s love, and the mission will continue to build up the Church and the world.
By the Postulation
……………………………….
For graces received, please contact:
Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Consolata
Via Umiltà, 745
01036 NEPI (VT) – Italy
postulazione.mc@missionariedellaconsolata.org
