This year we celebrate the hundredth World Mission Day. At the origin of its establishment lies the vision and initiative of Saint Giuseppe Allamano and the Italian missionary institutes. Although things did not go smoothly right from the start…
The Feast of Blessed Leonella in Nkubu, Kenya
Nkubu Hospital in Meru, Kenya, was one of the sites of missionary work where Blessed Leonella Sgorbati truly excelled as both a nurse and a nursing instructor. Although many years have passed, the memory of her contribution remains vivid, as do the profound values she embodied and passed on to the school’s students. On September 17, 2026—marking twenty years since her martyrdom—Nkubu Hospital honored Blessed Leonella. On September 17th, the Feast of Blessed Leonella Sgorbati was celebrated at Nkubu Hospital. To mark the occasion, the hospital staff prepared a biography of Sister Leonella, enriched with their own personal memories of her. Many nurses, doctors, and other staff members never knew her personally, yet they are filled with passion and Sister Leonella’s spirit; here, one can tangibly sense how the values and virtues she embodied continue to live on in people’s daily lives. The Celebration Sisters Nicoletta Kiario, Severina Bucci, and Anne Kalondu attended the celebration. It began in the courtyard of the Nursing School with the blessing of the image of Blessed Leonella; the image was then carried in procession to the church while everyone prayed the Rosary. As the Bishop was unable to attend, he delegated Father Moses Muriira—the hospital administrator—to preside over the celebration. During the Prayers of the Faithful, Sister Anne recited the prayer for the canonization of Blessed Leonella. Sister Nicoletta spoke on the theme “the experience of healing forgiveness in the life of Sr. Leonella” and explained the significance of a saint’s relic. A relic of the martyr Blessed Leonella was then presented on behalf othe Regional Superior, Sister Felicidade Luis, who was unable to attend. The hospital staff expressed their gratitude to the entire family of the Consolata Missionary Sisters for this precious gift. The Fruits of Sister Leonella The celebration honoring Sister Leonella and the Consolata Mission was meticulously prepared and observed with great passion. One of the doctors from Nkubu will soon travel to England to receive the “Global Award” in medicine. This marks the first time such an honor has been bestowed upon an African doctor—and a doctor from Nkubu Hospital, no less! The doctor attributes this blessing to Blessed Leonella. It was a moment of joy and gratitude for both the hospital staff and the Consolata Missionary Sisters in Kenya. Everyone gave thanks for the gift of Sister Leonella! Sr. Nicoletta Kiario, mc
The forgiveness that heals
In July, in preparation for the feast of Blessed Leonella Sgorbati, we paused to reflect on the human and Christian meaning of forgiveness, in light of the experience of Jesus Christ and of Sister Leonella, His faithful disciple.
How can we prepare for the feast of Blessed Leonella Sgorbati?
September 17th marks the liturgical feast of Blessed Leonella Sgorbati, martyr. This year, we commemorate the twentieth anniversary of her martyrdom, and here are some suggestions and resources to help us prepare well for this event.
Rezzanello opens the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Leonella
Rezzanello di Gazzola, a small town in the Piacenza region, welcomed a large group of people again this year, in remembrance of Blessed Leonella Sgorbati, a Consolata missionary and martyr, who was born here in 1940. In 2026, 20 years will be remembered since her tragic death, which occurred in Mogadishu (Somalia) on September 17, 2006, and for the occasion, many have mobilized to highlight the anniversary: the Alpini groups have built a “mistadello” (a small votive pillar) to Blessed Leonella at the foot of the steps of the parish church, and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, a Consolata missionary and apostolic prefect in Mongolia, presided over the celebration. The Consolata Missionary Sisters also “mobilized,” in the most literal sense of the word, and many arrived from Turin in the early afternoon of Sunday, August 16, in Rezzanello. Inauguration of the “Mistadello” to Blessed Leonella In the presence of civil authorities, representatives of the Alpini groups, numerous priests, and the Bishop of Piacenza Bobbio, Msgr. Adriano Cevolotto, Cardinal Giorgio incensed the new mistadello and laid a sunflower as a sign of devotion to the image of Blessed Leonella. The pillar was built by the Alpini with local material, to emphasize the roots, the origins of Sister Leonella, born Rosa Sgorbati. Holy Mass in the Parish of Rezzanello Cardinal Giorgio then followed with Holy Mass, during which he highlighted some aspects of Blessed Leonella: An experience that she would later describe as fundamental: the real encounter with a presence, summarized in these words: ‘I am here and I love you. Go and tell everyone that I am here and that I love them.’ Not long before she was killed, she returned to that primordial experience, which occurred when she was still a young girl.Those who knew her – and we have several witnesses here today, especially among her fellow Missionaries of Consolata – can confirm that Sister Leonella was always there for everyone; that radical, heroic act of facing violent death had been built upon a daily self-giving to Christ with all her being, attentive to the needs of the people she encountered here in Italy, in Kenya, and in Somalia, in the most ordinary walks of life. Her dedication until the end was guided by that fundamental, original experience from her youth. Mother Lucia Bortolomasi, Superior General, on behalf of all the Missionaries of Consolata, addresses those present with these words: Sister Leonella was certain that she was inhabited by God. We want to pray to her, so that she may intercede for us from Heaven.The intercession of Blessed Leonella so that all of us, in the simple gestures of everyday life, can be instruments of love, peace, and reconciliation, as Sister Leonella was. The Bishop of Piacenza Bobbio, Msgr. Adriano Cevolotto, compares Rezzanello to Nazareth, where daily holiness is built in silence. A place we may know little about, yet, as with Jesus, Rezzanello is part of the mystery of a life given. It is an invitation to recognize the ordinary places of life, as places that preserve and foster gestures of holiness, such as the extreme act of martyrdom of Sister Leonella. Holiness belongs to everyone, and through her intercession, we can desire a life of holiness. A heartfelt THANK YOU to the Parish of Gazzola and to all the individuals and groups who so generously prepared this significant event! May Blessed Leonella intercede for each of you! Sr. Stefania Raspo, mc
Blessed Leonella Sgorbati , Woman of fruitful silence
An outgoing and energetic personality Blessed Leonella’s cheerful, jovial, and spontaneous temperament emerged from her earliest years, foreshadowing the natural leadership she would demonstrate in the years to come. Extroverted and communicative, Sr Leonella loved being among people and attracting attention with her lively and warm presence; she was not naturally inclined to silence; she was well aware of her own outgoing nature. Some witnesses recall how unusual it was to see her silent. When, during breaks, she remained particularly silent, some even wondered if she was okay, precisely because her behavior was out of character. “She usually talked and laughed” : a few words that immediately convey the image of a woman with a sunny, communicative personality, capable of bringing an atmosphere of joy and familiarity to everyday relationships. Far from denying her way of being, Leonella knew herself deeply and was well aware that, for her extroverted spirit, finding peace was a true daily achievement. This desire emerged with particular clarity in 1973, during a course of Spiritual Exercises, when Leonella enriched her life plan with a simple yet demanding resolution: This intention already reveals a significant awareness: Sr. Leonella understands that silence does not consist only in speaking less but in learning a respectful silence, capable of leaving others the space and freedom necessary to grow and assume their own responsibilities. A heart that had no need to remain silent before God A particularly profound aspect emerges in Blessed Leonella’s spiritual life: while she struggled to learn the discipline of silence in front of others, before God she was never afraid to speak out. In prayer, she presented herself without filters or masks, free to vent, cry, and express every struggle, fear, or question. In her dialogue with the Lord, Sr Leonella did not remain silent. Only after having placed all the complexity of her feelings in God’s heart was she able to return peacefully and silently to the challenges of the cultural context in which she found herself, to the demands of the mission, and to her precious work as a trainer in the nursing school. The mission in Somalia: the silence of the seed. The great and decisive silence Sr Leonella faced was the one imposed by her mission in Somalia. In a context marked by intense tensions and dangers, the choice to remain in that land was not the result of naive obstinacy, but rather a conscious choice, freely reaffirmed every time the situation took a turn for the worse. In Somalia, the mission required being lived in silence, service, and seclusion, moved by firm prayer and a profound relationship with the Lord of life. Her presence in Somalia was eminently charismatic, embedded in an entirely non-Christian environment marked by fundamentalism. Her witness was lived according to the dynamic of the Gospel: that of the seed fallen to the earth that dies to bear fruit, a full adherence to Jesus’ Easter, fulfilled on the cross in the total gift of self. In this regard, the words of Pope Leo XIV resonate emblematically: “Christian hope is not born in noise, but in the silence of an expectation filled with love. It is not the product of euphoria, but of trusting abandonment. The Virgin Mary teaches us this: she embodies this expectation, this trust, this hope. When it seems that everything is at a standstill, that life is a broken path, let us remember Holy Saturday.” Just one word is enough… Sr Leonella was not killed because she openly evangelized with proclamations or high-sounding words, but because precisely in the silence of daily service, in fruitful and respectful interpersonal relationships with the Somali people, she made visible the face of Jesus Christ, God of life and Lord of all peoples. Trust and surrender woven through his entire existence; in the most difficult moments of his personal history, particularly during his mission, he knew how to remain silent when necessary, but he spoke with the supreme eloquence of his life. At the dramatic moment of his assassination, with his blood spilled across the Somali land, his heart expressed a single, fundamental word, repeated three times: “I Forgive, I forgive, I forgive . “ Not many words were needed; they were enough to embody the teaching of St. Joseph Allamano, which Leonella had reminded her fellow sisters of in 1995: “Good must be done well, with love, in silence, with humility, for God alone . “ Blessed Leonella thus continues to speak not through noise, but through that fruitful silence in which the grain of wheat dies to generate life. Her life reminds the Church that the Gospel can be proclaimed even without many words: in daily faithfulness, in skilled service, in respect for others, in concrete love, and, when the hour of trial comes, through the ability to surrender everything to God. This total gift emerges with moving clarity from the words of Sr Marzia, her companion on the mission and the final witness of her last hours: “Silently, without a moan, so sweetly she went out like a candle that has run out of wax, by now she had given everything.” By the Postulation
“Be holy as I am holy”- A Youth Pilgrimage to Ozernoe, Kazakhstan in Asia
“Be holy as I am holy.”- this was the theme of the Youth Pilgrimage 2026 to Ozernoe, in northern Kazakhstan. Each year, the Catholic Church in Kazakhstan organizes this pilgrimage, bringing together young people from across Central Asia and beyond, regardless of their religious background.
Blessed Irene Stefani: the silence that generates words of life
Rediscovering Sr. Irene today means understanding the relevance of a silence capable of nurturing relationships and building community. Her thoughtful words drew their power from the long and patient listening that preceded them, transforming each time into an authentic language of love for those who needed it most.
‘PRESENCE’ marked by SILENCE – Sr. Marzia in Somalia – GESTURES
Lifestyle in Somalia was poor, humble, silent, hidden, sowing freely without expecting reward, giving generously without ever expecting any recognition or thanks. This was the lifestyle of our first Sisters, who knew how to generously give their lives with charity and heroism, in silence, obscurity, and authentic poverty.
Testimony by Sr. Marzia, Consolata Missionary Sister.
In the Footsteps of St. Joseph Allamano – European Youth Pilgrimage
In the scorching heat of Turin at the end of July, a group of 75 young people from Portugal, Poland, Spain, Morocco, and Italy gathered to walk in the footsteps of St Joseph Allamano. They are young people close to the Consolata Missionary Institutes and the Consolata Lay Missionaries, who already knew Allamano, hence, they came from far away to set foot on those stones and on those streets he walked over a hundred years ago.