The Spirit of Allamano spreads in Guinea Bissau. We the Consolata Missionary Sisters present in Guinea Bissau had a wonderful celebration of thanksgiving for the gift of St. Allamano our Founder, whose spirit and Charism has been present in this place for more than 30 years. The feast begun at around 9.30 am with the main celebrant being Bishop Jose Lambra Cá, the current Bishop of Bissau Diocese. The Christians in a procession carried the icons of Our Lady Consolata and that of St. Joseph Allamano from the main church of St. Joseph Allamano Bor to the outside grounds where the feast was prepared to take place. It was characterized by simplicity and the warmth of African people, with their dancing charms, joy and welcoming spirit which made the liturgical celebration colourful and amazing. Many people were present for the feast both the religious and the lay faithful as well as our own LMCs who joined us in this great event.After the mass we proceeded for a lunch and cake cutting. The motto “first saints then missionaries” touched the hearts of so many people, and they were so enthusiastic to know more about us. At around 4 pm people departed for their homes . Am overjoyed to celebrate the holiness of our founder. I really felt him present among us during the celebration of his feast and still offering his spirit to us. His presence has offered new strength for the mission ad-gentes especially for the young and growing church of Guinea Bissau. Here is indeed a very fertile mission field, of first evangelisation by its nature. We have a lot to carry out despite the fact that the labourers are few in God’s vineyard. The Canonization of Saint Allamano has re-energized me, offering us a new strength to serve well in our little ways guided by the quality and not the quantity as he himself teaches us. Being witnesses of Christ’s love, evangelizing through actions more than words. This is what our founder left us, that we be saints then Missionaries. St.Joseph Allamano pray for the church in Guinea Bissau! Sr. Purity, mc
Holiness and “God alone”
St. Joseph Allamano had a high idea of mission: his was not just philanthropy, volunteering, occasional commitment… Since mission is linked to the saving action of God, he considered the values of the “spirit” to be of fundamental importance. He always demanded the best from his Missionaries, especially in this aspect. Holiness was a necessity for the mission: “first saints and then missionaries”; (to the Sisters) “Being good is not enough; better is not enough; excellent!”; “Yes. God alone. Everything for God, everything from God, everything in God” (This I want you to be, p. 132). “Let’s keep our eyes fixed on high! Our aim is there: God alone!” (This I want you to be, p. 147). In the common imagination, however, the mission was thought of as doing, realizing, building, founding… Always and anytime, it was characterized by activity. Joseph Allamano instead focused heavily on “passivity”, on the acceptance of values, on being always busy in doing (the image of the “basin” he often uses in his conferences is effective). Monsignor Vacha Emilio, a priest from Turin, left the following significant testimony on the occasion of the process for the Beatification of Allamano: “In 1903, going to Rome to collect the relics of the martyr Adeodato, Can. Allamano instructed me to look for a “holy body” (bone relic) also for the Consolata Missions, but two days later he wrote to me not to worry about the famous relic anymore, because “the Saint will be found among my dear Missionaries.” That expression was not just a pious wish but reflected what Allamano’s constant concern was instead: to help his missionaries become saints. He did not want relics of saints in the Institute, but living saints! It is significant that the editors of “This I want you to be” put as the first chapter: “Holiness and mission, the aim of the Institute”. In fact, Allamano wanted holiness to come first always: “Missionaries, men and women, yes, but saints”. It was the leitmotif of all his teaching. Since there are many quotes in this regard, only one is proposed: “Some believe that being a missionary consists entirely of preaching, being on the move, baptizing, saving souls; no, no! This is only the secondary aim: we sanctify ourselves first and then others. The more holy one is, the more souls he will save” (Conf. IMC. III, 258) (his manuscript). “Everyone says that you came to become missionaries; but no: first of all, you must say: I have come to become a saint!” (Conf. IMC, III, 659). IMC Constitutions, following the Founder’s teaching, succinctly outline the path to realizing the missionary vocation: “The aim that characterizes us in the Church is the evangelization of peoples; we achieve it for the glory of God and in the sanctity of life, as understood by the Founder, when he reiterated: “First saints, and then missionaries” (5). Some characteristics of the style of holiness according to Joseph Allamano Feeling in the company of the Saints St. Joseph Allamano not only fed himself on the teachings and examples of the Saints but also wanted to give them to us as protectors or patrons. The book “Choosing flowers from flowers” by Fr. Francesco Pavese demonstrates this amply. He wanted us not only to pray to our Protectors to ask for their intercession, but that they become our models of life and inspiration in living the mission. Holiness in the plural Allamano wanted us to help ourselves become saints; also, for this reason he wanted to give us the family spirit as a characteristic of the Institute. Since the time of the Founder, the call to holiness has always resounded and continues to resonate in our Institutes. It is enough to recall the biennium on sanctity, celebrated in the years 2006-2008. Its fruit was also the beautiful publication “The Consolata missionary, saint” (2012). A strong appeal then came from our two General Directions to “make ourselves saints together”. “Holiness is not just a ‘personal affair’ nor is it just the fruit of an individual journey. Just as mission tends towards communion with God and among us, so holiness of life is nourished by communion and leads to communion; this ideal is dear to the Founder who exhorted: ‘All together we will help each other to become saints’…”. Jesus – excellent model Allamano’s sanctity has a strong Christological stamp: Jesus is the model par excellence of apostolic holiness. Allamano was very clear on this aspect, so much so that he indicated Jesus as the model of any virtue. In this way the Founder aimed directly at Jesus on his path towards holiness: following him, learning from him, imitating him, in communion with him in the Eucharist. Jesus was always the constant point of reference in his life, and he wanted it to be so for his disciples too. With perseverance, following the example of St. Joseph Cafasso After the beatification of Joseph Cafasso who was given to us as a Special Protector, Allamano made an interesting comment: “The heroism of his virtue consists in constancy. Heroism does not consist in performing miracles, but being severe with oneself in perseverance, in always being where one is supposed to be with a good will, in not wasting time: this is our stuff. I admire this man’s life more every day, because he was always coherent, no, he always went straight; his path was that and… forward; and he did this throughout all his life. Always the same faith, the same love of God and neighbour; always prudent, always just, always temperate… he lacks nothing […], he always moved forward; he always did everything well” (see This I Want You to be, p. 178). For personal reflection “The Consolata missionary, saint”, Rome 2012. This is how I want you to be, chap. 1. F. Pavese, “Choosing flowers from flowers”, 2014
Feast of Saint Joseph Allamano in Turin and Castelnuovo
“A feast that touches our hearts” is how Mother Lucia Bortolomasi, General Superior of the Consolata Missionaries, defined the celebration of the first feast of Saint Joseph Allamano after his canonization. The Holy Mass took place on the morning of February 16, 2025 in the Church and Sanctuary dedicated to him in the Mother House of the Consolata Missionaries. A family celebration among missionaries, lay people, friends, benefactors and faithful who attend Mass in this church every Sunday. The two General Councils, missionaries from the communities of Turin and the surrounding area, young people in formation and novices who animated the celebration with songs in several languages were present. The Mass was presided over by Father James Lengarin, Superior General of the Consolata Missionaries, who in his homily led us to look at the Word announced by Jesus in the Synagogue of Nazareth as a Word that comes alive and becomes action in his life, ministry and mission. A Word that becomes closeness and attention to everyone and in particular to the poorest and most forgotten. In this Word we also read the invitation for every missionary to live our specific vocation to the mission in the sign of consolation. This was the life of Saint Joseph Allamano, lived in constant tension towards the sanctity that he achieved in the daily fulfillment of his duty, in doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way and always with a profound spirit of humility. Today’s celebration also wanted to start the journey that will lead us to the celebration of the centenary of his birth in heaven and that we will celebrate on February 16, 2026. A journey that wants to involve everyone and that will be marked by moments of reflection that must first of all transform our personal life and that of our communities. At the end of the celebration, Mother Lucia Bortolomasi thanked for the gift of the missionary heart of Saint Joseph Allamano, who also invites us to live and act, opening our hearts to welcome everyone. Sister Simona Brambilla, Prefect for the Dicastery of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, was also present at the celebration. In her thanksgiving, starting from the words of Paul in the letter to the Thessalonians, in which he says that he became loving among them, as a mother takes care of her children, so we too, looking at the life and example of Allamano, are called to have this paternal and above all maternal loving-kindness towards everyone. Father Oscar Clavijo, superior of the Mother House, also thanked everyone for the beautiful participation and for the Consolata and Allamano Family gathered there on this festive day. The celebration concluded at the tomb of Saint Joseph Allamano with the prayer of the two General Councils together with all the participants, presenting to him the life of our Institutes, the requests entrusted to us and the realities of the countries in which we work. Then followed the festive family lunch with all the missionaries present at the celebration, in the dining hall there was room for everyone and thus the sharing and communion continued that make alive that spirit that Allamano so desired and invited to live in our Institutes. At the Shrine of Our Lady Consolata The place where Saint Joseph Allamano lived his priestly service, the place he embellished and enlarged, making it an important center of Marian devotion, the place where the project of the Missionary Institutes matured, in dialogue and prayer with the Madonna, is the Shrine of Our Lady Consolata. The Diocese of Turin wanted to commemorate the liturgical feast of the new Saint of Turin with a celebration presided over by Card. Roberto Repole. Referring to the Sunday Gospel on the Beatitudes according to the Gospel of Luke, which reveal the gaze and presence of Jesus in even the most painful situations of life, Cardinal Repole presented Saint Joseph Allamano as the man who knew how to place his trust in God: the great missionary dream of Allamano, which is fulfilled to this day, was born from the intuition that this gaze of Christ could continue to be our gaze. He felt the fervor of the mission because he felt the need for so many men and women to encounter Christ, his gaze. At the end of the celebration, the Cardinal blessed the new altarpiece dedicated to Saint Joseph Allamano, in which the Holy Priest is surrounded by Blessed Leonella Sgorbati and Irene Stefani, Canon Camisassa and Blessed Boccardo, his collaborators, and Saint Joseph Cafasso. In presenting the work, Monsignor Giacomo Maria Martinacci, rector of the Consolata Shrine, emphasized that Allamano always worked together with other people in his tireless ecclesial work, which is why he is also surrounded by many significant people in the votive painting. At the top, the Consolata, “his” Madonna. And in the lower part of the painting there is a large group of people from many different cultures, representing the peoples who welcomed the missionary work begun by Saint Joseph Allamano. Castelnuovo Don Bosco The Consolata Shrine and the Mother House are two important places in the life of Saint Joseph Allamano, where the liturgical feast was solemnized today. But also in Castelnuovo Don Bosco, his hometown, the anniversary was celebrated, preceded by a triduum animated by the Consolata Missionaries, Fathers and Sisters. The people of Castelnuovo welcomed with joy and pride their fourth saint, after Saint Joseph Cafasso, Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio. In prayer, we reflected on holiness as a calling for everyone, even today. Father Michelangelo Piovano, IMC, and Sister Stefania Raspo, MC.
Novena to Saint Joseph Allamano – Ninth Day
9th Day: May God’s holy will be done “You also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you. On that day, you will not ask me about anything” (John 16:22-23). Our God and our Father! Saint Joseph Allamano always did what pleased you, thus imitating your only Son (See John 8:29). He teaches us that you “look after things for us, even the smallest ones, that you direct everything for our own good, and he asks us to submit wholeheartedly to your loving decisions.” We renew our resolve to be available to do your holy will, whatever it may be. With firm confidence we ask your kindness to grant us the favor we now ask from you… In the strength of our Christian faith, we beg of you, Father: May all the human family come to accept Christ as the only and universal Savior (See John 4:42), who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever. Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Saint Joseph Allamano, pray for us! JOIN US IN PRAYERS! On Facebook and on TikTok
Novena to Saint Joseph Allamano – Eighth Day
8th Day: To hope against all hope “Do not say, ‘What are we to eat? What will we drink? What are we to wear?’ Your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Do not worry, then, about tomorrow” (Mt 6:31-34). O Father, admirable dispenser of all good gifts! Even in the most difficult situations of his life, Saint Joseph Allamano hoped against all hope (See Romans 4:18). He tells us to open wide our hearts to a living hope, to a super hope, for, whoever hopes little does much wrong to you who are unbounded goodness. Following his admirable example, we want to show our unwavering confidence in your paternal generosity. Through the intercession of your faithful servant, grant us the favor we now ask for… Knowing that you want “Everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), we entreat you to send the light of your Spirit, so that “Every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11). Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Saint Joseph Allamano, pray for us! JOIN US IN PRAYERS! On Facebook and on TikTok
Novena to Saint Joseph Allamano – Seventh Day
7th Day: Faith gives us courage to ask “If you have faith and do not waver, even if you say to this mountain: ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea’, it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive” (Mt 21:21). O Father! You are always attentive to the prayers of your children. Whenever Saint Joseph Allamano needed something from you, he always showed an indomitable kind of perseverence. He teaches us that, “In order to obtain favors from you, we must ask with much faith, with the audacity and the trust that perform miracles”. He encourages us with these words: “Courage, my children, and always go forward in the Lord!” Stimulated by his teaching, we turn to you, and we are sure that you will listen with loving care. Through the intercession of your faithful servant, grant us the favor we now ask for… In the name of all persons of good will, we ask you to assemble from the east and from the west your dispersed children, and have them sit at the table of your Kingdom (See Mt 8:11). Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Saint Joseph Allamano, pray for us! JOIN US IN PRAYERS! On Facebook and on TikTok
Novena to Saint Joseph Allamano – Sixth Day
6th Day: I believe in the goodness of the Lord “If you who are wicked know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him!” Mt 7:11). God, our Good Father! All through his life, Saint Joseph Allamano experienced the wealth of your bounty. He assures us that, “You love it when we believe in your goodness, and that you love to raise us up to yourself, even in the smallest things and events… You enjoy it when we show our trust in you, whatever course the events of our lives may follow.” We would never doubt your generosity. Now that we are here in your presence, we give ourselves entirely to you, for you are infinitely good. Through the intercession of your faithful servant, grant us the grace we ask for… Following the example of your Son who, though he was in the form of God, emptied himself, taking the form of a slave and became obedient even unto death on a cross (See Philippians 2:7-8), may the Church always engage herself in favor of those who suffer from poverty, war and any other kind of injustice. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Saint Joseph Allamano, pray for us! JOIN US IN PRAYERS! On Facebook and on TikTok
Novena to Saint Joseph Allamano – Fifth Day
5th Day: I have trusted in the Lord! “Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet none of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows (Lk 12:6-7). Oh Father! You are always concerned about the good of us your children. Saint Joseph Allamano never ceased to hope in your aid in every moment of need. He inspired us to “Often make acts of confidence in your love without ever losing heart”. Or, “If ever you make us wait, it is to test us and to remind us how poor we are.” Filled with such assurance, we tell you that our hearts are full of confidence in you. Through the intercession of your faihful servant, we now ask from you the following favor… We pray that you sustain those who announce your Gospel to all the people who do not yet know you, that your name may be known and blessed throughout the whole world (See Acts 2:21). Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Saint Joseph Allamano, pray for us! JOIN US IN PRAYERS! On Facebook and on TikTok
Novena to Saint Joseph Allamano – Fourth Day
4th Day: Let us trust in God without fear “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. Ask and you shall receive, so that your joy may be complete” (John 16:23-24). Father ever faithful to your Promises! Blessed Joseph Allamano always entrusted himself to you who are the loving Father of all your creatures. He summons us to “Put everything into your hands with no fear whatsoever because, he tells us, you never do things half-way”, and that you never disappoint your children who hope in you. Fired up by this hope, and certain that you never leave our supplications unanswered, we entrust ourselves entirely to you. Through the intercession of your faithful servant, we confidently ask you for the following favor… In communion with the whole missionary Church, we ask that Your Only Son whom you sent to save the world (See John 3:17) be accepted by all people as the Good Shepherd, and that soon there may be on earth only one fold under the guidance of one Shepherd (see John 10:6 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Saint Joseph Allamano, pray for us! JOIN US IN PRAYERS! On Facebook and on TikTok
Novena to Saint Joseph Allamano – Third Day
3rd Day: Hope in the Father’s providence “Look at the birds of the sky; they do not sow or reap; they gather nothing into barns; Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?” (Mt 6:26). Oh God, our Provident Father! All through his life, Saint Joseph Allamano experienced concretely the reality of your help. He assures us that, “We never have enough hope in your Providence”, because “You who give food to the birds of the sky will certainly give it to us even more abundantly.” We now turn to you, for we know that you are always near us, ever attentive to our needs. Through the intercession of your faithful servant, we confidently ask you for the following favor… In union with all the baptized of the world, we ask: May your Church spread and grow in all peoples. May it be the hidden leaven that transforms the world through the power of your Gospel (See Lk 13:20-21). Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Saint Joseph Allamano, pray for us! JOIN US IN PRAYERS! On Facebook and on TikTok