VATICAN CITY, OCT 30, 2004 (VIS) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope received 2,500 pilgrims from the religious families founded by Blessed Luigi Guanella - the Servants of Charity, the Daughters of Blessed Mary of Providence and the representatives of lay movements.
"One hundred years ago," said the Holy Father, "Blessed Luigi Guanella came to Rome with several collaborators 'to do some good for our neighbor'. Since then, dear members of his spiritual family, you have not ceased following in his footsteps. ... And even now, seeking to be 'good Samaritans' for the poor, you administer avant-garde works that answer the changing needs of the times with a many-faceted apostolate of charity."
Referring to the care they give to the terminally ill, John Paul II recalled that Fr. Guanella founded "the Pious Union of the Passing of St. Joseph for the dying, thus stimulating a current of prayers to help all those who are about to cross the threshold into eternity."
"You have learned from your blessed founder," he continued, "that to give love to our brothers, we must draw from the furnace of divine charity, thanks to a constant contact with Christ in prayer. May you be animated by that strong spirit of faith which induced Fr. Guanella to say repeatedly: 'It is God Who acts, we are only the instruments of Providence'."
The Holy Father told the members of the Guanella families that he hoped that the presence in Rome these days of the Blessed's mortal remains "will encourage you to imitate his virtues in order to aim, with all your strength, to the 'high plain' of Christian life, that is, holiness."
AC/CENTENARY BLESSED GUANELLA/... VIS 20041103 (290)
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