History of the Congregation of the Sisters Disciples of Jesus in the Eucharist.

HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS DISCIPLES OF JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST

Msgr. Raffaello Delle Nocche

The idea to give life to a new religious family, already cultivated in a prayer of humble expectation, might have flashed through the mind of Msgr. Raffaello Delle Nocche with a certain urgency while he was going up the lonely mountains of his Diocese and he might have felt that he had to induce  into it generous souls, able to face every sacrifice with love. The huge need for spiritual and social help  of these depressed and isolated populations, was certainly and incentive to create a religious congregation for which his name will enter into the history  of the Church as Founder of the Sisters Disciples of Jesus in the Eucharist.

A few months after his entrance in Tricarico, Msgr. Raffaello Delle Nocche was granted an audience with the Holy Father, Pope Pius XI. During their conversation the Bishop of Tricarico displayed before the Pope the difficult situation he had found in his Diocese, the abandonment of children and youth and the difficulty to find nuns available for that difficult social and religious apostolate.

The Holy Father was thoughtfully silent; but then with an inspired tone he said: “Why doesn’t the Bishop of Tricarico think about founding a Congregation of Sisters?”. Those words gave more light and order to the plan that Msgr. Raffaello had in his heart and accepted them as a clear sign of God’s will. The Divine Providence lovably arranged the events and opened the ways of its creation: it made him meet the one who was to be the cornerstone of the new Institution, his first, faithful collaborator Linda Machina and other generous souls who, with ardour of spirit, would be able to face the uncertainties and the sacrifices of the first hour, to become the roots of a tree rich in fruit.

 To start his work, the Providence soon gave him the house, even if so poor as to be humanely discouraging; it was the old Franciscan monastery of Saint Anthony, which the zeal of a holy priest of Tricarico, Father Pancrazio Toscano, was restoring from the ruins to which it had been reduced. The first sisters would find there a suitable environment to be uplifted to God in poverty and solitude, to practice with humility and mortification, as indispensable pillars of each foundation.

On May 9, 1924 it was Pope Pius XI himself who gave the name of the arising Congregation: “Disciples of Jesus in the Eucharist”. Msgr. Raffaello found it inspired by God and He was always extremely fond of that name, since it captured perfectly the aim (charism) and the inner and operational characteristics of his Congregation.

On August 14, 1927 with the authorization of the Holy See, the Father Founder began the canonical erection of the new religious family in his Diocese.

 On May 29, 1943 the congregation obtained the Decree of praise and on June 23, 1952 the definitive Pontifical Approval from Pope Pius XII.

Written by Unknown

We are Creative Blogger Theme Wavers which provides user friendly, effective and easy to use themes. Each support has free and providing HD support screen casting.