05 Feb GC XXI. Today… “All that remains for us to do is to give thanks.”
A special day for all the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and also for all those who accompanied us this day with a very special affection. The reception of the remains of Mother Pilar in the church of Martinez Campos – a place of dreams, of encounter, a place that speaks of a profound search for the will of God and a process of reconciliation – strengthens our sense of belonging and of communion with the roots of the Institute. Therefore, as Mother Pilar said at the end of her life, “all that remains for us to do is to give thanks.”
We celebrated the Eucharist with the joy of having among us the nieces and nephews of Mother Pilar and St. Raphaela Mary, the Lamamié family, so dear to Mother Pilar, alumni, adorers, the ACI Family, members of the Educational Foundation, ACI Groups, and some sisters from Madrid. It was a familiar celebration of appreciation and affection for Mother Pilar and the Handmaids.
In the homily, Fr. Pedro Aliaga, Provincial of the Trinitarians, spoke to us with great affection for Mother Pilar, sharing her character and virtues as if he had known her personally. At the end of the Mass, four sisters placed the urn in the prepared niche, next to the statue of St. Joseph, patron and protector of all the houses of the Institute. Meanwhile, we all prayed the Te Deum, a prayer that M. Pilar and the first Handmaids always prayed to thank God for the important events.
Continuing the work of the General Congregation, in the morning, Sister Elina Graceffa, General Bursar, presented the report on the Administration of the Institute, which helped us to understand the fundamental nature of the management of the goods for the service of the mission.
At the end of the afternoon, we took the first steps in the process of electing the General Assistants.
We concluded the day with an adoration, full of gratitude because, once again, “all that remains for us to do is to give thanks.”
