Rome, June 15, 2025
Dies natalis of the Daughters of St. Paul
Dearest Sisters and young women in formation,
One week after Pentecost, we gather today on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity to celebrate 110 years of our journey—a history marked by the faithful, tireless steps of the Daughters of St. Paul. These are the footsteps of women who dared to say “yes,” even in darkness, boldly setting out along the ever-new paths the Spirit opens to carry forth the Word.
It is a beautiful convergence: Pentecost, the Holy Trinity, our Dies natalis. What unites these moments is the presence of the Holy Spirit—the Protagonist, who dwells in our hearts, speaks to us, inspires new beginnings, collaborates in creation, and urges us beyond the limits of human logic. This “new Pentecost” was the prophetic vision of our Founder, who sent us forth on an unprecedented mission: an apostolate that makes it possible for everyone to hear the marvelous story of God’s wonders through the diverse languages of communication. And so, the Word resounds and runs to the ends of the earth—to the peripheries of existence and thought—because our covenant with God and one another unfolds in the very places where life happens.
Together with Fr. Alberione, we remember, especially today, the wise and gentle presence of Prima Maestra Thecla. In her daily life, in actions as much as in words, she became a living sign, teaching us that evangelization is not just about spreading the Gospel, but “practicing the Gospel first.” That is, only by living the Gospel can we truly communicate its transforming power.
We therefore renew our commitment to be prophetic witnesses wherever we are sent to carry out our mission, signs of a life transfigured by the Beatitudes, and signs of a humanity capable of engaging in meaningful dialogue with the world around us. We strive to proclaim the Gospel with a “disarmed and disarming communication,” full of faith, hope, and love, making our witness credible. Even in the fast-evolving digital and technological world, which, as Pope Leo reminds us is one of today’s “rerum novarum”, we are called to enter with “responsibility and discernment,” as apostles of Jesus Christ in the field of communication.
At the heart of these challenges —and reflected in the theme of our upcoming General Chapter: Impelled by the fire of the Spirit, listening to contemporary humanity, we communicate the Gospel of hope—lies a renewed conviction: God delights in accomplishing great things through what is small. This is the witness of our charismatic story. And so, 110 years after our founding, we reaffirm our faith in the symbolic power of the Gospel’s tiny mustard seed which, though small, holds the promise of growth and fruit “so the birds of the air come and nest in its branches” (Mt 13:32).
I wish you all a happy anniversary, as do all the sisters of the General Government. May Fr. Alberione and Maestra Thecla intercede for us, obtaining the grace of new vocations, so that our congregation may continue to grow according to God’s plan and the desire of His heart.
In communion of joy and hope,
Sr Anna Caiazza
Superior General
