Pope to nuns: You are instruments of the Lord

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"We are all instruments in the wise hands of God!" Pope Francis said in an address to Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalice and Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, who visited the Vatican on Thursday on the occasion of their General Chapters.

The Holy Father began the encounter by expressing appreciation for their visit to reaffirm their dedication to the service of God and the Church. 

"Service," he observed, "is indeed a common element in your foundations, which took place in the same historical period of the nineteenth century, albeit in different circumstances."

The Holy Father took a moment to recall their respective foundresses.

He first noted that Sofia Camilla Truszkowska, later known as Sister Angela Maria, founded the Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalice in Warsaw, "in a Poland troubled by war, to serve children, disabled persons, and young people at risk." 

During the same period, in Savona, Italy, the Pope recalled, another young woman by the name of Benedetta Rossello, who later would be known as Sister Maria Giuseppa, began, under the guidance of her Bishop, serving the poor, children, and young women, as she founded the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy.

Reminding the sisters that God works through them, he marvelled: "Who is able to imagine what the Lord will draw out from our small 'yes'?"

With this in mind, Pope Francis encouraged them to renew their adherence to God's will, in fidelity to their vows and in docility to the action of the Holy Spirit.

"Surrender yourselves to Him," the Pope urged, "and give everything, always, with generosity."

Pope Francis meets with Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalice, and Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy.