FMA - DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

Despite the hardships the sisters had to undergo in the beginning, there was great joy, cheerfulness, optimism and enthusiasm which were clear signs of the presence and working of the Holy Spirit in their midst. On October 8, 1874, the Salesian Sisters were able to open their second house in Borgo San Martino - a School, Oratory and a workroom and the spirit spread far and wide that gradually many houses were opened and many young girls were reached out.

Maria Domenica Mazzarello and her first companions made their final profession on August 28, 1875 in the presence of Don Bosco, after receiving their initial formation from the Sisters of St. Anne. It was a golden day when on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8th, 1878 Don Bosco presented the Sisters with the original printed version of the Constitutions.

The mission of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the “Salvation of the young” and the specific charism of the founder Don Bosco and the co-foundress Mother Mazzarello began to spread beyond the frontiers of Italy to France, the America and exactly half a century after its foundation to India in 1922.

We the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, known as the FMAs, work with one mind and heart for the Salvation of the young, facing courageously the challenges of the world. Evangelization of the young is our primary mission and we carry it out through various means, most fundamental of it being Education. Educating the young using Preventive System, the heart of Don Bosco's legacy to his entire Salesian Family, ‘Reason’, ‘Religion’ and ‘Loving Kindness’, are the three pillars of the world we build for and with the young. Don Bosco's motto, “da mihi animas cetera tolle” (Give me souls and take away the rest), the same which motivated Mother Mazzarello, is the impetus for every Salesian Sister today to dedicate herself completely to the young, especially the poorest and the least in the society. As her daughters we place ourselves with a complete filial devotion under the guidance and protection of our Blessed Mother, Mary Help of Christians. In fact, Don Bosco intended this Institute as a living monument to Mary Help of Christians.