2. PARTICIPATION AT THE LOCAL CHURCH Sacramental life  First Communion (April 1850) 12-13 years old  Confirmation (September 1850) “she felt a certain aversion to Confession.” “ The Homily and Confession made her bored” PERSONALIZATION OF THE FAITH “Mary knowingly opens herself to God and decides to surrender herself to God in freedom and love.” “All her experiences made her grow in the awareness of the centrality of Christ in her life.”

3. Passion for the Eucharist The commitment of daily participation. - Discomfort - Risks - Misunderstandings THE RADICALITY OF THE GOSPEL “ FOR ME LIFE IS CHRIST.”

4. DON PESTARINO, MAIN’S SPIRITUAL GUIDE DON PESTARINO, MAIN’S SPIRITUAL GUIDE To clarify ATTITUDES - The right intention - To be in control of herself - Clarification of motivations To appear good in front of people. “Look Main, in heaven what will matter is: ‘To do things with the right intention, to do things for God’.”

5. The importance of struggling against small defects - To know oneself, the personality traits “ fiery temperament, inclined to mischief, a lively sense of pride, seeking attention…” PROCESS OF CONVERSION GREATER DEPTH SEARCH FOR THE ESSENTIAL “ She was praying more”

6. “Our defects, if we fight against them with good will, are what will help us to move forward on the way of perfection, as long as we have true humility.” “It seems to me that if you know how to take her, she will turn out well. So it is with the others; each one has her defects. It is necessary to correct them with charity, but don’t expect them to be without defects nor should you expect that they will correct themselves all at once. Not at all !... Look, in order for you to succeed, you have to study individual characters and know how to deal with them. You need to inspire confidence.” DEFECTS AS POSSIBILITY OF NEW CONQUESTS, A FERTILE SOIL ON WHICH GOD CAN WORK. Great ability to understand people. Patience, respect the rhythm. A love that is strong and demanding. Deep intuition MAIN GROWS

7. To discern, despite the incomprehension “ Some viewed the novelties as abuse of independence, as Main’s desire to seek attention, and since they did not have the courage to talk directly to her, they turned to Petronilla.”  The townspeople “Petronilla recounts: One day some youngsters waited behind the cemetery and, with their faces covered, tried to scare us with threatening gestures.”  The relatives She followed her mission in the midst of contradictions and incomprehensions: THE EXILE AT THE VALPONASCA The Daughters of Mary Immaculate

8. “The window located in the west wall of the farmhouse opened to the horizons of Mornese and especially to the parish. It had become a powerful attraction to Main.” THE CHURCH, THE HOME THAT ATTRACTED HER THE CHURCH, THE HOME THAT ATTRACTED HER The Valponasca, school of life Main learns to: - CONTEMPLATE - GROW IN THE WISDOM THAT COMES FROM GOD.

9. The Valponasca, school of life T h e V a l p o n a s c a, s c h o o l o f l i f e  She personally learns the contents of the faith and deeply assimilates them.  She lives an authentic interior journey.  She learns to unite prayer and work.  … She seeks to create a spiritual climate that affects all the dimensions of her person. “Her life, though brief and of poor health, takes place with a series of impressive initiatives. But do not forget that Maria Mazzarello always went back to the source, and the source is the fullness of her interior life, her dialogue with God.” (Bishop of Asti in commemoration of the centenary of M. Mazzarello’s birth).

10. The parish Don Pestarino A gradual awareness of the need to form the youth.  Moral formation  Catechesis  Assistance to families Association of Mothers The Daughters of Mary Immaculate took care of their formation. “You could see Main’s commitment to guide these mothers in their most important duties, to be responsible for each of their actions, negligence or weakness.”

11. HER PARTICIPATION IN GOD’S PLAN “I entrust them to you” BORGOA LTO Main shares with her friend Petronilla the essential elements of this project: Teach the girls to sew and especially help them to know and love God. Her project is a project of Christian education in the Church. Cf. Chronicles 1. Her project is a project of Christian education in the Church. Cf. Chronicles 1.

12. “ to lead many souls to Jesus” “ to lead many souls to Jesus” The goal of an educator’s life is to bring people to the God of Jesus Christ, for it is only in Him that we find the meaning and the fullness of life.

13. THE COMMUNITY OF MORNESE The House of the Love of God THE COMMUNITY OF MORNESE The House of the Love of God The first FMA’s were women rooted in Christ: - They have encountered Him in their life - They have a personal experience of Christ - They experience His strength - They let themselves be transformed by God. The first FMA’s were women rooted in Christ: - They have encountered Him in their life - They have a personal experience of Christ - They experience His strength - They let themselves be transformed by God.

14. These women, religious and educators, live happily, in simplicity of heart, putting everything in common. Their mission is to bring Jesus to the young people of the world. These women, religious and educators, live happily, in simplicity of heart, putting everything in common. Their mission is to bring Jesus to the young people of the world.

15. Don Bosco who was a guest at Mornese in July 1873 describes the environment: “Here though one can enjoy plenty of fresh air, one can also feel the fire of God’s love”. Letter of 03-07-1873