World Federation of Former Students of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians

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The World Federation of Former Students of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians ( en .: World-wide Confederation of Past-Pupils of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians , it .: Confederazione mondiale exallieve ed exallevi delle figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice ) is also known under the abbreviation Former FMA students . The abbreviation FMA represents the religious symbol "Daughters of Mary Help of Christians" and refers to the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco . The Catholic Federation was founded in 1908 and has belonged to the "Salesian Family" since 1988. It has been an association of believers recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as a spiritual community of lay people since 1991 and has been included in the register of international lay communities kept by the Council . It has 40,000 members in Italy, is represented in 49 countries around the world and has millions of members.

history

In 1908, alumni who had been taught in the schools of the Don Bosco sisters met in Turin . Together with Don Filippe Rinaldi SDB and sister Catarina Arrighi , they formed a group that wanted to maintain the educational legacy of Don Bosco and Maria Dominica Mazzarello ( FMA ) worldwide.

The women's group is dedicated to the education of young people, childcare, support for workers, farmers and teachers. To this end, they founded evening schools for housewives, free vocational schools , health and savings banks , information offices, mobile libraries and theater groups . Another field of activity was the supervision, preparation and training of Italian emigrants . On the 100th anniversary of Don Bosco's death, the World Federation was accepted into the Salesian family as an independent group by the Grand Rector of the Salesians, Aegidius Viganò . The first general assembly took place in Turin in 1991.

Self-image

The World Federation includes a holistic education on the basis of the Gospel and which is intended to promote alumni to its self-image . Therefore, the association focuses on alumni who are not Christians. Another priority work is the preservation and promotion of human dignity and the self-image of women. Therefore, the association does not run an independent work, the members are increasingly involved in the charitable area, in literacy and catechesis and work primarily in youth centers.

Organization and dissemination

Logo of the Salesians Don Bosco

The organization is currently headed by a President (since 2012 Paola Staiano), the main office is based in Rome . The former students of the FMA work in 49 countries worldwide ( Africa , Asia , Europe , the Middle East , North America and South America ) and as of 2006 numbered over millions among their members. Men and women who have attended the schools of the Don Bosco sisters can become members of the associations.

Structurally, the organization is organized in basic groups ("association"), all associations form a federation at state level, which then ends in the World Federation. Each level holds general assemblies that elect a council and executive commission made up of lay people. The top level, the World Federation ("World Council"), sets up an arbitration panel and the finance panel. The World Federation is assigned to the jurisdiction of the Superior General of the Salesians and is supervised and subject to the Vicar General of the Don Bosco Sisters. The General Vicariate leads with the “counseling”, organizes the formation and spiritual leadership of the World Federation.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The 30 member associations of the Salesian Family : Archive link ( Memento of June 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).
  2. ^ New World Alumni Council ( Memento from June 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) from July 16, 2012