For some years now, the Generalate community has held a garden party in the grounds of the house for friends and members of other congregations, in the past, around the time of Pentecost and, in recent years on Pentecost Sunday.
The Feast of Pentecost was joyfully celebrated in the beautiful chapel of the Combonian Sisters, chosen for its capacity as our own was too small for the occasion. The liturgical ceremony was led by Cardinal José Tolentino De Mendonça, Prefect for the Dicastery for Culture and Education here in Rome. Among the distinguished attendees were Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital, Ambassador of Portugal to the Holy See, Mr. Gabriel Gabkwet, High-Ranking Diplomat of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Italian Republic, Mr. David Li, Counsellor of the Embassy of Taiwan to the Holy See, Rev. Mons. Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, alongside other prominent ecclesiastical figures, Superior Generals of various Congregations, priests, sisters, and lay faithful.
In his homily, Cardinal José Tolentino De Mendonça underlined the theme of “the Holy Spirit as the great agent of transformation” and here is the summary:
The foundational question of Christianity is how life emerges from the seemingly tragic and dystopian event of Jesus’ death on the cross. The disciples, struggling to understand, initially viewed the crucifixion as a frustrating end. However, the Paschal mystery—encompassing both death and resurrection—demonstrates that this relationship with Jesus not only continues but becomes stronger.
Jesus reassures his followers in the Gospel of John, promising the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who empowers faith, hope, and love. The Spirit defends the boldness of hope and allows Christians to perceive the world as a place filled with divine encounters rather than emptiness. It is through the Spirit that believers develop the capacity to hope, love, and remain faithful. Every Christian, therefore, is a consequence of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
The Acts of the Apostles illustrate Pentecost as a transformative event where the Spirit enables unity despite linguistic and cultural differences. The Holy Spirit makes Christianity dynamic and ever-present, inspiring new expressions of faith and missionary work. It is not simply a repetition of past traditions, but a creative force that shapes believers and the Church.
Furthermore, the Spirit often moves ahead of the Church, challenging its preconceived notions. The story of Peter’s vision at Joppa highlights the necessity of adapting to the Spirit’s guidance. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is the force that transforms inertia into missionary dynamism, pushing believers toward new horizons of faith and renewal.
The liturgy was punctuated with readings from the celebration of the Pentecost as well as liturgical songs lead by the Generalate community and the Priests students community of Villa Notre Dame. As the ceremony came to a close, we sang the Ave Maria with verses in different languages to express our shared joy for the countless blessing the Lord has given to our religious family over the world through the intercession of the Blessed Mary under whose Immaculate heart our congregation is placed.
We returned to our garden where a wonderful buffet had been. As usual, our guests showed a marked reluctance to leave… a sure sign that they had enjoyed the evening as much as we had!
