The Spiritan community at the Generalate gathered with deep joy and gratitude to celebrate a double anniversary: the feast of Blessed Jacques Laval and the 60 years of the Generalate House at Clivo di Cinna, the heart of the Congregation’s service of communion, governance, and missionary discernment. The celebration brought together confreres, sisters, lay collaborators, and friends who joined in prayer and thanksgiving for this milestone in the Congregation’s history.
In his welcome note, the Superior General recalled the significance of this anniversary. Sixty years have passed since the Congregation moved its General House from Paris to Rome—a decision first envisioned in 1938 and finally confirmed at the General Chapter of 1962. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, then Superior General, saw this move as a prophetic step: a sign that the Congregation was becoming truly international and needed to reposition itself at the heart of the Church and the world. Rome offered proximity to other religious congregations, to the Roman Dicasteries, and to the universal Church. More importantly, it symbolized a new missionary vision: a Generalate at the service of all confreres and of the Gospel’s proclamation throughout the world.
The Superior General expressed heartfelt gratitude for all those who contributed to this journey: the Superiors General and their councils, the confreres who worked in administration, the brothers and lay collaborators who cared for the house, and the countless missionaries who passed through its doors before returning to their missions. He remembered with affection the Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (Suore di Maria Ausiliatrice) , who sold the property and generously delayed their departure; the lorry drivers who transported the community’s belongings from Paris to Rome in the rain; and Quinto, the lay coordinator who worked tirelessly to prepare the house.
During the Eucharistic celebration, the Superior General offered a homily linking the anniversary with the witness of Blessed Jacques Laval, the “Apostle of Mauritius.” Drawing from Isaiah’s image of the messenger running across the mountains proclaiming “Your God reigns!”, he highlighted Laval as a true bearer of the Gospel—one who brought dignity, peace, and hope to the poorest, especially the freed slaves. Laval’s missionary style was marked not by efficiency but by pastoral charity: “We must love people, love the poor, and do them good.”
The Gospel mandate “Go and make disciples of all nations” illuminated both Laval’s life and the Congregation’s move to Rome. The Superior General recalled the emotional farewell written in the Paris community’s diary on 31 July 1966: “Adieu 393 rue des Pyrénées…” The journey to Rome was a missionary exodus requiring courage, collaboration, and faith. The new house, despite initial challenges, was welcomed with joy as an “enchanting site.”
Today, the Generalate stands not merely as a building but as a centre of mission, unity, and prayer. It preserves the memory of Poullart des Places and Libermann and continues to be the place where the Spiritan mission is discerned and sent forth.
The celebration was enriched by the presence of former Superiors General, Superior General of the Missionaries of Africa, A Sister representing the General Superior of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles and two Spiritan bishops. After Mass, the community shared an aperitif and a festive barbecue, marking the day with fraternity, thanksgiving, and joy.
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