The Province of Portugal has the glory of having been founded by Mary of the Passion herself in 1895. After her stay of two months in Portuguese territory, the first F.M.M. community was established in Lisbon and the novitiate house was decided and accepted in Braga. Mother Foundress confided “the Mission of Portugal” to M. Ste. Cécile who accepted this with all devotedness and faith, beyond her time as Provincial, 1895-1910.

The coronavirus pandemic is a reality in the world and especially in Italy. Indeed, this country is very affected by the epidemic with hundreds of deaths every day, leaving us perplexed by the magnitude of the phenomenon. It confirms what Sister Françoise said in her letter of 16 March 2020 to the whole Institute: And now the “Covid-19” has suddenly burst into our globalized world and in the blink of an eye has disrupted our lives and the economy in more than half of the countries of the world, and is falling on rich and poor alike. Who would have imagined this?

When the Ignatian Spirituality Project was seeking a location to establish itself in Rhode Island in 2014, one of the essentials - aside from staff, program and participants - was the need to find the perfect location in which to be housed, welcomed and fed, physically and spiritually. This need for "hospitality" brought about a collaboration between the Jesuit-sponsored project - the Ignatian Spirituality Project - and the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, who own one of the only retreat houses in Rhode Island.

“If it is my work it will perish with me, but if it is God’s it will continue!” said Maman Passion. Two years from now we will be celebrating the centenary of the inception of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Baramulla. Right from the genesis of this Mission, this “Vessel” has faced turbulent times in the journey of its life; storms either small or big on its precious and fabulous journey. When we flip through the breathtaking life journey lived by the dedicated pioneer sisters who left remarkable and evergreen memories of this campus, this becomes one of the FMM heritage sites in India.