As we commemorate the 110th anniversary of the heavenly birth of our Founder, St. Louis Guanella (24 October 1915–2026), we are invited to enter into a meaningful spiritual journey as a Guanellian Family. October calls us to contemplate more deeply the Fatherhood of God revealed in the life and mission of St. Louis Guanella, to renew our devotion to Mary through the Holy Rosary, to strengthen our fraternal communion, and to prepare ourselves to celebrate the feast of our Founder on October 24th. This year, our celebration has a particular significance because Pope Leo XIV has dedicated his October prayer intention to persons experiencing mental-health difficulties.
This invitation touches the very heart of our Guanellian Charism.
More than a century ago, Fr. Guanella was already opening such a house of Mercy. The people whom society often considered poor, abandoned, disabled, or socially vulnerable, he saw not as a problem or a limitation, but as beloved children of God. His profound experience of God's Fatherhood transformed his way of looking at the human person and became the foundation of his charism. He therefore created homes where those who had been rejected could experience belonging, affection and family. His mission flowed from the conviction that every person possesses dignity and remains capable of love, growth and redemption. His profound trust in Divine Providence was expressed in the attitude,
Today, the suffering of many people is less visible but no less real. Anxiety, depression, loneliness, and other mental-health struggles can leave people isolated and afraid to speak about their pain. The invitation of Pope Leo therefore challenges us to examine our own Guanellian homes and communities: Are they places where people can truly say, “I am accepted, I am loved, I belong?” Our response must go beyond professional or material assistance. It calls for presence, patient listening, understanding, prayer, and the willingness to remain beside the person in his or her vulnerability. In this way, our ministry becomes a living expression of God's fatherhood.
As we celebrate the Feast of St. Louis Guanella on October 24th, may we renew his fatherly spirit by seeing the person before the problem and the dignity before the limitation. May we become, like St. Guanella, a welcoming presence for those who are fragile, forgotten, and in need of belonging.
In this month of the Holy Rosary, may Mary teach us to bring every suffering person before Christ and to unite prayer with compassionate service. May our communities become true schools of prayer, where contemplation leads us to love and serve the poor.
This October is also an important moment for our Divine Providence Province. From October 7th-22nd, the Provincial Council will visit our USA communities, accompanied by Rev. Fr. Soosai Rathinam SdC, Vicar General, as an opportunity for fraternal sharing, listening, encouragement, and communion. The Plenary Council Meeting, October 14th–15th, will be a moment of prayerful discernment and renewed responsibility for our Province. May these encounters strengthen our unity, deepen our fraternity, and help us discern together the path God is opening before us.
On October 20, 2026, we joyfully celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Priesthood of Fr. Enzo Addari, SdC. We thank God for his fifty years of faithful priestly and missionary service and pray that the Lord may continue to bless him with joy, strength, and renewed apostolic zeal.
May this October deepen in us a heart that welcomes rather than excludes, listens rather than judges, accompanies rather than abandons, and hopes when others see only limitations. May our homes become places where people find not only care, but family; not only assistance, but affection; not only service, but dignity, hope, and belonging. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Divine Providence, and St. Louis Guanella, may we remain faithful to our charism as children of the Father and brothers and sisters of the poor, bringing the tenderness of God's fatherly heart to the suffering and vulnerable of our time.
Read about these events and more in the latest issue of NEWS and VIEWS.
Fr. Gnanaraj, SdC
Provincial Superior
Making Charity the Heart of the World!
