(ANS – Rome) – On Sunday 24 June, Feast of the Successor of Don Bosco, Mother Yvonne Reungoat, Superior of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians gave the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, the latest book published on Venerable Sr Maria Troncatti, entitled: “La grazia di un sì tutto donato”.

On May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree on the miracle cure attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Maria Troncatti. It is precisely on the life and work of Sr. Maria Troncatti that “The Grace of a Total Yes, Maria Troncatti Missionary in the Amazon Forest,” the recent book of Sr. Maria Collino, is focused. This volume was recently released by the publisher, Elledici-LDC of Turin.  It is the second biography after “The Jungle, Country of the Heart,” dedicated to the future Blessed. Translations in other languages should appear soon.

The book contains 17 chapters that follow the entire life of Sr. Maria beginning with her encounter with the Salesians when she was still a ten year old child and received the Salesian Bulletin given to her by her elementary school teacher. There she read of the missions and discovered new horizons. It ends with her death on August 25, 1969, when the plane she was in as she travelled to Quito crashed.

Sr. Maria’s life is filled with rich experiences, a truly adventurous life. She was born on February 16, 1883, the third of four children, at Còrteno Golgi on the Lombardy Alps of Northern Italy. She left her family and birthplace to enter the postulancy on October 15, 1905. She never returned home. . Her suffering in leaving her dear ones and her homeland was so great that she could not go back to the place that gave her birth.

In fact many years later, on the eve of her 85th birthday, she wrote a letter to her nieces and nephews. In it she spoke of her old and ever present suffering. “You tell me that you are always hoping to see me return to Italy. At my age it is impossible and not the fault of my Superiors. They have told me many times that they would let me come to see my family if I wanted to. I never accepted, first because my place is here, but also because, when the day to leave arrived, the detachment from my parents, Superiors, country, language, from everything cost me dearly. When I boarded the boat, I said goodbye forever. We will see each other once again in Heaven.”

Suffering and hope are constants in the life of Sr. Maria. Before leaving for South America on the way to Guayaquil in 1922, typhoid and the First World War (1915-1918) deeply affected the soul and spirit of the Blessed. Even after her arrival in the Amazon Forest, there were many hard moments to face, but Sr. Maria was ‘the woman of the yes’. She never turned back despite the many difficulties. All this and more is in the book. Sr. Maria Collino succeeds in making the story of this extraordinary Daughter of Mary Help of Christians relevant and involving, thanks to her refreshing and flowing style.

Published 27/06/2012