Servants of Charity

Beloved Guanellian Family!

As we enter the sacred month of March, traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph, our hearts turn toward him, to whom the Church invokes as the Patron of a Happy Death, the Silent Guardian of the Redeemer, and the Tender Comforter of Souls at the threshold of eternity.

In a world that fears death, hides suffering, and often abandons the elderly and the dying to isolation, the Guanellian charism calls us to stand where others withdraw, beside the fragile, the forgotten, and those making their final passage to the Father's house. The Pious Union of St. Joseph, founded by St. Louis Guanella at the Basilica of San Giuseppe, Trionfale in Rome, was born from this profound evangelical intuition: that all souls could cross into eternity with the embrace of prayer. Inspired and encouraged personally by Pope St. Pius X, who enrolled himself as its first member; this “Global Crusade of Prayer” unites millions across the world in daily intercession: 

 “O St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus Christ and true spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray for us and for the dying of this day.”

This mission remains urgent for us in India today. I strongly urge that devotion to the Pious Union of St. Joseph be actively spread throughout our Province in every community of the SDC Fathers, the DSMP Sisters, the Guanellian Cooperators, and the members of the Pious Union itself especially through the pastoral zeal of our parish priests in all our parishes. Let every parish become a sanctuary of intercession; let every Wednesday adoration, Eucharistic celebration, catechetical gathering remember the dying; let the Golden Book of the sick grow in our communities; let priests commit themselves generously to offering Masses for those who depart this world each day. St. Joseph stands as guardian at that mysterious door of heaven.

The calendar of the month of March gathers our Province into a profound spiritual journey marked by renewal, communion, and contemplation.

1. Formation School for the Guanellian Family (March 17th–19th, St. Joseph's Seminary - Cuddalore) SDC Fathers with 10 years of Priesthood, DSMP Sisters and Guanellian Cooperators in a shared reflection on the Charism, a grace-filled opportunity to renew consecration and rekindle the apostolic fire of Don Guanella.
   
   
2. Annual Retreat – Second Batch (March 23–28, 2026, Basilica of Velankanni) is a sacred pause for deeper prayer and interior renewal, entrusting our journey to Our Lady, Star of the Sea, who guides every missionary heart to Christ.
   
   
3. Holy Week preparation invites every community to enter the silence of Calvary with reverence, allowing the mystery of the Passion to purify our service and deepen our compassion for the suffering and the dying.
   
   
4. The fraternal visit of Fr. Soosai Rathinam strengthens the bond of communion and shared responsibility within the Province, reminding us that our mission flourishes through unity and mutual encouragement. Thus, the month of March becomes not simply a schedule of events, but a spiritual pilgrimage, a collective call to live as true guardians of souls in the spirit of St. Joseph.

Read about these events and more in the latest issue of NEWS and VIEWS.

Fr. Gnanaraj, SdC

Provincial Superior