THE PRAYING MOTHERS OF LU MONFERRATO

The little Village of Lu, in northern Italy, is one of the Church's unique examples of spiritual motherhood for priests and religious. This village of almost 3,000 inhabitants is in a rural area 50km east of Turin. It would still be completely unknown even today if, in the year 1881, the family mothers in Lu had not made a decision with 'serious' consequences.

Some of the mothers held within their hearts the desire that one of their sons become a priest or that a daughter place her life completely in God's service. Under the direction of their parish priest, Mons. Alessandro Canora, they began gathering every Tuesday for adoration before the tabernacle, asking the Lord for vocations. They received Holy Communion on the first Sunday of every month with this same intention.

After Mass all the mothers prayed a prayer together, requesting vocations to the priesthood. Through the trusting prayer of these mothers and the openness of the other parents, a deep atmosphere of joyful, Christian piety developed in the families, making it much easier for the children to recognise their vocations. Did the Lord Jesus not say: "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Mt 22:14)? That is, many are called, but only a few respond to the call.

Noone expected that God would hear and respond to the prayers of the mothers in such an extraordinary way. From this tiny village of Lu came 323 vocations, 152 priests and 171 nuns. More than 100 of them are still alive today.

As many as 3 or 4 vocations came from some of these families. The most famous example is the Rinaldi family, from whom God called 7 children. The most famous of the Rinaldi brothers is Blessed Filippo Rinaldi, who became the 3^rd successor to St John Bosco as Superior General of the Salesians. Pope John Paul II beatified him on April 29, 1990.

As in the Rinaldi family, many of the vocations from this small town became Salesians. It is certainly not a coincidence for St John Bosco visited Lu 4 times in his life. Even on his first visit there he took back with him 6 young women who wanted to join his congregation in Turin.

During another visit he concelebrated the first Mass of his spiritual son, Filippo Rinaldi. Filippo always happily remembered the faith of the families of Lu: "A faith that made our fathers and mothers say, 'The Lord gave us our children and so if He calls them, we can't say no.'"