Walking around Rome we often overhear: ‘have you ever seen green sisters?’, ‘who are they?’ Some people are astonished and say: ‘they are the sisters of hope’ or ‘they are ecological sisters’, or ‘they are bio-sisters’ whilst others say ‘they are the sisters from the grotto at Tre Fontane (Three Fountains)’.
Yes we are! Our green habit reminds us of the Virgin of Revelation who appeared in Rome in 1947 wearing a green mantle.
The Virgin Mary appeared in Rome, on the Via Laurentina close to the place where St Paul was martyred, to 3 children and their Protestant father, Bruno Cornacchiola, and converted him. The Virgin Mary had a book clutched to her breast and wore a green mantle.
What is the significance of the book that the Virgin Mary held to her heart? The book is the Word of God or Divine Revelation. In St Luke’s Gospel it is written: ‘As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart’. (Lk 2:19) The Virgin is the custodian of the Word as that which doesn’t penetrate our hearts cannot be loved and guarded.
The Missionaries of Divine Revelation have welcomed this teaching and they profoundly desire to know and love Jesus Christ through an intense interior life and a far reaching apostolate that is an urgency, an act of love by the ‘green sisters’ towards this confused generation.
The secret of a good Missionary of Divine Revelation is to be crazy about Jesus which really means to study and treasure His Word and to meet him daily in the Eucharist where He feeds us with Himself.
A good ‘green’ Missionary buzzes around the Tabernacle like a bee, loves the Virgin Mary, obeys the Holy Father, the ‘Sweet Christ on Earth’, and pays particular attention that the daily Liturgy is celebrated with love.
Every Missionary of Divine Revelation lives in this way because, together with the Community, we form one unique body that fraternally loves each member each carrying out our active apostolate nourished by our Community that prays for us!