NOTES 1 In Alberionian thinking, it is important to distinguish between devotion and devotions. The difference may be likened to that between “the rules of good manners and a good formation. Devotions are practices of piety which may differ from person to person and may at times not even be a good thing. True devotion is God’s gift … it does not consist in many practices of piety but in donation and perfect consecration. [This means that] one thinks only of the things of God or of those things inherent to his service. One wants only God and his glory in the brethren” (From a sermon to the Sisters of Jesus Good Shepherd, March 27, 1949. Translation mine). 2 Giacomo Alberione, Vademecum: Selezioni di brani sulle linee qualificanti del suo carisma, A cura di Angelo Colacrai. (Milano: Edizioni Paoline, 1992) n. 590, pp. 225-226. This collection of Alberionian writings has not been translated into English; all translations from this source, unless otherwise specified, have been made by the writer of this doctoral project. The writer also emphasized certain phrases in this and other quotations by placing them in italics. 3 Ibid., n. 597, p. 228. 4 Ibid., n. 590, p. 228. 5 Ibid., n. 579, p 222 and n. 582, p. 223. 6 From a talk of Alberione to the Daughters of St. Paul, 1957. Translation and emphasis mine. 7 Most of the prayers are found in Prayers of the Pauline Family composed by Alberione himself (the bibliographical information will be given in the endnotes when specific quotations are utilized from this book). This manual remains one of the most authentic sources of light to understand Alberionian spirituality, particularly in terms of his personal relationship with God. 8 The original edition was published at Alba and Rome by the Society of St. Paul, in 1932. Edizione critica a cura di Andrea Damino ( Roma: Casa Generalizia della Societa’ San Paolo, 1984). At the time of the writing of this project, there is as yet no official translation of the critical edition into English, but a translation exists, with the title Until Christ Be Formed In You, Boston: Daughters of St. Paul, 1983. Quotes are taken from this translation, though the numbering of the passages follows that of the critical edition because this English text is not numbered. At times the quotations have been translated by the writer of this doctoral project; this will be noted as “translation mine.” 9 The book is actually little more than a collection of notes and brief comments on aspects of Pauline spirituality. An attempt is made to order these insights in a systematic way, but the book is not a well-developed presentation so much as an outline. However, even a brief phrase or a particular word acquires significance in view of later Alberionian writings. Significantly, these notes do cover the essential elements of Alberionian Christological spirituality. 10 These two quotations are taken from a series of commentaries written by Guido Gandolfo on Donec Formetur Christus in vobis (hereafter referred to as DF) which was published in the Society of St. Paul Bulletin, San Paolo. These passages are from the June 1997 issue, p. 12. Translation mine. 11 Damino, “Introduction” to DF critical edition, 14. 12 Ibid. 13 This section is a revised version of part of a paper given by the author in February 1999 during the Asian-Australian Continental Meeting on the Formation of the Daughters of St. Paul, held in Manila. The whole paper was entitled “The Centrality of Jesus Master Way, Truth, Life in Pauline Formation for Asia and Australia” (cf ACTS, 1-29 and the attached Bibliography, i-iv). The particular portion dealt with here was n. 3 – “Alberionian Christology in Donec formetur Christus in vobis “ (ACTS 13-17). 14 Any good theological dictionary of the New Testament will give these meanings, which are, by now, well-known. 15 From a homily given by Fr. Alberione to a group of Catholic teachers, about 1960. Primary source is available in the Pauline Archives in Rome. 16 The Founder utilized many passages from the Pauline letters to explain his charism, and the passage he quoted the greatest number of times was precisely Gal. 2:20. Giovanni Roatta, ssp, who made a study of this, found that Alberione referred to it 105 times; the next passage most frequently cited was Phil 2:8, in a total of 35 times—much less compared to the Galatians passage (cf San Paolo e la Famiglia Paolina nel pensiero di don Giacomo Alberione, Ariccia: Centro di Spiritualita’ Paolina, 1973, p. 10). 17 From the first circular letter of the Founder, 1934, as reported in the Appendix (no page numbers indicated) to the Constitutions and Directory of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul, translated and printed by the Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, 1984. Primary source is available in the Pauline Archives in Rome. 18 Cf the taped talk of Charles Bernard, Jesuit professor of Spirituality at the Gregorian University, to the FSP Jesus Master Commission, Rome, 1998. 19 The prayer, entitled “Consecration of Oneself to Mary” was composed around 1937-1938 for the consecration of novices to Mary. Cf Prayers of the Pauline Family, translated and printed by the Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, 1991. For a commentary with notes on this prayer, cf Eliseo Sgarbossa and Silvano M. De Blasio, eds, The Marian Prayers of Father Alberione: History and Commentary, trans. Claire Philip Paquette, Mary Nazarene Prestofilippo, Mary James Berger (Rome: Editions of the General Historical Archives of the Pauline Family, 1988), 58-62. 20 Rosario Esposito, ed., Carissimi in San Paolo: Lettere, articoli, opuscoli, scritti inediti di Don Giacomo Alberione dal 1933 al 1969 (Roma: Societa’ San Paolo, 1971), 1331. 21 Giacomo Alberione, Abundantes Divitiae Gratiae Suae: Charismatic History of the Pauline Family, trans. Mike Byrnes (Rome: Society of St. Paul General House, 1998), n.182. 22 Ibid., n. 93. 23 Ibid., n. 100. 24 Homily to Catholic teachers, given around 1960. Primary source is available in the Pauline Archives in Rome. 25 Reported in Elena Bosetti, sgbp, “The Master-Shepherd: The Ineritance of Fr. Alberione for the Pastorelle Sisters,” in Jesus, the Master Yesterday, Today and For Ever: The Spirituality of the Pauline Communicator – Acts of the International Seminar on “Jesus the Master,” Ariccia, October 14-24, 1996, trans. Andres R. Arboleda, Jr. (Rome: Society of St. Paul General House, 1997), 195. 26 The writer of this project is indebted especially to Elena Bosetti of the Shepherdess Sisters who communicated the results of her research on her congregation’s spirituality in her talk given during the 1996 Seminar on Jesus the Master (cf note n. 25 for bibliographical information). 27 Following the apostolic criterion of Pauline spirituality, Christ as Master is eminently suited to the common mission of the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul, called to teach, to communicate the Gospel to all, and bring humanity as disciples to the school of Jesus Master. The other Pauline congregations too find obvious links between their apostolates and the Jesus Master devotion.
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