Sr. Angela Vallese was the leader of the first missionary expedition of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in 1877. She dedicated her life to missionary work, serving for 36 years in Uruguay and Argentina and helping to establish the first FMA houses in South America. Her letters demonstrate her dedication to serving the poor, her encouragement of the other sisters, and her request for additional sisters to aid in missionary work among the indigenous peoples of South America. She is remembered today for her pioneering spirit and example of missionary zeal.

2.  A missionary of the first giyr!
On November 14, 1877 she left for
America as the leader of the first FMA
missionary expedition
 A soul rich in faith.

3. Inflamed with love for God and others.
A life of absolute dedication and total
obedience.

4.  A protagonist of a generous missionary life,
willing to make a gift of herself, ready to sacrifice,
humble, daring, invincible - like the Patagonia
wind - in facing every type of difficulty in her
36 years of missionary life.

5. Sr. Angela Vallese
first among the early missionaries

7. «It is true that now a vast distance separates us, but we can console
ourselves with the thought that this life is very short, and the day will
soon come when we will meet again in Eternity, if we have observed our
Holy Rule exactly. Although an immense sea separates us, we can meet
and be close to one another at every moment in the Most Sacred Heart
of Jesus. We can always pray for each other and so our hearts will always
be united.»
(L 22. To the Community Animator of the House of Montevideo - Villa Colón -
Uruguay, Sr. Angela Vallese – Nizza [Monferrato], April 9, 1879)

8. «Take courage, my good Sisters; Jesus must be your whole strength.
With Jesus, burdens become light, fatigue becomes easy, thorns are turned
into sweetness ...»
(L 22. To the Community Animator of the House of Montevideo-Villa Colón - Uruguay,
Sr. Angela Vallese – Nizza [Monferrato], April 9, 1879)

9. «You tell me that you have a lot to do, and I'm happy, because work is the father
of virtue. When we work, whims [grilli] disappear , and we are always cheerful.
While I recommend you to work, I also recommend that you take care of your
health, and I also recommend that you all work without ambition and only to
please Jesus. I would like you to instil into the hearts of all those dear Sisters a
love for sacrifice, self-contempt, and absolute detachment from their own will.
We became Sisters to assure ourselves of Heaven, but sacrifices are needed to
win it. Let us carry the cross with courage, and one day we will be happy.»
(L 25. To the Community Animator of the House of Montevideo-Villa Colón
[Uruguay], Sr. Angela Vallese - Nizza [Monferrato], July 22, 1879)

10. «Courage then, let us truly imitate our dearest Jesus in everything, especially in
humility and charity... Pray also for me that I too, may do the same. Be cheerful
then! ... Always cheerful. Never take offence. Rather, as soon as you notice that
someone needs some comfort, give it to her immediately;
console and help one another! ...»
(L 26. To the Sisters of the House of Montevideo-Villa Colón [Uruguay] –
Nizza [Monferrato], September 11, 1879)

11. «My good Sr. Angiolina, take courage, be cheerful
and keep all those dear Sisters of mine cheerful.
The Lord loves you very much; it is up to you to love
Him in return, isn't it true?»
(L 27. To the Community Animator Sr. Angela Vallese and the
Sisters of the Houses of Montevideo-Villa Colón and
Las Piedras [Uruguay] - Nizza [Monferrato], October 20, 1879)

12. «Therefore, my good Sisters, when you want to come to visit me, don't go
to Mornese, but come here to Nizza. Poor Daughters! We are too far
away to do this! It is better for us to go into the Heart of Jesus and we can
tell each other everything there. I assure you that every morning I speak
to you in this adorable Heart, and I speak to Him in Holy Communion and
tell him many things for each of you. Are you happy that we meet in this
way? You do the same, won't you?»
(L 27. To the Community Animator Sr. Angela Vallese and the Sisters of the Houses
of Montevideo-Villa Colón and Las Piedras [Uruguay].
Nizza [Monferrato], October 20, 1879)

13. «Tell me, do you all love one
another? Do you practice charity
towards each other? I hope so, but
even in these things there is always
room for improvement. Therefore, to
please our dear Mother, Mary Most
Holy, practise all the charity you can
towards one another, help each
other in work, counsel one another
with kindness and always take advice
willingly no matter from whom it
comes. Courage my Daughters, this
life passes quickly and only our works
will remain at the moment of death.
The important thing is that they be
well done. »
(L 27. To the Community Animator
Sr.Angela Vallese and the Sisters of the
Houses of Montevideo-Villa Colón and Las
Piedras [Uruguay] - Nizza [Monferrato],
October 20, 1879)

14. «Now, Angiolina my dear, it only remains for me to tell you to have great
Courage, and don't have such a small heart, but a big, generous heart.
Don't be so fearful, understand? Be cheerful, all of.»
(L 27. To the Community Animator Sr.rAngela Vallese and the Sisters of the Houses of
Montevideo-Villa Colón and Las Piedras [Uruguay].
Nizza [Monferrato], October 20, 1879)

15. «And you, my dear
Sr. Angiolina, always take
courage, pray much. From
prayer you will get all the
help you need to do your
duties well. Always give your
Daughters good example by
observing the Holy Rule.
Always be cheerful; your
cheerfulness must always be
greater than all your
afflictions.»
(L 47. To the Community
Animator of the House of Carmen
de Patagones [Argentina],
Sr. Angela Vallese and
Community - Nizza [Monferrato],
October 21, 1880)

16. «And you my good Sr. Angiolina, I read your “rendiconto”. Be at peace
and remember that our defects are the weeds in our garden. We must
humble ourselves and fight them with courage. We are wretched and
cannot be perfect, therefore be humble, confident and cheerful.»
(L 55. To the Sisters of the House of Carmen de Patagones [Argentina].
Nizza [Monferrato], December 20, 1880)

17. From the Letters of Sr. Angela Vallese

18. «As for myself, good Father, I am a very muddled person. Just imagine:
I have charge of two Houses, that of Villa Colón and that of Las Piedras,
and I am not capable of directing one. I ask you, therefore,
to pray much for me.»
(Letter of Sr. Angela Vallese to Don Bosco - Villa Colón, October 20, 1879)

19. «I also ask you to send us
some healthy,
holy Sisters, among them
one who will take
my cross so that instead
of commanding I will only
have to obey.
It seems easier to get
to heaven by way of
obedience than by that
of commanding.
But may God's
will and that of my
Superiors be done
in all things.»
(Letter of Sr. Angela Vallese to Don Bosco - Villa Colón, October 20, 1879)

20. «We are preparing little dresses and so forth for our poor Indians, and it seems
that the Lord is preparing plenty of work for us. We greatly desire it, so that we
may save many souls who live in the darkness of ignorance. Oh! Reverend
Father, if you saw how many Indians there are, and how miserable in body and
soul! They really arouse our compassion and we are so sorry that we cannot help
them all, because we are so few and so poor.»
(Letter of Sr. Angela Vallese to Don Bosco - Carmen de Patagones, October 6, 1880)

21. «Before concluding I would like to
ask your Reverence for a favour, or
rather, for two. Please recommend
us in a special way to our sweet
Mother Mary Help of Christians, so
that having come to these far distant
lands to make known the name of
Jesus, our heavenly Spouse, we may
remain faithful to Him until death.
All four of us wish to become saints,
and we hope to succeed with the
help of your prayers.»
(Letter of Sr. Angela Vallese to Don
Bosco - Carmen de Patagones,
October 6, 1880)

22. «The other favour is that you send other Sisters
to help us, so that we may save a greater number
of poor Indians. We had hoped that some would
come soon. Oh! How long that day is in coming!»
(Letter of Sr. Angela Vallese to Don Bosco.
Carmen de Patagones, October 6, 1880)

24. «May the centenary of Sr. Angela
Vallese’s death be a stimulus for us
to live the missionary imprint left
by Don Bosco to our Institute and
assumed by Mother Mazzarello
with a true apostolic ardour with
renewed enthusiasm.
Today we are called to a serious
but joyous missionary
commitment, which receives
strength through the teaching of
Pope Francis. We are invited to go
out, to meet the marginalized, the
little ones, and the poor in order to
give them hope and help them to
experience the merciful goodness
of God the Father.»

25. «With the enthusiasm of our origins, assumed with love by every FMA,
the Institute will continue to open the doors of the charism on new
missionary horizons. The dream of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello is
alive today in our generous and unrestricted answer:
I’ll Go! »
(January 1st, 2014)

26. Rome, August 17, 2014
Centenery og the death of Sr. Angela Vallese
Missionary Sector ad/inter gentes
Archive photo PEM 2013