Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

“I want this year to be a year of holiness for me. 

May my every breath, every heartbeat, 

every movement be for you, my God!” 

(Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo, fsp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“Let Jesus enter every house 
and he will realize what we are hoping for. 

He, who is the resurrection and the life, 

will awaken the souls, 
will let them arise to the life of grace!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“Let the sound of joy be heard, 

let it reach the boundaries of the earth, 

because Jesus Christ has liberated his people 
from their sins!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“Time is a great gift of God. 

It is like a golden box, which we may fill either with gems, 

that is, good works, 

or with rubbish, which is sin… 

Doing good redeems time!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“The saints are wonders of the Holy Spirit, 

persons in whom He lived in abundant manner!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

 “Never become downhearted over troubles. 

Never let discouragement take over. 

Life is brief. 

What is even a hundred years compared to eternity? 

(Venerable Sister Thecla Merlo, fsp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

 “Happy are those who live in Christ, 

Way, Truth and Life! 

They bear the fruits of the shoot 

which receives its life-giving sap from Jesus Christ!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

 “The Pauline Family has the mission 

to make known JESUS CHRIST 

inasmuch as he is our Teacher. 

She will fulfill this privileged mission in a holy way 

by making people know, 
love and pray to Mary, our Teacher!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“It is great charity to preach the examples of Mary, 

especially to the young, 

who in their innocence have open hearts, 

understand and are won 

by the sanctity and goodness of Mary!” 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“If a person spends the years of his youth 

docile to God’s will and faithful to his duties, 

he will be guided by Him in his journey!” 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“In our union between us and God, 

everything must be stable: 

the mind, the will and the heart. 

No creature was so united with God as the Blessed Virgin Mary!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Venerable Sister Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

"In all our spiritual and material needs,

let us turn to Mary,

our Mother, Teacher and Queen!

She brings us JESUS!"

(Venerable Sister Thecla Merlo) 

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

 “Where purity is greater, charity is also greater. 

Mary was entirely pure and full of divine charity!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“O Mary, 

I contemplate you seated on the great throne of glory, 

beside your Son. 

Ignite in my heart a great desire for heaven!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“A person who has faith 

sees in everything and in any event 

the will of God concerning him!” 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“Let us give the great treasures that we have in our hearts: 

faith, love, hope, the peace of God. 

For the world, 

necessary again is the heart of Saint Paul!” 

(Blessed James Alberione, ssp)

Venerable Sister Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

“Following his conversion, Saint Paul asked Our Lord: 

“What will you have me do?” 

And Jesus showed him how much he would have to endure. 

But after that, HEAVEN! 

Let us think of the beautiful heaven which will be ours 
after suffering here below!” 

- Venerable Sister Thecla Merlo, fsp

Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

"Mary is the Mother who obtains for us intelligence, 

knowledge, and wisdom in divine things.

May she obtain for us a real understanding 

of the virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit!" 

- Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo, fsp

Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

Have great confidence 

in the personal love the Blessed Virgin has 

for each one of us. 

Recommend all our needs and confide our problems to her. 

May she be our counselor, our support, 

our defense, our consolation in every need. 

Let us be like small children in the arms of their mother. 

She will carry us to Jesus. 

- Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo, fsp

Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

If we find things hard, 

the Blessed Mother is the one who makes things easy. 

Do you love Mary?

Then every time you are about to do something, 

ask yourself: 

“How would our Lady act in my place?” 

- Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo, fsp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“Let us be immovable in our resolves, 

because Jesus has risen to a new life, 

a more beautiful life, 

a more holy life!” 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“When you are happy, 

it is easier for you to make yourself a saint. 

Let not the heart of him who looks for God 

and loves Him ever be perturbed!” 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“True love gives of itself, 

provides what is good 

and in certain cases 

even sacrifices its own life!” 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

"Our life must be a continuous renewal, 

a continuous conversion, 

a continuous resurrection!" 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Happy Easter to all!

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“The teaching activity of Jesus during His PASSION 

is one of the schools that are open to the whole world. 

It is a school of love, of pain and of resurrection!”

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

“Joy is a prelude to paradise 

and is a characteristic of all souls 

who live in close union with Jesus!” 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

"The peace and serenity brought to us 

by the crosses which we accept well from the hands of God are unmatched, 

and we will know all their merit and glory in heaven."

- Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo, fsp

Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

"If we meditate on the Passion of our Lord 

we will have the grace and strength to take up our cross daily. 

You see that each day there is a cross to carry; 

some days it is big, some days, smaller. 

But we ourselves are the biggest cross, 

with all our defects, with our evil inclinations. 

We must go against ourselves and carry our cross. 

May we have the grace to carry it well!"

- Venerable Sr. Thecla Merlo, fsp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

"We must ask for the grace of conversion everyday. 

Let us ask St. Paul for the necessary dispositions 

that will help us change and improve ourselves!" 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Venerable Thecla Merlo: a Woman of Charity and Faith in God

In this month of February, we, the Daughters of Saint Paul worldwide, celebrate with joy two significant events in the life of our co-Foundress, Venerable Thecla Merlo: her birth anniversary (on February 20); and her death anniversary (on February 5). 

At the age of 21, she accepted the invitation of Blessed James Alberione, our Founder, to form a group of girls who later became known as the Daughters of St. Paul. And on January 22, 1992, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her as Venerable.

Her inspiring thoughts on Charity: "May charity reign! And let there be, first of all, charity with our closest neighbor towards whom we need more patience... Problems are all solved with a little prayer and by exercising a little charity with the others. If we do not love our neighbor, neither do we love God... Let us know how to excuse; know how to be understanding. If we know how to do this, our Lord will excuse and overlook our failings.”

Her reflection on Faith in God: "When our thoughts are fixed on God, when we reflect on His presence, how beautiful our life is! Who among us can outdo God in generosity? Consider His goodness more than His justice. Then we will find it very easy to love and serve Him.  At times, we are too preoccupied with ourselves. If we abandon ourselves to God, we would be more joyful, knowing that we are in the hands of a good Father, who loves us and disposes everything for our own good." 

Let us ask God, through the intercession of Venerable Thecla Merlo, to instil in us these same virtues that she had lived until her last breath!

Venerable Thecla Merlo as testified by Blessed Alberione

"The life of Mother Thecla Merlo was completely 
in the hands of God. 

Her words were: 

The will of the Lord; whatever pleases the Lord; 

may the Lord's will be done. 

She was ready to do anything for Him!" 

- Blessed James Alberione, ssp

Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

"What am I to do, Lord?" 

These words point to Paul's complete conversion 

as well as his absolute readiness 

to carry out God's will. 

Real holiness is to be found specifically in conformity to God's will 

and in complete self-abandonment!" 

- Blessed James Albeione, ssp

Venerable Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

"Even if you cannot always be joyful, 

you can always be at peace!" 

- Venerable Thecla Merlo

Venerable Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

"I want this year to be a year of holiness for me, 

whether I complete the year or not. 

May my every breath, every feeling, every heartbeat, 

every internal and external movement 
be for you, my God." 

(Venerable Thecla Merlo, fsp)