The first sisters came from Rome by sea up to the Lebanon, and then, with so much discomfort, by land to Ortas, where they were welcomed by the sisters of the community of the Hortus Conclusus Shrine with joy and promptness. They were four. Their services started on November 21st 1955, in a small house lacking almost everything, which was purchased thanks to the care of the parish priest of Bethlehem then, Fr.Norberto, in order to house elderly and lonely women, who can no longer take care of themselves. One of the first sisters, Sr.Orsolina Tarsi, continues to give a hand in this charitable institution.
She keeps in her heart and in her mind memories of so many sacrifices, of so many poor conditions, of so many persons from the residents of Bethlehem who were taken in the home. In 1967 the war broke out, followed by the various periods of uprising (intifada). Every suffering was entrusted to the Divine Providence that never disappoints.
With the passing of time, thanks to the solidarity of many persons from various parts of the world, and thanks to the diligence of the institution and of each single sister, the condition of the home kept improving, and today it is furnished with all the necessary services that caters for the needs of a large community.
50 years have passed in cheerful diligence and untiring devotion, in the desire to respond to the love of God and the charisma of the institute, looking to embodying the “Vigilant Evangelical Charity» that delights in doing good to all, and mostly to the poor and the sick. We are called to live the spirit of our founding father, St. Anthony Gianelli, who asks his daughters brave and operational faith, apostolic zeal and availability, spirit of sacrifice, love and unconditional adhesion to the Church, in a style of life that is simple and austere, in a great confidence in God and in devotion to Mary. And we entrust our future mission exactly to the protection of the Divine Mother, so that the Lord may bless and enrich his Church with new vocations for the service of the Kingdom, for the good of the whole humanity.
Charity has to be industrious, therefore they should always labor for the good of others and should not stop performing it until death. They should remember that every work is always salvific if it gushes out from an impassioned heart for the glory of God and the salvation of man.
What is particularly asked of the persons who have the duty of caring for the sick is charity that knows neither tiredness nor limits. True charity should not be restricted to the needs of the body and to external things, but it has to aim even more at the souls, helping them with sweet pieces of advice, and, above all, with prayer.
Christ is the center of the community life. From loving him and being in communion with Him the members of the community derive uniting strength that makes of them one heart and one soul. They recognize in Mary the One who presides maternally over the community.
They place themselves the least of all in the service of the Church. The communion is the value upon which the religious community is founded. The Daughters of Mary live in the prayer and in the mission in order to become witnesses and builders of unity in the Church and in the world.
