Testimonies

With great joy and emotion we accepted the invitation to narrate our story as the LASA family, that came from faraway Italy but to which we feel very close spiritually and to which we are united in the mission that we carry out. We really feel we are a “FAMILY” that grows and renews itself in the footsteps of our Founders Carlo and Giulia. From this Peruvian land we commit ourselves to live in communion with God and under the protection of our Patroness St. Ann and collaborate, as families, in the apostolic work that the Sisters carry out here in our country. A before and an after We wish to make known the beauty of the spirit of fraternity that has been created within the group and the enthusiasm of being at the service of others.

To be part of the LASA family is for us a mission, a call to hope, a journey of integration… to be able to say who we are and what our specific task is. Before entering to form part of the Lay Family of “St. Ann” we were ordinary people, doing our work in the family with its “ups and downs”, trying to live our lives according to Christian principles and taking care of the education of our two children. Precisely in this life context marked by the daily rhythms of work and family, we received the invitation to be part of the Lay Group “Friends of St. Ann” and in an incredible way, things have crystallized with a message full of hope for service of love towards others. At that moment we realized that to live in the world without doing anything for others, without knowing how to welcome the many opportunities for doing good so evident around us, would not permit us to have fulfilment in our lives.

At that moment we realized that something had to change. We accepted the invitation as a blessing from the Lord and truly, through meetings and reflections, we have begun to live our daily life differently, both at home in our relationship as a couple and with our children, as well as in our ambience of work and in our relationships with friends. We felt the need to get closer to the Sacraments, to live a deeper relationship with God, our loving Father, to understand and give meaning to our faith. Together with our children we approached Jesus through the frequent reading of His Word. The joy of belonging to a larger family The formative encounters with the other members of LASA permitted us to live unforgettable moments of fraternity, unity, mutual help and assistance towards others. We have taken up concrete commitments of charity: visits to hospitals to be close to the most lonely and desolate persons, some beautiful moments of reflection and sharing of the Word, and above all the Liturgical Celebrations which permitted us to live the experience of being Church.

The experience that, as a couple, we had in Brazil in 2014, participating in the Intercontinental Congress, made a deep impression on us and will be unforgettable because it allowed us to get to know the members of LASA of Brazil, Argentina and Mexico with whom we really experienced, right from the moment of our arrival, the sense of belonging to a large family. We shared intense moments of prayer, the organization of our groups, and many beautiful apostolic experiences… We went back home with a strong dose of enthusiasm and the great need to communicate to our group the beauty of that meeting. Our Group today Today, as a group, we feel that our life and our activities are in tune with the journey of so many of our brothers and sisters who share our experience of belonging to the Family of “St. Ann”. There is in all of us the need for greater authenticity of the Christian life and a greater commitment and presence in the mission of the Sisters of St. Ann. Each member of the Group seeks, as far as it is possible, to take up some service and together we want to do more in collaborating directly in Pastoral work.

We want to look around us and be sensitive to the many needs: the sick, the needy, families in difficulty… and to approach all, offering love and understanding, this being the great legacy that our Founders have left us. It seems good to conclude with a reference to our family: from the time we form part of LASA, we and our children are happier, we live more united, closer to God the Father. Being part of LASA has changed our lives, made us realize that we all have received a Charism which is written in our hearts and which we must know how to discover and live. For this reason we feel very grateful to the Lord and to the Sisters of St. Ann for this great gift that has changed our lives.

Jesus and Marirayda