(Porto) – From 24 to 26 July 2026, the community of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Mary Magdalene of Canossa in Porto welcomed with joy and gratitude Mother Albertina Luis dos Santos, General Councillor of the congregation, for a fraternal canonical visit.
After the initial greetings, marked by embraces, smiles and welcome songs, and after a moment of sharing around the table, the sisters officially began the canonical visit with the prayer of Vespers, centred on the gift of hospitality, after the example of Abraham welcoming the messengers of God.
The sisters described these days as a time of grace, rich in fraternity, simplicity, encounters and listening. The two community meetings were experienced as profound moments of spirituality, faith and humanity, in the awareness that it is the Spirit of the Lord who acts in the life of each one. The presence of Mother Albertina in the midst of the community was perceived as a sign of God’s visit to his people, capable of restoring life and courage.
During the visit, Mother Albertina Luis dos Santos, General Councillor, also met a small group of Canossian lay people. To the lay people she recalled that “the charism of charity, given by the Spirit to Saint Mary Magdalene of Canossa and present in their lay form of life, is a true gift of God for the Church and for the Institute”. She also invited them to become promoters and witnesses of the Canossian lay vocation in their parishes, in their work and in every environment in which their lives unfold.
At the end of the canonical visit, the community expressed gratitude to God for this brief but intense time, lived under the gaze of Our Lady of Fatima. The sisters offered special thanks to Mother Albertina for her presence and for the contribution she made to the journey of the Porto community.
