La Salette Missionaries in Salmata, Italy

Our Retreat and Conference Center

Shrine Church with its La Salette Facsimile on the hillside We have accommodations which can welcome up to 300 people, especially young people. We have a large open-area park which welcomes numerous Church associations and groups to rest, meditate and learn. Our Center also welcomes cultural excursion groups. Within a radius of about 20 miles, we have many important sites to visit , including Assisi—famous as the home of St. Francis and his monks—and Gubbio—with its Roman amphitheater, palace, museums and old city center. Our Shrine can serve as a stopover or a place to make a retreat for those who plan to visit Rome.

A bit of our history

 The presence in Italy of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette dates back to 1896 with the opening of the International Scholasticate  in philosophy and theology in Rome, first housed on Via de Pretis, then at 155 Via Cavour in a large building.

In 1898, they hired and the year following, bought the Villa Benigni in Salmata to allow the students to spend their holidays in the refreshing atmosphere of this beautiful valley situated between Nocera Umbra and the surrounding area.

In fact, on October 2, 1901, twenty "exiled" novices from France came here and were accompanied by Father Louis Beaup, M.S., their teacher.
 
With the number of seminarians and fathers increasing, the Villa Benigni underwent various transformations. On August 5, 1906, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of La Salette was erected on one wing of the villa and provided its precious service until August 2, 1969, the date of the inauguration of the new Shrine Church.
 
La Salette priests in Salmata, ItalyIn 1906 the Missionaries constructed the La Salette facsimile in the valley in front of the Shrine Church. The statues were fashioned from cast iron which was forged in Lyon, France and donated by Ms. Dumoulin of Saint-Jean-de-Bournay. At that time the Shrine was becoming more and more a destination of pilgrimages and a place of prayer. In 1926, the opening of the Italian Minor Seminary was attempted but it was not pursued because of cost and lack of space. The first Italian Ordinations took place between 1938 and 1940.

In 1951 the vocation ministry was relaunched but we have had a limited response. However, even those who have taken other paths have been affected by the call of the Beautiful Lady. Thus we have today many former students who have returned to the place where they began their education. 

The La Salette Shrine

The La Salette Missionaries and the faithful of the valley wanted to build a beautiful Shrine Church. The Shrine Church was built with white stone from Cantiano, Italy and pink marble from nearby Assisi and laid by master craftsmen. The  Shrine Church can seat 500 people. On Saturday August 2, 1969, it was solemnly dedicated. In 2019, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of its dedication. The fifteen stained glass offer a meditation on Mary, Reconciler of Sinners.

The Earthquake of 1997

Aerial view of the Shrine before the earthquakeThe terrible earthquake violently shook the entire area of Umbria in November 1997. As a result, we had to demolish of largest building and, in its place, built three new structures: the Community House adjacent to the Shrine Church, a large Retirement Center and Retreat Center with 99 rooms and large  meeting areas and a Center specifically for Youth Groups.
 
The new construction has significantly reduced the flow of pilgrims to our Shrine. Today Church groups come to the Shrine for meetings or accommodations. Many ask questions about the story of La Salette, ask us to celebrate with them the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. They also ask for tours of the Shrine itself. Recently we have hosted all the seminarians from Umbria for a long stay.

La Salette in Salmata, Italy Today

 We are first of all a community of religious made up of three priests and a missionary brother. Their ministry is the animation of the sanctuary and the service in four parishes in collaboration with the moderating priest. The parishes being small, we try to bring together certain services, such as the catechesis of Christian initiation, and the pastoral and economic advice on the site of the sanctuary. The communities bring together many elderly and sick people to visit.
 
The Community welcomes a few visiting La Salette Missionaries from elsewhere for the holidays. On Saturday September 14, 2019, “Radio Maria” broadcast throughout Italy “the Hour of Spirituality” from our Shrine. In the evening, our bishop began his pastoral visit to the four local parish communities and presided over the procession preceding the feast of Our Lady of La Salette, celebrated on the Third Sunday in September.

We continue to make Mary’s message know, adjusting our ministry to the needs and wants of her people in this scenic area of scenic and historic Umbria.
(from left:) Shrine Church with Bishop at main altar; Bishop speaks to people