Two years ago, on May 13, Pius entered a new phase with the opening of enrollment for the first cohort of the Pius Institute’s graduate program in bioethics and the formal inauguration of the Institute’s activities.
Since then, many students have taken part in our formation programs and graduate courses: physicians, lawyers, nurses, priests, pastoral agents, and fathers and mothers who seek to deepen their understanding of the defense of life, marriage, and the family in the light of the Catholic faith.
Although the founders of Pius have always had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, the inauguration of this new and important phase of the Institute on this date was not planned by them, but by Providence.
The message of Fatima, entrusted to the three shepherd children in 1917, presents a profound call to conversion and spiritual vigilance. Later, Sister Lucia, one of the visionaries, wrote that Our Lady revealed to her that the final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan would be over marriage and the family. This statement resonates with the constant teaching of the Church, which recognizes the family as the “domestic church” (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11) and the fundamental cell of society.
It is not without significance that on May 13, 1981, Pope Saint John Paul II suffered an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square.
He himself recognized, in the light of faith, the providential intervention of Our Lady of Fatima in his survival, stating: “One hand fired, and another guided the bullet”, referring to the hand of the Virgin Mary.
This same Pontiff, throughout his magisterium, dedicated himself intensely to the defense of the dignity of marriage and the family, developing a profound catechesis on human love known as the Theology of the Body, upon which our work finds a firm foundation and support.
Moreover, he reaffirmed that conjugal love is called to reflect Christ’s total, faithful, and fruitful self-gift to the Church (cf. Familiaris Consortio), reiterating the message of Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI, published in 1968. This theme and document date back to the beginning of the work of Ana and Marlon Derosa, when they offered their first formation programs as a married couple, just a few months after their wedding, addressing marriage and responsible parenthood in the light of Humanae Vitae.
Today, Pius has become synonymous with formation in marriage, family, and life, both in Brazil and in many other countries, where we daily proclaim the Church’s message on the value and dignity of human life, as well as a renewed matrimonial catechumenate, in harmony with the Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life (2022), issued by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, with the aim of strengthening marriage preparation and helping more of the faithful to live marriage as a true vocation and sanctuary of life.
This is the mission of the Pius Institute and Publishing House: to serve the Church in the formation and strengthening of families, offering books and courses that defend and promote Life and the Family.
Today, looking back, we see that it was no coincidence that the activities of the Pius Institute began on May 13. In a time when marriage, the family, and human life itself are constantly attacked and relativized, the message of Our Lady of Fatima becomes even more urgent. If, as Sister Lucia said, the decisive battle passes through marriage and the family, then it is precisely in this field that Catholics are called to respond with formation, fidelity, and courage.
For this reason, over these past two years, our work has never been merely academic or professional. Our mission is to strengthen families, form consciences, defend life, serve the Church, and help men and women rediscover the truth about human love and their vocation. In a world marked by so much confusion, we continue to believe that the truth taught by the Church leads to happiness and to true freedom.
May Our Lady of Fatima continue to intercede for all the students, families, collaborators, partners, and friends of Pius, and may we remain faithful to the mission of serving the Church in promoting the culture of life, marriage, and the family.
