Padre Luigi Butera Vullo, MSP
Founder of two religious institutes: Hermanas Misioneras Servidoras de la Palabra and Misioneros Servidores de la Palabra
Miraloma, CA
Father Luigi visiting the formation house of the sisters
Previous
Next

Founder

Father Luigi Butera Vullo was born on May 22, 1932, in Marianópoli, on the island of Sicily, Italy. He lived through the turbulent years of the world wars, which took place in Europe in the first half of the 20th century; They are one of those situations that deeply mark the human being and his vision of the world. From those generations arose the atheistic existentialists and the deeply Christian existentialists. Some marked by the pessimism of the consequences of the war, others with the hope of better times.

In this context, Father Luigi Butera responded to God’s call and entered the diocesan seminary of Caltanisetta, Italy. A strong missionary spirit led him to take the path of religious missionary life. He becomes part of the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries; There he received his seminary and missionary formation, professed vows in 1958, and was ordained a priest on April 2, 1960.

Despite his attraction and a fervent desire to mission in Africa, religious obedience led him, first, to Spain, then to Mexico, where he arrived on November 1, 1963. The jobs he held were as Rector of the Minor Seminary in Sahuayo, Michoacan; Director of the Aguiluchos magazine and collaborator of the Esquila Misional magazine, of which he would be Director. In Baja California Sur, he held the positions of Vicar of the Cathedral of La Paz, Rector of the Church of the Sacred Heart, Diocesan Director of the Cursillos in Christianity, Director of Catechesis and Secretary of the Presbyteral Council, and Parish Priest of the Church of San Ignatius.

The opportunity to visit the missions in Africa, to make trips to the East and study trips, gave him the vision of what could be done in the Church in Mexico. The apostolate of the young Mormon students, as well as the training of Buddhist children and youth they received, at the request of their parents, were the trigger for the idea of ​​preparing lay Catholics to serve in the missions to begin to take shape.

A seminary for the laity would make it possible to foster a temporary missionary service of the laity, especially young people, which would help them for the rest of their lives and would allow them to better serve in their churches. The construction that he carried out in the center of Mexico City, called the Missionary Animation Center (CAM), in order to promote evangelization gave the possibility to start the work. The difficulties that all evangelizing work usually faces led him, at the insistence of his superiors, to seek the support of a bishop so that he could carry out the project.

It is in the year 1981 that he began his adventure in the diocese of Cuautitlán, where he was accepted by Bishop Manuel Samaniego Barriga.

He is entrusted with a parish in the town of San José El Vidrio, from where he directed the construction of the evangelizing center called “Campo Misión”, which is the first house of the institutes (feminine and masculine).

From there, this work develops providentially. He faces, like so many others, difficulties of all kinds. But, in the case of a work of God, things have been taking place as He has wanted.

Father Luis Butera was elected Superior General of the men’s Institute for the second consecutive term in 2008 and has been advising the Institute of the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Word. God wanted the founder to witness the Pontifical approval of the work, as a reward for his apostolic commitment and as a guarantee that he had not made a mistake in following this apostolic inspiration.

Brief chronology of Father Luigi Butera Vullo

  • 1932, May 22, Born in Marianópoli
  • 1945, Enters the Caltanisetta seminary.
  • 1956, Enters the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries
  • 1960, April 2, he is ordained a priest and assigned to the mission in Sudan; The visa is denied to him and he is sent to Spain as the person in charge of the publication of books and magazines.
  • 1963, Sent to Mexico, to the Sahuayo Seminary, Mission Shearing.
  • 1965, Director of the Aguiluchos Magazine and editor of Esquila Misional.
  • 1967, Sent to La Paz,  Baja California,Mexico,  where he is was the vicar in the Cathedral, Rector of the Church of the Sacred Heart, Diocesan Director of the Cursillos in Christianity and Director of the Anahuac College.
  • 1971, Years later, he visits the missions of Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia; upon his return he is Director of the magazine Esquila Misional.
  • 1972, Travel to the Orient; Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong and the idea of ​​promoting the experience of proclaiming the Gospel for a year among young people arises.
  • 1979, He founded the Comboni Center for Evangelization.
  • 1982, Construction of Campo Misión begins
  • 1984, On March 26, the Bishop of Cuautitlán establishes the Apostolic Movement of the Missionaries Servants of the Word in Public Clerical Association.
  • 1997, The Bishop of Cuautitlán raises the Clerical Public Association to two religious Institutes of Diocesan Law. Hermanas Misioneras Servidoras de la Palabra and Misioneros Servidores de la Palabra. 
  • 2002, The first Chapter of the MSP is celebrated and Father Luis is elected Superior General. The Institute is of Diocesan Law.
  • 2008, Father Luis is elected Superior General of the MSP in the second Chapter. This was the first after being approved as IVCR of Pontifical Right.