To mark fifty years of Fede e Luce, the Un Fiume di Pace province organized a pilgrimage bringing together all its communities from Piedmont to Galilee. The route follows the river of peace that gives the province its name, beginning at the springs of the Po and winding through the Mediterranean to the Jordan in the Holy Land.
On May 29th, two communities—Camminiamo insieme from Cuneo and Guida la tua guida from Mondovì—launched and blessed a boat at the mouth of the Po. By June 6th, it had reached Porte Aperte in Turin. On June 13th, the communities of Cuori Aperti and Gelsomino in Biella received it. On June 19th, it arrived in Milan to be entrusted to the communities of Carugate, Maria Immacolata, and Pantigliate. The journey resumes in September: on the 18th and 19th, San Giuseppe della Pace, San Gaetano, and Milano Centro will gather; on the 26th, at Gratosoglio, the communities Maria Madre della Chiesa, Messaggeri di Gioia di Cesano Boscone, and the community of Rho will celebrate together. The communities of the Veneto—Raggi di sole and Stella di San Lorenzo—will welcome the boat in October, before it sets sail toward Galilee and the communities Ulivo di Galilea (in Elabun) and Maryam Bawardi (in Shifaram). The pilgrimage will conclude in the newly formed community of Nazareth.
The day after the journey began, on May 30th, a celebration took place at the Vicoforte sanctuary. Among those present was Valentina Montanari, the new reporter from Mondovì. «Fede e Luce matters to me because there are young people like me here,» she said, «and the community has supported me so much through difficult times—like when I had surgery. I felt genuinely held by my friends, who prayed for me and came to visit. I've been part of Fede e Luce since 2002, and over these years I've learned that I too can help those near me by loving them and standing with them when things are hard. I've come to understand our community's motto: "Guida la tua guida."»
When the boat arrived in Turin, Massimo, father of two young people in the community, shared what Fede e Luce had meant for his family, just before the lockdown. «When you have children with problems, opening yourself to new experiences isn't easy. You feel like you're walking through a minefield. What kind of people will we meet? What will we say? How will the kids behave? The wounds of the past heal slowly. It's hard to forget the stares, the glances, the words from people who call themselves "normal"—but they're clearly not that normal! The fear of taking your children to the park, explaining to other parents and kids that yours want that particular swing and not the empty one next to it. The lack of social connection, the red tape, the government offices that seem to vanish, the struggles at work. Your boat tries to hold its course, but the waves keep tossing it toward unknown shores. Then we saw a lighthouse. We turned, pointed our bow toward that distant light, and placed our hopes there. A light that turned out to be filled with faith, warmth, welcome, and people who genuinely care for you. That's what we found when we came into harbor.»
