Why don't you come to the formation week in Foligno in August? There's a wonderful program…"
Roberta, my regional coordinator, spoke those words—and something in me stirred. It had been eighteen years since I'd attended a Fede e Luce retreat.
I said yes. I wanted to revisit what I'd experienced so long ago. I packed my children and we went.
The venue was made for formation: deep quiet, green everywhere, space enough for every need. One hundred thirty of us gathered from across Italy and beyond—guests from Lebanon, Slovenia, and Cyprus joined us—each of us bringing joy and uncertainty, bound together by hunger for "the seed cast upon the earth, which sprouts and grows, he knows not how."
The week moved at a brisk pace, guided by a rich schedule the national team had prepared with meticulous care—never neglecting what makes a true Fede e Luce gathering. Spiritual nourishment came from don Marco's morning reflections. Joyful nourishment flowed from evening guitars and the cheerful songs and dances the young people from Sicily taught us. Our hearts were fed by the testimonies of parents who opened their lives to us, sharing the sometimes steep path of their own journeys. And our appetite was satisfied at the communal supper, where each region brought a regional specialty, all of us suddenly one warm, well-fed family.
We finished with a pilgrimage to Monteluco, walking in the footsteps of St. Francis—a blessing, almost, on the journey that will take us to Assisi in April.
It was a week that moved me deeply. I found old faces and new ones. I discovered hearts willing to be known. I tasted moments held in silence and prayer, in perfect communion. And I learned once more that I am accompanied by a quiet presence asking me to welcome others in simplicity and walk beside those whose steps do not match my own.
My sons Andrea and Francesco want to thank Estrelita and Carletto especially—for showing them this week that friendship is a gift we carry in our hearts forever.
Cinzia Baricella, 2004