On March 31 and April 1-2, six hundred Faith and Light pilgrims gathered in Assisi. Here are the voices of our friends from...
Cuneo
Assisi: what a wonderful time it was! Three weeks later, the memory is still vivid, as if I were with all of you. I was overjoyed because, unlike Rome in '75, Betty, Claudia, and Andrea were there too.
I was sorry we couldn't attend Friday evening's liturgy—the children were exhausted from travel—and we had to move from Fontemaggio to San Francescuccio because Andrea wasn't feeling well. We hated to disturb you further when you had already worked so hard to have everything ready. I noticed the weariness on your faces; it moved me deeply to see that in spite of it all, whenever anyone needed you, you were always there, ready to listen. I was truly struck by your boundless generosity.
The young people from Rome and other groups gave me a lesson in that same generosity. It's rare that I hear a mother or father ask one of the young volunteers to stay with their child so they can take a break. You all do this naturally.
I found Carrefour Session 7 especially meaningful—Father Roberti developed the theme "Do we need God to do good?" with wonderful simplicity.
I loved the closing remarks, when Father Roberti reminded us that if we young people—we who are "healthy"—really want to learn to love, we need to ask the parents of handicapped children how they do it, and ask them to teach us. And I was struck by one young woman's thoughtful observation:
"If we want to draw close to handicapped people, we have to make the effort to learn their ways of communicating. We can't always expect the handicapped person to learn what has become our habit."
The liturgies were a great force binding us together. During the celebrations, you could feel a deep joy in everyone's hearts. In those moments there was no distinction—no healthy or sick, rich or poor. We were all equal before God.
If we could live the spirit of Assisi always—in our parishes, at work, in school—the world would be so much more beautiful, and suffering would seem so small. It teaches me not to despair when something troubles me, but to say to myself: "Come on, don't complain. There are people in the world far worse off, and yet they find reasons to be glad." When you give yourself to others, your own troubles weigh less heavily.
Saturday evening's vigil was fantastic.
The Milan group did a wonderful job with their skit "Turn the Page and You'll See." Who knows how much work goes into preparing all those scenes and costumes, with the whole group involved! Parma was wonderful too, with their little mimed song and Corrado the magician—truly talented, delighting children and adults alike.
Not to mention the Rome group (so committed). You do things seriously. You prepared so well, and with your "The Desert Will Bloom," you gave us a message of joy and hope for a better world. I hope you liked our little song "Aunt Monica," and I hope Parsley the Clown didn't frighten anyone—though our little Nicola was so scared he wet himself when he saw him.
If any of you took photos, please let us know. We'd love to have them.
The gifts exchanged between groups were a lovely idea too: Milan's little geese, Parma's carnations, Rome's flowers, the Belgians' chocolates—all were greatly appreciated. Claudia and Andrea had a sweet idea with the balloons they refused to let go and carried home to Cuneo.
Our little butterflies, made in such a rush, I hope you enjoyed them—they were meant to announce "spring."
On this pilgrimage we were happy to see all our dear friends again. It's wonderful to see each other now and then, even if only briefly. It gives you strength to keep going. You know you're not alone.
Mario and Betty and children, 1978
... and from Rome
Dear F.,
We want to thank you again for everything you did to give our young people and us parents such joy at this splendid gathering in Assisi. As always, we were moved by the tender, wonderful, and tireless devotion of all your friends and ours in Faith and Light. We are grateful to every one of you.
The organization was meticulous and flawless, in our view. Both the journey there and back were full of cheer, songs, and hilarious slogans—with only a few brief stops for our youngest passengers.
Songs of "Thanks, so much thanks" to the Lord, to everyone, and to the driver, just before we arrived.
... still Assisi
We are pleased to announce that a special printed issue is being prepared and will soon be ready. We hope it will be an opportunity for many others to discover—and help others discover—Faith and Light as it truly is.