The idea came from the group after they spoke with Luca's mother. They wanted to design a catechesis program to prepare these two young people to meet the Lord through the sacrament of Confirmation. Four young people from the community became catechists, working with a priest to choose the themes for each meeting. They moved forward together, trusting that the friendship binding them to Michela and Luca would help them overcome the difficulty of communicating the "content" of faith.
The catechesis unfolded over six meetings, held once a week in the homes of the two young people. Each session ended with a snack, to emphasize the climate of friendship and sharing. At the heart of it all was the love of Jesus, to be encountered in the gift of the Spirit. They spoke of Jesus who loves everyone, who is alive and gives life; of Jesus as my brother (through baptism); of Jesus who gives me his love and invites me to his feast. A feast that continues even after the gift is given. Every meeting began and ended with singing and drawing. The "song of fire" was sung at the start and close of each session, and it welcomed Michela and Luca into church on Confirmation day.
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The catechists drew images from Jean Vanier's book I Met Jesus, enlarged them into small posters, and made the catechesis theme visible. At the end of each meeting, everyone colored these drawings together. To make the link between Jesus and the gift of the Spirit—that flame of love—clearer, the catechists chose red as the color of fire and love. They colored Jesus and all the people identified as friends and siblings of Michela and Luca in red. The simple questions underlying the catechesis aimed to show God's love for each of us, rooted in everyday experience.
The journey was discovery for everyone. Michela is spastic, and Luca does not speak. The daily difficulties they face did not keep them from showing in simple, concrete ways their participation and understanding of God's gift of love. There were challenging moments too—the meeting on baptism, for instance, where it seemed harder to translate the usual catechesis content into effective, concrete gestures.
On Confirmation day, Michela and Luca met the Lord in deep recollection. This moment too was prepared and led with special care: songs with handclapping, a sign of joy in everyone's hearts; a mime of the parable of the good Samaritan, brought into the present, to help everyone grasp how central love is to life.
To share this experience with others, the friends of Fatima printed a booklet gathering the outline of the meetings they created and held with Michela and Luca.
This was not a moment meant to stand alone. By late February, the group was planning to begin a new journey with three other young people.
- Luisa Brambilla - Fatima group - Milan