A River of Peace – North
Pope Francis calls on us at Faith and Light to remain open to the world around us, not to retreat into the life of our communities alone. So when we planned our year-end celebration for the communities of Lombardy, we decided to meet with the Sant'Egidio Community in Milan.
Maria Luisa Cito and a friend came to see us in Venegono Inferiore. Monsignor Mario Delpini, the diocesan vicar for Milan and our longtime friend, visited us as well. They told us about the work they and others are doing to welcome refugees at Milano Centrale station. They spoke of the humanitarian corridors—lifelines that bring people safely by air, sparing them the deadly sea crossings. They also shared what Pope Francis himself has done directly with Syrian families. Together we painted shirts with rainbow hands, a symbol of peace. We decorated notebooks to give to those arriving—a kind of travel diary for their journey. The key word is "welcome," and by adding our signature, Faith and Light puts its mark on this vision of shared humanity.
Now we hope to deepen our friendship with Sant'Egidio and together we've committed to organizing times of prayer and conversation.
Angela Grassi and Tamara Borovac
Kimata – Center
September brought the moment to elect a new board of directors—an important election, given the substantial work the outgoing board had done.
So Kimata put forward its finest.
Angela, elected board president, brings deep experience both from her years in the Province—she served as vice-coordinator when Kimata was founded—and from her years at the national level, where she served on the National Council for many years.
Simone, one of the board members, has served the Province as liaison to the outside world. He participated in meetings for the Jubilee, building relationships with people from the Italian bishops' conference.
Norina recently served as community coordinator.
All three are known for their strong friendships with parents and young people and their considerable organizational gifts.
In short, we've assembled a formidable team, and we're delighted.
Our new board has our full backing and our hopes for excellent teamwork with the Provinces. We stand ready to support them even more strongly.
Pietro Vetro
Sea and Volcanoes – South
Sunday, May 15th—Pentecost—our community, "Sara's Smile," experienced an intense day filled with emotion and joy as the Holy Spirit moved among us and in each person present. We gathered to elect the first coordinator of our community in Basilicata.
We made our way to the Franciscan Capuchin Convent in Vietri di Potenza, a beautiful place set in green and peace.
For us, gathering together is one of the deepest aspects of our community life. It strengthens and renews each of us. During our time of welcome and greetings, this was especially visible in the young people.
Our dear friends Gianni and Rosita organized the meeting with great care. After explaining the election process, Rosita—with her warm, engaging way—read us a beautiful fable about a stone that moved me deeply.
It was wonderful to hear what the community thinks of me, to feel the trust and affection they expressed in their vote, filled with such tenderness, especially from our special young people. In that moment I knew I would pour all my strength into living according to God's heart, drawing from him the power to love our community more and more. With each beat of my heart, I repeated to myself: "In love there is no fear."
Carolina Lauria