A Treasure to Share
The Book of Sirach tells us: "A faithful friend is a sure refuge; whoever finds one has found a treasure." It's absolutely true. We in Faith and Light learned this firsthand during the pandemic, when we lost the most precious thing we have: friendship with one another. The kind of friendship born from gathering to pray and growing closer to Jesus, who loves us just as we are. A friendship that finds its joy in celebration, a friendship made of gentle gestures and embraces that say "you belong here." We missed this treasure terribly in recent months, and as often happens, we learned to cherish what we had precisely when it was taken away. (...) We want to live this year telling our communities this beautiful message again. We have found a treasure, and it has been entrusted to us—people who share common fragility. This treasure is not for us alone. We share it, first with one another through bonds of beauty and welcome, and with all the creativity we can bring to bear.
— Liliana Ghiringhelli and Don Mauro Santoro
Responsibility
In this difficult time for the whole world, it is more important than ever that our Faith and Light communities reflect on what responsibility means. At Faith and Light, responsibility is not just about taking on positions—electing a community coordinator, organizing a summer program, or serving as a provincial coordinator or vice-coordinator. Responsibility at Faith and Light means caring for others, caring for one another, always with special attention to those who are most fragile, most alone, most weary. In this period, despite great hardship and restrictions, we continue to live our moments of community and sharing. Recently, the two communities in Fidenza elected new coordinators, while other communities have organized smaller gatherings while following all necessary guidelines. Being responsible during this pandemic means following the rules set by public authorities and the guidelines Faith and Light itself has adopted—for the wellbeing of all our communities, for all of us.
— Fabio Bronzini
New Board Members
After Daniela Boccucci of Bari and Lello Mele of Naples—to whom we owe our deep gratitude—Mari e Vulcani now has two new representatives on the Faith and Light board of directors: Emi Mammoliti and Salvatore Leoci. Emi (Emilia to her family, though her husband Pippo renamed her Emi when they got engaged—about a century ago!—and that's how we know her at Faith and Light) is from Messina and has a gift for numbers and finances, so she was chosen to succeed Claudio Carozzi as national treasurer. Her first reaction, wise woman that she is, was: "Can I really do this?" We have no doubt she can, with the support of Claudio and the board. Emi brings the enthusiasm of someone who joined Faith and Light only five years ago (thanks to her friendship with Carlo Gazzano and his wife Gabriella) and she carries all the freshness we need in this frozen time. Salvatore, despite his youth, is a veteran of the movement. He was one of many young members in the flock that Don Vito Palmisano gathered in Monopoli in the late 1980s. Many know him because he has already served on the board, and he brings a wealth of experience that will surely be valuable to the provincial team.
— Vito Giannulo