On Saturday, June 27, 2026, I arrived at the Convento di Santa Maria Seconda, on Via San Francesco 707 in Morlupo, in time for lunch. I was joined by Laura, Raffaele — a wonderfully friendly 57-year-old gardener — and Antonietta. We had a packed lunch and then held a first welcome circle. Father Mariano’s welcome was warm and friendly right from the start. Around 3 p.m. we began a second circle dedicated to welcoming ourselves, during which a passage from Isaiah 43 was read. The line that struck me most was: “You are precious in my eyes,” because our worth doesn’t depend on what we do. Dinner was a convivial moment: everyone did their part — I and two other members of the Fede e Luce De La Salle community set the table — and we chatted about this and that, and about the activities planned for the weekend. During the evening gathering at 9/9:30 p.m., we took turns listening to our favorite music, and I treated everyone to one of the gems from my repertoire. We also watched a film about the origins of Fede e Luce (France, 1971). While watching it, Nanni told us about his sister Maria Francesca, a central figure and source of inspiration for the movement, who died at sixteen — a story that moved many of those present.
On Sunday, June 28, after breakfast, we opened with a circle in which we read a passage from the Letter to the Romans about welcoming others. I was moved, thinking of a friend of mine who passed away on February 10 from cancer. At 11:30 a.m. we attended Mass in the convent church, and those of us from the Fede e Luce – La Salle Community felt especially close to God. After lunch at 1:15 p.m. and a short rest at 2:30 p.m., around 5 p.m. we left the Convent for a boat trip on the Tiber, in the Tevere Farfa Nature Reserve, from 6 to 7 p.m., watching birds and aquatic plants. We also came across a small family of wild boars, and by the end we had almost made friends with them. Dinner at the Ecoturismo Tevere Farfa farmhouse was convivial and relaxed: chatting, a few jokes, an easygoing mood. We went to bed earlier than usual, all a little worn out from the outing.
On Monday, June 29, after breakfast, we held one last circle with a reading from the Gospel of Matthew — “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” — and another from the Book of Revelation. We then finished writing up the community’s logbook, from its earliest days up to now. We had lunch at 1 p.m., and around 4:20 p.m. we said goodbye to Brother Mariano. The trip home felt light, carrying that quiet joy that comes after days well spent. Over the weekend I had a great time, despite the heat, which made everything a bit more complicated. I saw old friends from the community again and met Lorenzo and Sister Paola, both immediately likeable, who joined us on Sunday.