"Faith and Light is the Church!"
That's what the Cypriot archbishop Monsignor Youssef Antoine Soueif told us during the formation of spiritual assistants. The Lombard communities met with our archbishop Mario Delpini in the Milan Cathedral—a sign of the attention the Church of Milan wants to give to people with disabilities. Faith and Light holds a special place in the bishop's heart; he has mentioned us many times. Father Mauro Santoro and Father Marco Bove were also at the altar. But in other parts of the province, too, the bond between bishops and communities runs deep. In Cuneo, Monsignor Del Bosco; in Biella, Monsignor Farinella; in Mondovi, Bishop Miragoli shared New Year's Eve dinner with the community. In the Veneto, Monsignor Marangoni stays closely informed about community life and joins celebrations when he can. In Galilee, our connection with the Maronite bishop is close. What do our bishops ask of us? That we pray for them, knowing that the prayers of the small are heard. I invite the whole province to remember your priests and pastors—because through our bond with them, the Church becomes a welcoming Mother to all.
— Liliana Ghiringhelli
Ariccia
At Ariccia, for the election of the new provincial coordinator, Kimata showed itself once again to be a multifaceted reality: communities from Rome, Palidoro, Perugia, Fidenza, Avenza, Athens, and Nicosia, joined by emerging communities in Tirana (Albania) and Kourmakitis (Cyprus), signs—along with the new community in Terni—of the vitality of this Province and the need to carry the message of Faith and Light everywhere. To be ever more Messengers of Joy. So many young people came especially from Greece, Albania, and Cyprus: our thanks to you for always being there and for carrying forward our dream. My thoughts and prayers go to the small communities that couldn't participate: those taking their first timid steps in Assisi and Scorcetoli, and those in Parma and Velletri, which have walked a long road but are passing through difficult times now. To all of you, enormous thanks for these five full and intense years, which have opened my heart wide and helped me grow. #everyoneisbeautifulintheirownway.
— Fabio Bronzini
What Happened in Turi?
Mari and Vulcani has a new spiritual assistant. His name is Father Piero Milani; he is 49 and has known Faith and Light for more than ten years. He accepted the assignment with enthusiasm, riding the wave of the national gathering of spiritual assistants in Rome, which is already bearing its first fruits. In Turi, the provincial team planned our future work: we will renew the mandate of the vice-coordinator for Campania (right now that's Gaetano), we've started the process to replace our longtime treasurer Luigi Spina, and we'll hold two formation meetings—one in Campania in May, one in Puglia in October. In short, these teams—whether community, provincial, or international—have plenty of business to attend to, just as Martha did when Jesus came to visit her, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. We know how that story ended. Martha complained that she had too much to do, and Jesus told her: "Martha, we'll do everything that needs doing, but let's not forget why we're here—we're friends, not just getting chores done. Those things matter, but they come second." In Turi, we talked about that too.
— Vito Giannulo