The Oratory as a Gathering Place
I want to share something about the San Giustino Oratory in Cesano Boscone, where friends from my Faith and Light group spend time together — and where I myself am active.
The simple wish to be with one another drives everything the oratory does. It becomes a place of celebration, one that draws people of all ages — from infants to the elderly — together for an afternoon. Everyone belongs.
The spirit of good neighborhood means welcoming families, young people, and children into the life of the oratory. It means gathering as one.
My own parish of Gratosoglio is celebrating now. We are building a new oratory at San Barnaba, and we're marking fifty years of Mary the Mother.
The oratory is a landmark. It's a place to meet. People arrive from everywhere and find community.
I have so many memories from my childhood here. You can see them in the photos on the walls at Mary the Mother, and in the trophies the young people have won in sports competitions. These are joys we lived through, year after year.
Those days at the oratory don't fade. They stay with you.
We are grateful for our two oratories, and especially for Don Giovanni and Don Alfredo. Thank you for all you do. It matters so much to have trusted guides as we grow and learn and find ourselves. A good leader is a landmark you can count on.
We have the spaces. What we need is to organize them well, so they belong to everyone.
Friendships grow here. With Don Giovanni, we are stepping up to shape the oratory's future. BECAUSE THE ORATORY IS US. LONG LIVE ALL OF US. WE ARE THE FUTURE!!!
For me, the oratory is something you have to live. You have to show up. You have to take part in what happens — so you learn each other, so you belong, so you can say: we are here.
We should talk about what we do. Let people know. Make them curious. Draw them in.
The educators, the catechists, the volunteers — this work matters. Everyone working together makes things happen.
We do it together. We help each other. We raise awareness. We try to bring new people in.
The message has to be one of joy, faith, and life. We have the ideas. We have the plans. Now let's make them real.
Eleonora Buccheri - Maria Madre della Chiesa Group