A Celebration Twenty-Five Years in the Making
Twenty-five years have passed since that sweltering May 30, 1992, when Renato and a group of parents with their children decided to plant the seed of what has become a living shoot in the heart of all of us—the San Giovanni Battista community in Bari. The emotion of a life lived and relived through its joys, sorrows, smiles, tears, and all that invisible force holding us together, embracing us, moving us forward on a path that, after so many years, feels more winding and difficult to follow.
Yet nothing discourages us. In Faith and Light, the miracle of "joy" happens in every encounter, every time we gather to remember an event. So away with discouragement—we shoulder it and sing, we play music, we celebrate that birthday of ours which to some may seem insignificant, but to us is something far more than "important."
So we celebrated with Michele, Sergio, Marco, and Antonello's band, whose music delighted us, and Giancarlo's dance, all supported by the talented Adriana. Then came mime—reminding us of our beginnings in "rejection," as our whole community relived those moments of two parents and their two children turned away at Lourdes. And then the party, the dancing, and that unmistakable element that defines us—above all, the moment of "food"! Smiles, embraces, caresses, and a few tears. We are made this way. The "simplicity" in Faith and Light is disarming; it is that grace Jesus gave us, and each time it simply takes us by surprise.
Yet there remains a sadness—yes, even that—of those who stood apart all evening, turned away on the other side, pretending nothing was happening, waiting impatiently for the party to end, asking themselves what they could offer, but never asking why we have been in this place for so long. Perhaps this is our path. After all, Faith and Light was born from rejection, and from that rejection we must begin again. That evening someone quoted a thought from Don Tonino Bello, who said that "Calvary, like suffering, should not be a stopping place but a passage." It saddens us to see that the person who spoke those words later placed a well-marked barrier in the very place where we have lived our twenty-five years.
The aim of Faith and Light is to integrate our young people into the Church. If a group, for reasons tied to the natural course of a life, remains small with only a few people from the parish but continues to meet in that parish, it cannot be ignored—it must be integrated. We do not need a room or any place to sit; we need to live the Church by living in the Church as one Body and one Spirit. But as in many times before, we "pass through" this suffering too, and we place ourselves in listening, entrusting ourselves to Him who will still walk with us by the hand on our path, secure in the knowledge that our life still has much to write.
Gianni Guerra
How Do You Use Social Media?
In my opinion, anyone using social media should use it well.
Because it's not a game. I get scared when I see the credit card symbol. You can't put anything on there. There is censorship. There are words you shouldn't use because they offend others. There are people with different temperaments who are angry at the world because their day wasn't good. Politicians should be left in peace—without them we wouldn't know how to run the state or manage our jobs. You can choose a platform. I use Facebook to post photos in color of my surroundings, of friends I secretly like and respect—otherwise I wouldn't have photographed them. I have good taste about which photos to post to get likes. In return, I promise to like other people's photos, videos too. It's nice to invite people to things, but if it gets late I don't go, because I need a ride home before midnight. Anyway, there are lots of sites used to advertise hotels, villages, concerts—so that's all good.
Giovanni Grossi
"Come and Follow Me"
We met Don Massimiliano Sposato at the retreat center in Cesenatico in July 2016, when he was on vacation with a group of teenagers from his parish at the same holiday house where we were staying.
He took an immediate interest in us. He wanted to get to know us and give his teenagers the chance to spend time with us and our young people. He suggested we spend time together.
When we left, we promised to stay in touch. This year we coordinated for the same week in Cesenatico and exchanged our schedules so we could work together.
It was an intense week for everyone. We did many activities together, including spending time with our young people, exchanging testimonies, and celebrating Mass together.
When Don Massimiliano left, he promised he would come to Milan with other teenagers as soon as he could.
And yes—promise kept. Don Massimiliano and his teenagers came to Milan on November 3 and 4, 2017, to visit the city, pursue their activities, and get to know Faith and Light.
On Friday they visited the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, the Duomo, the Castle. In the afternoon, after lunch, they were hosted by the Sisters of Nazareth, by Sister Camelia, our liaison, where—to show that friendship is an interwoven tapestry of lives that binds us—they played the "ball of yarn" game (suggested by our handbook).
In the evening, dinner at a pizzeria on the Naviglio and a walk. Then by subway—a novelty for them—and bus, we accompanied them to the Sacra Famiglia Institute in Cesano Boscone, where they stayed the night.
Saturday, after breakfast and a brief tour of the facility, we gathered in the Cornaggia hall for a series of activities. After a moment of prayer led by Angela Grassi, Don Marco Bove (national spiritual assistant of Faith and Light and current president of the institute) showed a short film about the facility and shared his experience. Angela explained the history of Faith and Light with a small film and prepared a poster with our boat symbol as a starting point for personal reflection. During the morning, Daniela, who participated this summer in the international youth meeting in Alicante (we wrote about it last issue), shared her experience.
After lunch in the institute's cafeteria, we moved to the San Giustino oratory in Cesano Boscone to continue activities of mutual discovery. Together we drew a tree—we had to dip the palms of our hands in finger paint and press them onto a poster where only the trunk had been drawn. It was great fun (we took this idea from our handbook too).
Later Don Mauro Santoro, our spiritual guide, joined us, and we prepared the prayers of the faithful to read during Mass.
At 5:30 p.m., the Mass was celebrated by three priests: Don Emanuele Beretta, priest at San Giustino; Don Mauro Santoro, representing Faith and Light; and Don Massimiliano Sposato, our guest priest. We animated the service in our own style. After Don Massimiliano's homily, we sang our community hymn, which he loves so much that he taught it to his young people, and which the parishioners also love. At the offertory, in addition to bread and wine, we brought what had been made in our work groups over these days—posters, prayers, and a vase of flowers. The prayers of the faithful for Faith and Light were read. At the end, to thank us, Don Massimiliano sang "Come and Follow Me," a rap song he wrote.
After Mass, we grabbed pizza quickly, and the bus driven by Heidi arrived to take our friends from Brunico home: goodbye! What can we say? Two intense days. Everyone participated and was fully engaged. As soon as we can, we will go visit them.
Thanks to everyone who helped organize these two days—they were formative, constructive, and helped us grow. Whoever sows will reap, but you must cultivate, tend, and walk together.
Flora Atlante
Take Heart, It Is I
On October 8, the Peppino Vismara Center in Milan held the opening celebration of the year for Lombardy.
After welcoming the group from Gratosoglio, listening to words from Liliana and Don Mauro, watching mime, exchanging stories, we had lunch and celebrated Mass.
During the offertory, Dario, Lucia, and Josè brought forward a crucifix in memory of Luca. The moment was deeply moving. So many memories returned—both joyful and sorrowful. What a powerful moment! We felt united, even more a part of the great Faith and Light family. We wore the pilgrimage T-shirts to honor and witness those days.
The crucifix is the work of a craftsman from Valtellina who had shown his work at a neighborhood fair, where Dario and Luca saw it. Luca fell in love with it immediately. He bought it two years ago on the occasion of the pilgrimage. Both participated, accompanied also by Lucia and Josè, with the hope of having it blessed by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Goal achieved!
The pilgrimage song, "Take Heart, It Is I," became Luca's motto and ours—a refrain that united us all and gave us courage to face those days.
This crucifix is deeply meaningful to Dario, Lucia, and Josè because it "accompanied" Luca through his suffering. It is given as a sign of gratitude to Don Mauro, who stood beside and supported Luca and his family throughout his illness. It is now donated to the Vismara Center.
After Mass, Don Mauro blessed the crucifix, thanked them for this magnificent gift, and announced that it will be placed in the chapel of the Vismara Center.
Right after, Liliana explained the 2018 Carnet de Route and distributed it to the leaders of all our communities, encouraging them to use it well.
To close, we shared refreshments and said until next time! Don Mauro invited us to overcome laziness, fatigue, and weariness—that all these gatherings are meant to be lived, to be experienced because they bring us together, recharge us, renew us, and push us to keep going forward.
Arianna, Silvana, and Flora