For the second year running, the Il Chicco community in Ciampino—part of the L'Arca federation—has offered monthly gatherings to experience the Gospel in a new way: through "biblical dramatization," or what we also call "encountering the Gospel via active methods." We live God's Word in action.
What is this?
We are used to reading or hearing God's Word sitting in a church, in assemblies, or meditating alone in our rooms. Yet we often forget that the human person, created by God, is a unity of soul, body, and mind—and that God's Word itself, from the beginning, is Dabar: a Word that speaks and gives, that produces action and effect the moment it is spoken, that has creative power. So why not let this Word flow through us entirely, moving our bodies alongside our hearts and minds?
This is what we attempt at Il Chicco, drawing on methods rooted in psychodrama—the "theater of spontaneity" developed by J.L. Moreno, a psychiatrist (1889–1974) who used theater as both healing and teaching tool for all participants. Father Beppe Bertagna has adapted this method in dialogue with biblical texts, placing God's Word at the center of personal and community encounter. It becomes the most powerful resource, the key for communicating with one another and with ourselves.
How does it work?
A facilitator—someone trained in active methods and familiar with the text—prepares the theme, usually a biblical passage or Gospel reading. We often follow the liturgical calendar, just as we do in our Sunday gatherings.
The chosen theme shapes every phase of the encounter:
- psycho-physical-relational warm-up;
- guided imagery;
- spontaneous enactment;
- closing message;
- prayer of thanksgiving.
We meet in a large room that can hold fifteen to thirty people, including those in wheelchairs. We begin with the "warm-up" phase—simple games, like those we do in our "circles" or the games of scouting—that help people relax, lower their guards, move their bodies, and find harmony with one another and the group.
Next, participants take a comfortable, relaxed position for the "guided imagery" phase. The facilitator tells the biblical story, inviting each person to imagine the scene, as if dreaming it, and to notice what strikes them most—a character, a landscape, an element of the setting. When the story ends, participants who feel drawn to a particular figure or element—human, natural, or emotional—step forward spontaneously to take on that role. To help them fully inhabit the character, we provide scarves, colored cloth, or simple props. Once all characters are ready, the spontaneous enactment begins.
What happens?
In the spontaneous interaction between characters, the power of the Word we have heard and imagined expresses itself through gesture, speech, questions—as prayers, pleas, spontaneous dialogue with God and with friends, actions as if the scene were truly unfolding in the here and now, as if we ourselves were its protagonists. Questions we have long carried in our hearts pour out, along with gratitude and longing—sometimes anger and bewilderment too, and joyful recognition. It is a moment of grace, the Spirit breathing among those who open themselves to this experience.
The facilitator uses techniques to help people voice their feelings, insights, and questions. Sometimes, when someone feels stuck in a role or trapped by certain emotions and thoughts, we help them exchange characters with another person.
We know that for our young people, a physical approach—affection, eye contact, small gestures done together—speaks louder than many words or readings. This is why they participate eagerly and, as they have often shown us, express the Gospel in its simplest form. I think of Salvatore, for instance, who once played a disciple running to hear Jesus on the hill. When asked "Who is Jesus?" he answered at once: "He's my friend!" Or the gestures of forgiveness and welcome that our young people, playing disciples and friends of Jesus, cannot help but make toward tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners—gestures that mysteriously touch us, ease our wounds, console our sorrows, and overcome what we thought impossible.
At the end of the enactment, each character shares a personal message with another, leaving an imprint on the heart—a word of comfort, encouragement, or invitation.
Finally, having shed our characters and returned to the present, we gather as a Christian community that has listened and welcomed God's Word. We close by giving thanks to the Lord for the gifts given in our time together.
Biblical dramatization allows us to encounter God's Word in the Church made of people—ourselves—and to receive the authenticity of its gifts.
Annick Donelli, 2016
Il Chicco: A Brief Portrait
Il Chicco is an L'Arca community founded thirty years ago in Ciampino, near Rome, and the first to welcome children with intellectual disabilities as founding members. For them, the community became their first home. Today, Fabio, Maria, Lucia, Armando, Silvia, and Paolo are adults who have opened their doors to many others. Giorgio, Danilo, and Marilena joined them; then Daniele, Francesco, and Dafne. Many more have chosen to share their life for a time.
Present in diverse religious and cultural settings, L'Arca is an international federation of communities where people with and without intellectual disabilities share their lives, bound by the same spirit of welcome, sharing, and simplicity. Mutual relationships and faith in God lie at the heart of community life, whose aim is to reveal the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities, recognize our need for one another, and work across different cultures to build a more human society together.
Today, Il Chicco faces serious difficulty. Continuing cuts to public funding for people with disabilities threaten the community's survival. For this reason, the original house—now too small for their needs—has been opened as a place of hospitality: once again, it might become a "grain of wheat" for many, a haven of peace, a place of life.
Designed to welcome up to thirty guests, Casa Chicco is now available to those seeking a time of retreat and prayer, or to visitors wishing to explore Rome and its sacred places in comfort, away from the city's chaos. Just minutes from Ciampino Airport and Acqua Acetosa railway station, and fully accessible for people with disabilities, Casa Chicco offers overnight stays with breakfast, half board, or full board. The community's chapel is open to all guests, and the conference room can be booked for meetings and seminars.
At Il Chicco, the sessions are led by Claudia Baldassari and Annick Donelli. Claudia is a theologian, religious education teacher, and visiting professor at the Pontifical Urbaniana University. She trained at the School for Leaders of Biblical Groups Using Active Methods under Father Beppe Bertagna, S.J., and carries out pastoral work in biblical catechesis across Italian dioceses and secular settings. Annick is a social worker and longtime friend of Fede e Luce and Il Chicco communities; she completed the course in Biblical Dramatization at the Pontifical Urbaniana University and is Claudia's apprentice.