Many people here in Fidenza remember the old workshop, started about 40 years ago near the bell tower of the S. Michele parish church, in support of the Fede e Luce community "Condivisione." That experience had prepared friends to weave bonds of friendship with people in fragile situations, working "with" them and creating together by hand, in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere. So on September 23, 1991, Il Germoglio was born—a space for meeting, welcome, and creativity, open to young people and adults of different ages and backgrounds. This new chapter began after the moving and fruitful International Fede e Luce Pilgrimage, which took place in Lourdes.
I'm here because I learned to love…
There are so many values we live here, and they shape important relationships. We do real work—the more I dig, the more I find. The little trees are just an excuse…
I remember that when we returned, some of us felt a deeper need to respond to the specific needs and hardships that kept emerging. The bonds of friendship woven over the years between community members and families of disabled people made us more aware of the necessity to "be there"—concretely—to ease, even a little, that sense of loneliness so many parents felt, often completely absorbed by difficult and complex situations. What could we do? Why not create a "fourth quarter," another opportunity to gather and share? And so this experience began, first in a civic hall in town, then moved to the D. Bosco Youth Center because of some accessibility barriers. Later, starting in September 2007, with the opening of La Tenda—a renovated farmhouse lent to us by the Diocese—we resumed our activities in a more suitable and welcoming space.
For me, really, Il Germoglio has become a tree, rich with fruit: good, varied, and delicious, meant to be shared with others…
Here's how those who take part describe it:
"Every Friday we meet to spend the afternoon together. We're about 20: parents, young people, and friends.
Each of these groups is essential for our time together to be complete and real. Everyone brings what they know and can do, without fear of judgment, in welcome and mutual respect.
From time to time we pause and review the path we've taken and plan for the future. Everyone speaks freely, and we build together.
Some of us are learning to play instruments, some sing, some color or make objects to sell at the Christmas bazaar, some play games and some wait eagerly for snack time, some keep the monthly calendar, trying not to forget the various birthdays to celebrate at the end of each month. We all happily celebrate whenever the occasion arises!
Given her fragile situation, this is a great opportunity for my daughter, one of the few chances for friendship and connection she can experience.
Those who seem most fragile are actually our greatest wealth, and they give meaning to everything we do and create."
I love being here with all of you. We help each other, and everyone offers their gift.
There's always something to prepare for a celebration, for a Fede e Luce gathering, and for some years now, the local Catholic Action group has asked us to make many colorful kite tails to flutter at the May 1st spring festival.
This isn't a workshop—it's a place of life. Every time I leave, I go home happy from the friendship we've shared.
But one of the most important moments is the preparation for Christmas. For the past several years, one dedicated father has started cutting wooden strips at the end of October to make plant boxes, which are then assembled and carefully painted by the young people. The most magical moment, the most creative one, comes when we decorate the little trees just before Christmas, celebrated at a parish in town. You can feel all the energy—the search for ribbons in different colors and sizes, for ornaments and beads and sequins to make each tree "unique" and "special." After the celebration, we're pleased to display them, and usually people appreciate them and we have no trouble giving them out.
It's wonderful that families are involved. If it weren't for my daughter, I wouldn't be here… the young people teach us so much.
The other moment we approach with joy and excitement is music, led by maestro Michele, who teaches, helps, and encourages us to play different instruments using the Finnish method: Figurenotes. It's a new system of notation where the information about the sounds to produce is given through concrete symbols. In a Figurenotes score, the staff and notes are replaced by a system of symbols with different shapes, lengths, and colors.
My greatest struggle in life has been accepting myself with my limits and weaknesses. Here I finally feel good because I feel completely accepted. The fact that I see the young people accept each other exactly as they are—that reality is "life" for me too.
To learn more, visit www.specialmentemusica.it.
Of course, it took a lot of practice to learn better concentration, to get through moods or tiredness, to build self-esteem. But after all that worthy effort, today "the Germoglio band" is well-rehearsed and happy to perform whenever the right opportunity comes along. For example, on Saturday, May 29, we took part in an event organized by a local association, "The Third Quarter for Lorenzo," with competitions open to everyone, and the band started off the musical evening. We were accompanied by a small choir, and who knows if we can count on that in the future too. What joy and emotion to see young people, parents, and friends performing together with music and song on stage! It was a magical moment where everyone gave their best for the event's success—a moment free, if just for an instant, from worry and strain. On Friday, June 12, we'll all be at the street festival organized by the S. Paolo committee at the Sicomoro community's parish. We'll accompany and support our friends once again for their musical time.
And what about the parents who look forward to Friday to talk and share a "light" time of rest and ease with friends—a game here, a song there, a confidence shared, a small task to finish…
Over the years, many friends have taken part in this reality: Caritas volunteers, young people doing civil service, scouts, youth from various parishes in town, adults involved in other meaningful work and ministries.
It's important to note that all of this happened also because of a network that started many years ago, to which some of us committed ourselves, bringing together associations and public and private organizations, all motivated by the desire to raise awareness in the city about the resources and challenges facing people with disabilities. Even today, we seek to foster this openness to the wider community, which allows us to exchange ideas with different groups, to show mutual respect, and to tell and share the broader experience of Fede e Luce.
The "Germoglio" lives in each of us. You just have to let it grow and tend it a bit, and it will surely bear good fruit for all of us.
Lucia Casella, 2015