Lourdes
Living Easter in Faith and Light
On Good Friday at three o'clock, twelve thousand pilgrims gathered before the grotto. Four thousand of them came from fifteen countries and carried intellectual disabilities. For many, it was their first pilgrimage.
Marie Helene Mathieu
FURTHER READING
Rome
The Church and the World of Disability: Reconciliation
To renew ourselves and become reconciled—this is the heart of this journey. Only God can transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, but we must ask Him with trust and without tiring.
The editors of Insieme
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Assisi
Walking in the Footsteps of Saint Francis
To set out for Assisi is to walk together, humbly and simply, following the example of Saint Francis. It is to try to understand one another. It is to meet and share our experiences, to talk, to express the joy of being together.
Luis Sankalé
FURTHER READING
Loreto
Let It Be Done According to Your Faith
For years I was convinced my cross was too heavy to bear. But since I joined Faith and Light, I have come to see that my cross is much lighter than so many others. After this pilgrimage, it seems to me I have no cross at all.
Olga Gammarelli
FURTHER READING
Lourdes
To Give Thanks
So at the front of our pilgrimage we place the smallest among us—those who, in the spirit of Faith and Light, are chosen to "show us the way." We journey WITH them, not FOR them. That was our decision.
Mariangela Bertolini
FURTHER READING
Assisi
Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
Our son is as he is "so that the works of God might be revealed in him." And our testimony of love—our capacity to love—is a unique gift to the Church. What more beautiful words could we have heard?
Luisa Nardini
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Lourdes
Father Makes Us One
Many people came from all over the world to that grotto of Mary. Europeans, Africans, Japanese, Arabs, Americans—fourteen thousand people in all. I didn't know their languages and they didn't speak Italian, but we understood each other through gestures. On Easter Sunday we embraced like brothers and sisters and wrote our names on each other's ponchos. It was a sign.
Giuliana, a girl from Bari
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Assisi
Blessed Be the Lord Who Has Visited and Redeemed His People
The images stay with me: the flutter of countless colored scarves, the smiles on young faces, all present despite their struggles. The music, the games, the care and tenderness of the volunteers supporting the most fragile. I lived through a world of the finest emotions and feelings.
Raffaella, a mother from Langhirano
FURTHER READING
Lourdes
Come, Drink from the Spring
Never before had so many children been seen at gatherings like this. They were the sons and daughters of people who had become friends of the movement over the years. Some had come to Lourdes in 1981 as teenagers. After twenty years of commitment, they wanted to bring their families to testify that marriage had not dimmed their dedication—it had only deepened it, even if in different ways.
Mariangela Bertolini
FURTHER READING
Assisi
Walking for Peace
Yes, we must be there, stay, remain. Stay alongside our own wounds and the wounds of others, without fear of stillness. Because standing still and walking are the same thing when the goal is peace of heart and Jesus is the companion of the journey.
Vito Giannulo
FURTHER READING
Loreto and Paola
Messengers of Joy
Feeling like brothers and sisters together, each walking at our own pace—this is always a precious gift. But this is the secret of Faith and Light, even for a spiritual guide. I too felt myself a brother among many brothers, walking my own way. This encounter has left its mark on me as well.
Don Marco Bove
FURTHER READING
Rome and Assisi
Courage, I Am Here
Everyone asked me what the Pope had said to me. I was so moved that I heard nothing—only the touch of his hand on my face, on my legs, and a great upheaval inside me.
Arianna Giuliano