A seasoned educator and beloved brother in the Faith and Light communities of Naples, Bruno Galante knew how powerful a gospel mime could be—a form of catechesis within everyone's reach. Imagine his joy, then, at seeing members of the Campania communities invited to bring that long-cherished vision to life at the closing Mass of a conference organized by the Office for the Pastoral Care of People with Disabilities of the Italian Bishops' Conference last April. A joy fully shared.
Sister Veronica Amata Donatello had shepherded the conference with care and precision, starting with the choice of venue: Scampia, in the new campus of Federico II University. Presentations on the Seasons of Life gave way to inclusive artistic experiences—an installation called The Flag of the World, and guided tours led by young people from the La Scintilla workshop, exploring Caravaggio and the Treasure of Saint Januarius—alongside moments of spiritual nourishment.
That nourishment showed itself most clearly during the closing moments in the cathedral, where the Kingdom broke through among us via small, deliberate gestures that made sure everyone could offer their part: braille missals and a voice synthesizer for a diocesan reader who cannot move a muscle; the gospel, brought alive through spoken word and the movement of bodies.
At most Faith and Light gatherings where it's offered, the gospel text is mimed during the reading. This time—a common practice in Campania—it came before the homily. The reading could thus match the mime, with simplified text and a slower pace where needed. Hearing it twice reinforced both memory and the senses. "A gospel translated into touch," Bishop Battaglia called it—Don Mimmo, as everyone knows him.
The mime was deceptively simple, yet the group's preparation ran deep. Fully embodied gestures, solemn movements, and carefully chosen objects conveyed meditation on our shepherd receiving life from the Father, symbolized by a red cloth, which he then spends on the cross with full intent for the salvation of his sheep. An embrace with the Father, the Son shielding his flock, the sheep marked by simple headdresses and white crepe paper—these gestures laid bare the fragility and precious worth of each of us. A gift to enter again into the mystery that defines our humanity, willed and loved by the Father.
Perhaps we should learn to ask people not to applaud after each mime. The thought lingers, though applause during liturgy happens more often now. Yet the mime's nature is far from spectacle or performance. We meditate on the gospel, entering into the folds of the Word with our whole selves.
Joy finds its moment. To close the celebration, the Community Song began—simple, infectious, laden with meaning. In the rolling of hands, bows, calls to self and others, to love and to God, the one body Paul described came alive. Every member cared for every other, in joy, each playing their part in Christ.