This summer our Community experienced moments of genuine joy as we celebrated some truly important milestones.
Many of us took part in the festivities marking forty years of Fede e Luce in Italy.
For many of our young people, it was their first time on a plane.
They were nervous and excited—eager to try something new.
And the desire to see the Pope? They could hardly contain themselves.
Then came the joy of being together with so many other young people, some familiar from previous gatherings and others we'd never met. But with all of them came the pleasure of sharing songs, pantomime, skits, meeting people of note, friendship, friendship, friendship...
How bittersweet to say goodbye! But how thrilling to board a plane again!
A month later came the celebration of our Community's thirty years—a mini-retreat unlike any we'd done before. This time we stayed at an agriturismo with a pool right there. We didn't have to go anywhere; everything was at hand, even a dance floor on Saturday night that stayed open late.
Unfortunately, not all our members could make these celebrations. Some had financial constraints; others faced work commitments or health issues.
But nearly everyone came to the party for our coordinator's seventieth birthday, held on the terrace just a month before our trip to Rome.
It was a summer full of new experiences and moments of togetherness.
Community Madonna della Divina Provvidenza
Palermo