Even in adoption, the discovery or rediscovery of a spirituality can represent a great wealth: discovering oneself loved “forever” by a Father, despite everything, to welcome and know how to love “forever” our children
Massimo and Marialuisa Cecchetti, they define themselves as Venetians by birth and international parents by “adoption”. Thanks to Amici dei Bambini, in fact, they had the joy of welcoming, several years ago, three children up for adoption.
In addition to having collaborated over time, as a family, in the realization of the mission of Ai.Bi., Massimo and Marialuisa are members of the association “The Discarded Stone”, since its foundation, and it is precisely within this association that they have had the opportunity to follow a path on the spirituality of adoption“A path – they explain – that for us starts further away …”
The first meeting with Ai.Bi .: “whoever welcomes one of these children in my name …”
“As kids – they say – when we crossed the entrance to the national headquarters of Ai.Bi., for the training weekend planned for aspiring adoptive parents, we noticed a sentence engraved in the wall, then we understood, but only the first part that said so : ‘whoever welcomes one of these children in my name … ‘leaving out that’ welcomes me ‘, which would later change our horizons and our very life.
That “in my name” was “the mandate” and “the style” in welcoming, but it ‘welcomes me’, we have achieved it only after the meeting with our children and thanks to the journey on spirituality undertaken with other families of the association “.
The challenge of spirituality
The speech by Massimo and Marialuisa Cecchetti prepared jointly with Vilma and Sergio Barel, Ai.Bi. of Friuli Venezia Giulia, for the “three days” of Ai.Bi. in San Marino, takes its cue from an important reflection: “the challenge of spirituality ”.
We interviewed the Cecchetti to learn more about the meaning of this “challenge” and how it can be implemented.
Why did you title your speech “the challenge of spirituality”?
In the title of the speech, spirituality is defined as a challenge, because as a proposal it may not be easily grasped or welcomed by all, even in areas where the soil should be “more fertile”. Challenge because it still requires the availability of knowing how to “look beyond“And” look inside “.
Even in adoption, the discovery or rediscovery of a spirituality can represent a great wealth: discovering ourselves loved “forever” by a Father, despite everything, to welcome and know how to love “forever” our children. “
What are the different “challenges” you propose and why?
Some of the challenges we propose are:
– Orientation meetings, in a Christian sense, to adoptive and foster care
Many things are known about adoption, sometimes distorted, but we like to see it as one “call”, a specific vocation that is often not grasped by families, or fully grasped.
Hence the idea of creating a help desk within the diocesan family counseling center available to families for a first motivational and listening approach.
There is a proliferation in our territories, even in the ecclesial context, of paths that tend to support couple fertility, as opposed to assisted fertilization, but there is no one who promotes and encourages “adoptive fertility”.
-Create a place: the “home” of hospitality and spirituality
A place of welcome, of sharing, of “spiritual refreshment” with monthly meetings open to welcoming families.
In this context, the traditional could be realized “Path on the spirituality of adoption”
-But God is silent: to give voice to the cry (of hope) of abandoned children.
Propose to stage the performance “on call” also with the possibility of final dialogue with the “actors” (and where possible also with the author), witnesses of the welcome.
-Rite of blessing of adoptions: extend the proposal to other dioceses
What is the ultimate goal of the “challenges” you “put in place”?
The ultimate goal of these challenges is to transmit and share what we have received, which leads us to “always be ready to give an account of the hope that has been placed within us”.
A bit like that man who finds a hidden treasure in the field or that merchant who finds a pearl of great value.
This is the heart of the so-called “Spirituality of Adoption “, which originates from having grasped, in the face of our children, the face of Christ abandoned and risen by the Father.
Here then, to that sentence engraved at the entrance of the Ai.Bi., should be added “and welcomes him who sent me“
What can be, in your opinion, the added value of a seminar such as the one organized by Ai.Bi. in San Marino?
The added value of a seminar like that of Ai.Bi in which we have been participating for more than twenty years is that of be able to compare with families from all over Italy, favoring the sharing of family experiences.
This year a further value is represented by the presence of both souls of Ai.Bi, that is the families of the association and the managers and operators of the organization: a nice moment of confrontation to design the future, well anchored to the founding values of the origins.
Tags: adoption
San Marino. The challenge of spirituality to encourage an “adoptive fertility” – The Discarded Stone