A two-day event that, despite the somewhat inclement weather, saw the Monastery of San Biagio in Mondovì relive, at the moment of the inauguration, in this site of great historical, religious and artistic value, of the new headquarters of the Association ” Casa do menor Italia “Onlus NGO, made up of volunteers who support the precious and courageous work of Don Renato Chiera, a Villanovan missionary, founder of the” Case do menor “both in Brazil for 35 years and now also in Guinea Bissau (Africa) for the welcome and the redemption of street children, marked by so much precariousness and profound discomfort.
In addition to an evocative moment of the ancient and recent history of the Monastery of San Biagio, Saturday morning with prof. Giancarlo Comino, the arch. Gemma Fulcheri, Professor Chiara Mongiardino and Don Corrado Avagnina; there was also the afternoon of emotions and good wishes for the 80th anniversary of Don Renato Chiera. And then the theological conference on Sunday morning on “A missionary and synodal Church according to the Gospel” with theology professors Serena Noceti and Fr Gianluca Zurra in dialogue with Fr Renato Chiera … Here, on Sunday afternoon, the inaugural event closed with the presence of the bishop Msgr. Egidio Miragoli who presided over the Eucharist.
A sign of hope
“We are here for an inauguration, and therefore for a new beginning – Bishop Egidio said in his homily at the Mass in the new headquarters of” Casa do menor Italia “at the Monastery of San Biagio, starting with three suggestions -: a reality is born , an experience begins, and these are always reasons for celebration and joy, and a palpable joy. Today, then, in an era in which many realities and institutions (including Catholic ones), having exhausted their driving force, seem to decline and fade without remedy, the rise of a new charitable institution is truly a great sign of hope “.
Fidelity to the original inspiration
«That the inauguration party begins by celebrating the Eucharist is no coincidence. “Casa do menor” is not just any charitable institution – continued the bishop -; it was born from the ministry and missionary life of a diocesan priest, Don Renato. It is a pastoral and ecclesial work that finds its inspiration and ultimate motivation in the Gospel, in faith in Jesus, in whose footsteps it wants to walk, and from whom it wants to ask for the strength of the Spirit. It will be important for the life and continuity of this work that it, despite its autonomy, remains faithful to its original inspiration and its ecclesial connection: it was born from a member of the Monregalese Church and in the bed of the Monregalese Church, it will give and we hope it can receive from it, in the mutual exchange that must characterize all the realities that exist because the Gospel exists ”.
Inside a story of spirituality
«” The Casa do menor Italia “, finally, has its roots on a land that since its inception has been a place of history and spirituality: the monastery of San Biagio – added the bishop -. The structure and particularly the church with its ancient frescoes remind us of this. It would be nice if this too were a constant reminder to keep the original inspiration. Stones and art as a warning so that a profound identity is reverberated not only by words but also by deeds: in its material concreteness and in its acts, this House is a place characterized by faith and charity, and therefore by hope. With an image, we could hope that even the new reality that officially starts today, will firmly sink its roots in a “humus” of spirituality in which action is illuminated by the Gospel and is preceded and supported by prayer. The world is full of philanthropic institutions that become “showcases”, ostentation, business research, and overshadow the purpose for which they exist and the poor they want to help. Only a rootedness in the Gospel and in a truly evangelical spirituality can save us from such a drift, and this is what I like to wish for the “Casa do menor” ».
(extensive report of the two-day visit to the Monastery of San Biagio and the entire text of the bishop’s homily in “L’Unione” in paper format, on newsstands on Wednesday)
Monastery of San Biagio lives again as the seat of “Casa do menor Italia” – The Monregalese Union