Don Bruno Lancuba and Maria Rosaria Duraccio.
Sun, sea and the awareness that no one should be left behind. This is the program presented by Unitalsi in the province of Salerno. On the sea of Agropoli, in the clear Cilento and at 1705 meters, on Mount Gelbison, the volunteers accompanied the elderly, people in wheelchairs and those who had never left the house because they live without parents.
This is told by Maria Rosaria Duraccio, president of the Agropoli subsection. “It is the volunteers, women, boys and girls who tirelessly manage to achieve so much”, she comments from the chapel of the sacred Mount of Novi Velia which, shortly after the year one thousand, has become an oasis of Marian prayer thanks to Byzantine monasticism .
The sick arrived with a minibus as far as the asphalt allows to reach, they managed to climb to the top despite the stone paving stones that do not hinder the ascent to wheelchairs.
Thanks to the civil protection volunteers they completed the journey to the top of the green mountain capable of attracting faithful from Calabria, Basilicata and Campania for centuries. Then, ladies and stretcher bearers, pushed the wheelchairs to the chapel where the rector, Don Carmine Troccoli, welcomed the pilgrims. Annarita lives alone with her mother and she really wants to go out with her friends, Pietro, one of the pillars of the association, in the municipality where he lives, in the Salerno area, he fights against the architectural barriers that hinder the passage of wheelchairs like his. «They are experiences that came after a year of association for those who are attentive to the most vulnerable. A space for the disabled is important », Maria Rosaria reiterates, underlining the dimension of fraternity present in the group, which is fundamental for living this experience to the full.
Not only Lourdes and the sanctuaries are at the center of the tireless work of this association founded in 1903, famous for trips to centers of Italian and foreign spirituality.
Pilgrimage and friendship are a precious time, explain volunteers such as Ginetta De Vita and Pasquale D’Angiolillo, “allowing everyone to spend time relaxing together with our friends with different abilities, is of great importance”, they clarify in a rare moment of pause. The rest of the time is devoted to leaving no one behind, understanding everyone’s needs and talking to old and new friends while pushing wheelchairs. Hercules arrives, 25 years old; for the first time he leaves the house without his mother.
For someone like him it is the first time that he leaves his parents at home and goes out without family members. Granting a day of rest to those who have always been your hand, feet or arms that support you and feed you because yours can’t, is an act of love. There are those who could not have made such a steep path in the mountains, the slope is too much and only powerful off-road vehicles are able to climb up here. Then you need the arms of the volunteers to push the prams and enter the chapel of the Virgin Brown. The prayer, the songs and the lunch prepared by the volunteers conclude the day. Someone jokes, laughs, there is room for this too, while the gaze sweeps on one side towards the cross that lights up at night and the coast, with Calabria on one side and Capri on the other.
“Experience emotions and peace thanks to those who help us, Unitalsi and volunteers of all ages”. This was made clear by Don Bruno Lancuba, parish priest from Agropoli and spiritual guide of the association, when in July he said mass on the beach. P.before the celebration some sick, thanks to the strong arms of the volunteers, had managed to get into the water, the most demanding and awaited part of the morning. A meeting open to other Campania groups to stay together at the Lido Raggio Verde and spend time relaxing with the Italian Blind Union and the scouts in Agropoli, a town that always leaves a space on the beach for diversified people.
The mass, the lunch under the umbrellas and the drawing of the “Lottery of Solidarity”, conclude a special day for many people. An appointment, explains Rosaria Duraccio, open to those who are at the forefront of the association every day to support the brothers, putting into practice the teaching of mercy and charity with a smile.