About 25 thousand visitors, 40 Eucharistic celebrations, 16 parish communities involved, 2 of which were Orthodox, thousands of spectators at the live TV broadcast on May 21st and the numerous social live broadcasts from the pages of the Basilica of Sant’Elena. These are the numbers that can only partially describe the great popular participation in the exhibition holy relics of Saint Helena in the Quartese Basilica. A moment of faith experienced intensely by the many who wanted to present their requests to the Saint, gather in prayer or give thanks for her closeness in moments of their lives.
The Holy Mass celebrated together with the faithful of the Parish of San Giovanni Battista di Sedilo, which honors the cult of San Costantino, and an intense moment of prayer, with the celebration of the holy rosary, anticipated the solemn exit of the holy relics from the Basilica accompanied from a long applause at the departure of the return journey to Venice.
“The Lord has given us the opportunity to welcome Saint Helena in our housewhich is his home – he said Don Alfredo Fadda, parish priest of the Basilica – the joy of this moment experienced all together, even with the brothers of the many communities who wanted to be close to us, will remain forever in our hearts. I am sure that this presence will be a moment of impetus and strengthening of our work for all of us.” Antonio Longoni, new president of the Sant’Elena Committee: “It was an extraordinary moment for the parish and for the city, a long-dreamed-of event that finally came true thanks to everyone’s contribution.” “It would be wonderful”, added Don Alfredo Fadda, “to be able to return the visit to Venice in the near future, we will try to organize ourselves in this sense”.
