And we entrust the story of this journey, thanks to Domenico Saracino, to a student, Michela Maria Sannicandro.
«In the school year that has just ended, many students of the “G. Galilei” Scientific High School followed a path of high ethical and educational value, extraordinarily guided by Professor Clementina Chirico.
The starting point was “I care project: beyond the law in freedom of conscience. Visit to Barbiana in the footsteps of Don Lorenzo Milani”. Visiting the places where Don Milani created the experimental school and applied innovative and revolutionary teaching principles was very engaging and made us reflect on the true value of personalized education, on the complete development of the personality, on the importance of civic education and of critical training.
The motto I care admirably condenses the concept of “taking care” of others. These solitary places, where solitary and silent nature triumphs, lead to reflection and make us relive the actions carried out by Don Milani.
The leitmotif of all his actions was the concept of solidarity, concretely experienced in his life with attention to the poor, the last, the needy. As a young man he did not tolerate any different treatment between himself and the farmers’ children. He resented it when the waitress brought him a snack, because the farmers’ children had none and, when the farmer sliced the ham for his snack, Lorenzo opened doors and gates and asked that it be offered to everyone.
The next stage, led by Father Guarino Valentino in Assisi, in the footsteps of Saint Francis, completed the path of reflection on the concept of poverty and need. These experiences, intensely lived, have raised in us the awareness that poverty changes its face, but still persists in our society. We experienced all this in the volunteer experience at the Parish of Sant’Antonio di Bari, where, for over two months, led by Father Guarino himself, we collaborated in distributing dinner to the homeless.
One of our classmates said “I didn’t imagine that this experience would change my life.” The experience for us ended with dinner on Friday 7 June. It was a great celebration, enlivened by music and for the first time we served dinner to the homeless. There are many needy people who grope in our cities, rich only in hope. The Church of Sant’Antonio stands as a point of reference for those who have nowhere to go and on Friday the small square comes to life and carries out the miracle. Each of them is the spokesperson of a tragic story, made up of mistakes, sometimes irreparable, but their lives must not be any less important for this reason. Everyone should be given a second chance and the opportunity to be reborn into the world as a human being and not an outcast of society. They are the marginalized and excluded who daily experience the absence of trust, acceptance and care, in a society tending towards narcissistic and hypertrophic selfishness. They only ask not to be invisible, in this glittering civilization of images and appearances, which obscures and erases the essence of life, in the name of prevailing false values and disvalues.
The inspiration for this experience comes from the teachings of Don Milani: returning from the tiring climb of the Mugello hills to reach the Barbiana school, we boys tried to restore the dignity of human beings to the poor, in the name of the wonderful principle sanctioned by ‘art. 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights approved by the United Nations on 10 December 1948: «All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and must act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood.”
The experience lived in Barbiana transformed us and offered us a different perspective on the world of the least: the narration of the episodes of generosity and hospitality of Don Milani, the frequenting of his places, surrounded by a sacred aura and full of humanity, have been our source of inspiration.
His message of social justice and equality is more relevant than ever and has induced deep reflection in us which has translated into real voluntary service. We were happy to have written a page in the history of hospitality and proximity.
I care should be the motto that inspires our days: taking care of others, from the near to the infinitely far away, listening and welcoming, with delicacy and sensitivity, with humility and generosity.”
