The Mayor and the Municipal Administration donate the oil for the Saint’s lamp
Friday 14th June in the Parish of San Giovanni Battista in San Giovanni di Ceppaloni, the Sacred Novenary of Celebrations began in honor of the Patron Saint, San Giovanni Battista. In the evening after the Prayer of the Holy Rosary, the Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by the Archbishop of Benevento His Excellency Monsignor Felice Accrocca, concelebrated by the Parish Priest of San Giovanni Don Lorenzo Varrecchia, in the presence of the Mayor of Ceppaloni Dr. Claudio Cataudo and the Administration Municipality, and by the faithful of the community, the choir of San Giovanni will animate the liturgy.
During the Holy Mass which marks the beginning of the celebrations in honor of the Saint who is so loved and venerated by the local community and the surrounding area, the Archbishop blessed the Mayor and the entire Municipal Administration, hereinafter the Mayor on behalf of the Administration, donated the oil for the votive lamp of Saint John which will be displayed under the Sacred Image of the Saint for a year.
A beautiful and emotional evening of prayer in honor of St. John, it was nice to begin the Solemn Celebrations with the celebration of
Holy Mass led by our dear Bishop, always attentive and present for the community of San Giovanni and Beltiglio di Ceppaloni, who encourages us with his ministry to unite and walk together in the name of the Lord.
Furthermore, it was nice and important to start by entrusting the Municipal Administration to San Giovanni, followed in the next few days by all those who are committed to the public good, the safety of citizens and in the world of social work and volunteering. All united evening after evening in a single community, in a mutual brotherhood for the love of God and the Holy Forerunner, the Baptist, who indicates to us the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world, the one who is above everything, stopping in the presence of the Lord, as highlighted by the reflection taking inspiration from the first reading, From the first book of Kings, in which the passage of Scripture tells of Elijah’s meeting with God on Mount Horeb which took place not in the din, but in the silence and stillness. We too must welcome the presence of God in various forms as it presents itself, sometimes we can be used to seeing God in a striking form, but instead he can be close to us through a person who asks us for a bit of bread, asks us for a word of comfort , so let’s open our hearts to the Lord, to his love for us in our lives, so that we can always be like Saint John the Baptist.
The liturgical ceremony ended with the censing, the prayer of the act of entrustment to the Saint, the Parish Priest’s thanks to HE the Archbishop for his presence and for praying together, and thanks to the Municipal Administration for his presence and for the prayer, inviting them to do good for the community, furthermore at the end the souvenir photo sealed the memories of this simple but heartfelt Holy Mass.
