The relics of San Colombano arrive in the Cathedral on Saturday 22 June at 6pm, after a stopover from Thursday 20 in Santa Brigida. The greatest city temple will be at the center of the twenty-fifth edition of Columban’s Day, the international meeting of the Columban communities which is taking place in Piacenza for the first time. In recent years in the Piacenza area it has already taken place in Vernasca, Pianello and Bobbio.
Conference and concert on the 22nd
The conference “An Irish hostel in Piacenza” is scheduled for Saturday 22 June at 10.30 in the church of Santa Brigida d’Ireland in Piazza Borgo in Piacenza. Speakers: Damian Bracken (“Saint Bridget in Ireland, Italy and the rest of Europe”); Marcello Spigaroli, architect (“The Romee knot. Church and village of Santa Brigida in 9th century Piacenza.”); Susanna Pighi, curator of the Kronos Museum (“Iconographic sources of San Colombano in the art of Piacenza”).
From 3pm to 4.30pm guided tours by CoolTour; at 9pm in the Cathedral concert by the Nicolini Choir, directed by maestro Stefano Bommino.
The 23rd in the Cathedral
Sunday 23 June in the morning and afternoon guided tours by CoolTour. In the afternoon, “minimal walking itinerary” from the church of Santa Brigida (meeting at 2.30 pm in the churchyard) to the Cathedral passing through the basilica of Sant’Antonino by the children’s choir of the Fourth Educational Circle of Piacenza, assisted by a group of singers of the Giuseppe Nicolini Conservatory of Music and of the Quarta Parete Theater Group.
At 3.30 pm at Palazzo Gotico, greetings from Mayor Katia Tarasconi to the civil authorities gathered. At 4 pm in the Fresco Hall of the Bishop’s Palace, greetings from Msgr. Cevolotto to the Bishops and parish priests of the Colombanian communities and other religious authorities.
At 5pm in the Cathedral solemn mass presided over by Msgr. Cevolotto. At 7pm Pilgrim’s Dinner in the Episcopal Seminary with Irish music by the folk band “The Lepricorns”.
With Msgr. Cevolotto concelebrates 17 bishops: Msgr. Gianni Ambrosio, bishop emeritus of Piacenza-Bobbio, mons. Michele Tomasi, bishop of Treviso, mons. Corrado Sanguineti, bishop of Pavia, mons. Maurizio Malvestiti, bishop of Lodi, mons. Giuseppe Merisi, bishop emeritus of Lodi, mons. Guido Gallese, bishop of Alessandria, mons. Salvatore Ligorio, bishop emeritus of Potenza, mons. Luigi Ernesto Palletti, bishop of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato, mons. Domenico Beneventi, bishop of San Marino-Montefeltro, mons. Andrea Turazzi, bishop emeritus of San Marino-Montefeltro, mons. Piero Marini, archbishop, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for international Eucharistic congresses, mons. Anselmo Guido Pecorari, archbishop, former apostolic nuncio to Uruguay and then to Bulgaria Macedonia, Msgr. Noel Treanor, apostolic nuncio to the European Union, Msgr. Michael Duignan, bishop of Clonfert and Galway and Kilmacduagh (Ireland), mgr. Paul O’Connell, bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise (Ireland), Msgr. Denis Nulty, bishop of Kildare and Leighlin (Ireland), Msgr. John McAreavey, bishop emeritus of Dromore (Ireland). Added to them is Stefano Zanolini, abbot of Chiaravalle in Milan and abbot principal of the Congregation of San Bernardo in Italy. Furthermore, Br. Paul Finnerty, rector of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, and Br. Robert McCulloch, former attorney general of the Missionaries of San Colombano, will concelebrate.
There will be some missionaries of San Colombano from Navan in Ireland, the Irish ambassador to the Holy See, Frances Collins, the Honorary Consul of Ireland, lawyer. Antonietta Marsaglia. In addition to the mayors of the Colombanian communities, the mayors of the municipalities on the path of San Colombano in the Piacenza area were invited.
Groups will participate from Friedrichshafen in Germany, from Ireland, from Luxeuil and St. Coulomb in France. The representation of Italian pilgrims was very numerous, as always happened in previous editions. Groups will arrive from San Colombano al Lambro (Lodi), from Valtellina, from Liguria (San Colombano Certenoli), from Riva di Suzzara (Mantua), from Oltrepò Pavese (Santa Giuletta and Canevino), from the diocese of Treviso (Breda di Piave) , from the parish of Fogliano di Reggio Emilia, from Tuscany (Capannori and Terrinca) and from Piedmont (Monchiero and Biandrate)
Over 400 people attended the Pilgrim’s Dinner at the Episcopal Seminary.
Exhibition in San Francesco
Meanwhile, the exhibition “San Colombano abate d’Europa” continues until the 23rd in the Basilica of San Francesco in Piazza Cavalli, which can be visited at the following times: 8.30-12; 3-6.30pm.
An exhibition in Bobbio
In Bobbio on Monday 24 June at 11 am at the Mazzolini Collection Museum the exhibition opens: “Ireland and the birth of Europe”. The Irish Ambassador to the Holy See Frances Collins and the curators Damian Bracken, University of Cork, and the rector of the Irish College Fr. Paul Finnerty will be present.
