There Diocesan Caritas of Catania he accomplished fifty years of service. “A people who takes care of poorer brothers», he defined it the archbishop Luigi Renna. A story that begins in 1974 and which is still going ahead with it look towards the future: one community of volunteers which accompanies and directs more fragile people of the territory of the archdiocese of Catania towards one full recovery of one’s existence.
Only in the last year have they been carried out further 350 thousand interventions with multiple ways of helping the most needy, thanks also to8xthousand at the Catholic churchto donations from citizens, companies and collaboration with associations of the third sector. It was discussed this afternoon at archiepiscopal seminary of clerics of Catania, where the meeting was held Half a century of love – 50th anniversary of the diocesan Caritas of Catania which represented an opportunity to relive together most significant moments of the history of the diocesan charity organization in the presence of civil and religious institutions, including the prefect of Catania Maria Carmela Librizzi.
“Today let’s sing a story – highlighted the archbishop – that walks on the legs of men and women who are or have been directors, deputy directors, volunteers who in the diocesan centers who ensure constant proximity to our poorer brothers or in parish communities, they are the people of God who embodies the greatest virtue». The meeting, moderated by the journalist Adelaide Barbagalloalso experienced a moment dedicated to communicating solidarity with Except The Rose And Giuseppe Castiglia and brought to the public’s attention the testimonials from volunteers and beneficiaries which were introduced by the intervention of the director of Caritas Don Nuccio Puglisi. «Fifty years have passed – said the director – eh poor children who were ten years old then, today they are sixty, but many of them they are still poor because, simply, we all continue to call them that. Celebrating this anniversary will mean admitting that, in fifty years, poverty has increased in the connotations of poverty more sneaky, invisible, digital».
A poverty that evolves and intensifies in a worrying way. The latest survey of Caritas services, released in May, highlighted in a structured way the economic and social difficulties of the city: +119 thousand interventions carried out between 2019 and 2023, which went from 237 thousand to 356 thousandscoring a
+34 percent. Numbers that testify the commitment of hundreds of volunteers. L’Help Centerin Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, is a social first aid which guarantees listening, breakfast, dinner, clothing, baby products, toilets and a change of clothing. In the field, in addition to low threshold services, also more complex forms of support intended to direct guests to the autonomous recovery: welcomes for women victims of violence with minors, consultancy dedicated to handling of the paperwork
bureaucratic, the Economic support for the payment of utilities, the activity of legal and psychological consultancy and banking mediation through the microcredit.
«In a memorable speech at Caritas Italian – concluded Monsignor Renna – Saint Paul VI he said: “Above thepurely material aspect of your activity, its prevailing nature must emerge pedagogical function‘. What it can mean: that the Caritas every year he gives us a poverty report of the country and train volunteers? Also, but not only: to every community teaches that it is called to relive the experience of the Acts of the apostles, who sold their goods and there they distributed to the poor. And there wasn’t one among them no needy person». Tomorrow morning, thanks to the collaboration with the youth ministryto theHelp Center of the central station there will be meetings dedicated to children to tell stories the importance of the daily service of hundreds of volunteers. At 5pm at the church of San Nicolò l’Arena in Catania (piazza Dante Alighieri, 12), the Eucharistic celebration and a moment of fraternal agape with guests.
