The person of Patriarch Marco Cè is indelibly engraved in the memory and life of many of us: his style, his affable and profound way of meeting people, above all his energy in announcing the “adorable person of Jesus » through the assiduous preaching of the Word and the celebration of the sacraments. His long stay in our diocese (35 years: 23 as patriarch and 12 as emeritus) marked generations of young people and adults, helping to develop the most robust roots of what is the diocese of Venice today.
Revive the memory one hundred years, in 2025, from birth. Next May 12th it will be ten years since he reached the Risen Lord, to whom he dedicated his whole life, and July 8th 2025 will be 100 years since his birth: we could not let these anniversaries pass in silence. For this reason, a group of lay people and priests, once his close collaborators, wanted to revive the memory of Patriarch Mark by trying to trace some basic coordinates of his episcopal service in Venice and collecting them in a book, which will be published in the next few days. bookshop: “Marco Cè. Loyalty and prophecy” (published by Marcianum Press).
Cè’s historical-biographical journey. With around twenty short essays, we first reconstruct the historical-biographical path of Marco Cè, to focus, in the second part of the volume, on what he has constantly presented as the fundamentals of Christian life (and of life as such): the Word, the sacraments, the spiritual life. The third part is dedicated to the “wholly ministerial Church”, as is the card. Cè loved to see her and edify her; if the beloved cathedral of San Marco was the visible sign of this Church, this was physically made up of presbyters, deacons, consecrated persons and lay people.
The last part, starting from the pastoral letter “Il granello di senapa” (1990), focuses on outlining some paths (impossible to map them all) into which Venetian pastoral care at the end of the millennium was channeled in a decisive and well-structured way: the spouses and family, care of young people, attention to charity, cultural sensitivity, presence in the social and political world.
The preface of Patriarch Francis. Framing the book are the preface by Patriarch Francesco Moraglia and the afterword by Card. Angelo Scola. Inside is a short section of photographs (mostly unpublished), chosen above all for their close connection with what is explored in depth in the writings.
To reread thirty years of history. This is not a book of testimonies: there are already some, and very beautiful ones too, both from the point of view of personal narratives and, perhaps even more so, of images.
Instead, it is a first attempt to reread thirty years of the history of our Church, placing ourselves on the side of those who have received the task of ferrying it from an essentially Christian world to a world that is no longer such, tracing long-term paths all anything but adventurous or extemporaneous, but on the contrary rooted in the foundations of faith and, ultimately, in the heart of Christianity: the very person of Jesus.
Obviously, given the short period of time that has elapsed, it is a partial work, which will have to be perfected and integrated with aspects not taken into consideration. However, it can offer something to reflect on today.
Loyalty and prophecy. This also explains the subtitle: faithfulness and prophecy. Rereading some key texts from the 1990s and widely cited in the book (for example the programs or pastoral letters, some instructions to the presbytery, various meditations for the Marcian Year or the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Jesus, as he loved to call it), we realizes how relevant they are still in several respects.
An authentically “synodal” working method (despite not using this word), a Church that seriously bets on the laity to be truly “outgoing” (despite not using this expression), a meticulous and passionate preparation of the homily, always centered on the Word and for this very reason truly capable of interpreting the world to which it is addressed, etc.
Saturday 11 May is the eve of the tenth anniversary of Cè’s death. On the other hand, we also realize that certain languages may now be outdated and that some settings have had their day and are no longer viable. Not bad: this is also part of the wise rereading of history, to avoid retracing paths that have already shown their fragility.
Saturday 11 May, the eve of the tenth anniversary of the death of Patriarch Marco, at the Card Pastoral Center. Urbani by Zelarino, the book will be officially presented at 10 am.
Msgr. will speak. Franco Manenti, bishop of Senigallia, originally from Crema like card. There is, and Gianni Cardinale, journalist from Avvenire; Professor Luisa Bienati, vice-rector of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, moderates the meeting.
Don Corrado Cannizzaro
editor of the book “Marco Cè. Loyalty and prophecy”
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