Actuality
1000 liters of Sicilian oil to keep the votive lamp of the Patron Saint of Italy lit
Of piero messina for sicily on demand – June 17, 2024
“President, think of the poor and the weakest”. On his deathbed, Brother Biagio Conte entrusted this will to the President of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani. It was the governor himself who remembered this during the press conference dedicated to the twinning between Sicily and Assisi. This year, in fact, Sicily will offer olive oil to fuel the votive lamp that burns day and night in Assisi, on the tomb of Saint Francis, patron saint of Italy.
The event will be held in Assisi on 3 and 4 October. The conference at Palazzo d’Orleans was attended by, among others, Monsignor Antonio Raspanti of the Sicilian Episcopal Conference, the mayor of Palermo Lagalla the first citizen of Assisi, Stefania Proietti and the custodians of the Basilica and Convent of San Francesco d’Assisi.
The Churches of the island will donate one thousand liters of oil (60 for each diocese) to power the Assisi lamp; the excess quantity will remain available to the diocesan Caritas. The gift that the Presidency of the Sicilian Region has decided to offer for the occasion is the protection of two important works of art from Assisi: 20 thousand euros are allocated to the restoration of the oil painting on canvas, with a polychrome wooden frame, depicting ” The apparition of San Giuseppe to San Bonaventura”, from the 18th century, in the Basilica of San Francesco, and another oil on canvas depicting “The Madonna in the places of the Passion”, from the 17th century, attributed to Piergirolamo Crispolti. The Presidency of the Region is also financing the 25 ceramic lamps that are passing through the parishes and communities of the island’s dioceses, the printing of 300 thousand little images with the effigy of Saint Francis and 4 thousand booklets of the celebrations of 3 and 4 October , approximately 3 thousand pilgrim kits for all those who will reach Assisi from Sicily in those days. Three of these lamps, at the end of the press conference, were donated by the bishop of Caltagirone, Monsignor Calogero Peri, representing Cesi, to the three guests coming from Assisi.
The event “Keepers of beauty, let’s light up hope” will involve the entire island in Assisi, twenty-one years after the last participation, in 2003. A program full of events. On the afternoon of October 3, the mayor of Assisi and the president of the Umbria Region will greet the delegation of the Sicilian Region at 4.30 pm and the celebration of the first vespers in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli will be held at 6 pm.
On October 4, the feast of the Patron Saint of Italy, a meeting between the authorities at the Municipal Palace of Assisi at 8.30 am, then a procession to the Basilica of San Francesco, the upper church, where the president of Cesi, at 10 am, will preside over the solemn Eucharistic celebration, in the presence of all the authorities and pilgrims, and where the mayor of the capital city of the invited Region, therefore Palermo, will light the votive lamp of the Municipalities of Italy. At 11.30, from the Loggia of the Sacred Convent, in the lower square, the greeting of the Minister General of the order of Friars Minor Conventual, the message of the president of the Sicilian Region, the message of a member of the Italian government and other authorities.
«The offering of oil is a symbolic gesture that goes beyond the material gift – states the President of the Region, Renato Schifani – representing devotion, commitment and the will to keep alive the values of peace, brotherhood and solidarity. Sicily has a deep historical and spiritual bond with Saint Francis, whose life dedicated to the weakest reminds us of the importance of living in harmony with others and nature, just as a great fellow countryman of ours guided by this Franciscan spirit did, brother Biagio Conte, founder of the Mission of Hope and Charity, who passed away last year. The Franciscan essence is rooted in our traditions, known for hospitality and generosity. Oil, a product of the Sicilian land, symbolizes peace and prosperity, the fruit of the passionate work of its people. Being present at the ceremony in Assisi in October is an invitation to collaboration for a better future, inspired by the principles of justice, love and solidarity that Saint Francis taught us. An event which for our island also represents a national “showcase” in the name of peace and coexistence between peoples. To leave an indelible mark, we have already financed the restoration of the two paintings, thus demonstrating our commitment to protecting the artistic heritage and promoting the universal values of respect and collaboration.”
