Symposium on Spirituality

Symposium on Spirituality

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Rome October 9-14, 2023.

The recent canonization of St. John Baptist Scalabrini has awakened in the Church and society an awareness of the need for a co-responsible commitment to the promotion of integral human development and pastoral care of and with migrants, refugees and their families. As Scalabrinian Missionaries, faithful to the charism and mission received from our holy Founder, we feel the moral duty to do our part and to be a seed for a mentality of fraternity in society.

We wish to deepen our spirituality, to be worthy followers of the Founder through a mission that is true life in the Spirit, the Spirit who can be understood in all languages because he speaks the language of the heart. To help us in this endeavor, we gathered from October 9 to 14, 2023, in an International Symposium, at the St. Lawrence of Brindisi International College in Rome. The theme was: “I will come to gather all the nations” (Is. 66:19) and our desire was to deepen in particular the intercultural dimension of our spirituality, which is nourished in the encounter with Christ present in migrants and refugees, and to understand how to express and share it in the church and society.

The participants were mostly delegates of the Scalabrinian missionaries, with a representation of Scalabrinian missionary sisters, Scalabrinian secular missionaries, and lay people from around the world, for a total of about 70 participants.

Rome, October 9-14, 2023

International College “San Lorenzo da Brindisi”

Cinconvallazione Occidentale n°6850 – (GRA KM 65.050)
C.P. 18382  – 00163 Rome (Italy)

Video: Opening of the Symposium

Video of the First day

* Prof. Cristina Simonelli, professor of patristic theology in Verona and Milan (Video interview)
* Sr. Anna Damas, SSpS, General Direction (Video interview and Testimony)
* Fr. Paul Rolphy Pinto, SJ, Pontifical Gregorian University, Institute of Spirituality (Video interview and Testimony)
* Fr. Faustino Turco,SX, Postulator (Video interview and Testimony)

Video of the second  day

–   Lay testimonies

* Australia and Asia: John Calabrese (Testimony)
* South America: Katya J. Valdés Guralnick (Video interview and Testimony)
* North America: Matthew De Carolis (Video interview and Testimony)
* Europe and Africa: Emanuele Selleri (Testimony)

– Testimonies of

* Agnese Varsalona, mss, secular scalabrinian missionary (Testimony)
* Anna Fumagalli, mss,  secular scalabrinian missionary (Video interview)
* Sr. Ana Paula Ferreira da Rocha, mscs, scalabrinian missionary (Video interview and Testimony)
* Fr. Isaia Birollo, cs, scalabrinian missionary (Video interview  and Testimony)

Video of the third day

* Fr. Graziano Battistella, missionary scalabrinian (Video interview and Report)
South America: Fr. Alfredo Gonçalves, missionary scalabrinian (Video interview and Report)
Australia and Asia: Fr. Edwin Corros, missionary scalabrinian (Video interview and Report)
North America: Fr. Miguel Alvarez, missionary scalabrinian (Video interview and Report)                                                        Europe and Africa: Fr. Mario Toffari, missionary scalabrinian (Video interview and Report

Video of the fourth day

* The conclusions of di P. Graziano Battistella, missionary scalabrinian

* The catechesis of Monsignor Daniele Salera, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Rome

Video of the fifh day:  the audience with Pope Francis