In the whirlwind scenario of Rome one finds not only indifference. The Parish of Santa Prisca organizes the "feast of the poor" every month.
A testimony, together with many others, of the life of the Church in the City
by Alba Arcuri
Lappointment is around 11am on Saturday, the third of the month. We are in the Parish of Santa Prisca all'Aventino, among the most beautiful areas of Rome. The gate leading to the roof garden is open, there is already someone waiting outside. Inside the garden, some nuns and a group of boys quickly arrange tables and chairs under the awnings, clean, arrange the paper tablecloths and set the table. Everything must be ready for the arrival of guests. It is not a restaurant, not a banquet: it is the "feast of the poor".
This is how the parish priest, Father Pavel Benedik, an Augustinian originally from Slovakia, defines it, having revived an old charitable initiative of the parish. It is one of many in the capital to distribute food to the poor. «It is not difficult to find a meal in Rome, but here – explains the parish priest –
we would like that at least once a month the poor, the homeless who revolve around the Aventine, could feel welcomed, seated and served. We are not a social canteen – Father Pavel continues – that's what the Municipality is there for. Here it's different: we do it as a sign of charity."
Supporting him in this task are the Sisters of Saint Joan Antide Thouret, the Handmaids of Mary Immaculate, young couples and some long-standing parishioners, such as Simona, a veteran of parish initiatives; there are also some children from the Confirmation catechism with their parents. And there are the young people of the Fraternity of Saints Aquila and Priscilla, who attend this parish. Father Pavel gathers them all in a circle, assigns tasks to each: who distributes the food on the plates, who sorts the waste. He asks the boys to serve the poor, table by table.
«Since they've been here, we've been able to do everything better; they are faster, they are really good", says Sister Aloidia, originally from Poland, who lives in the nearby convent of the Handmaids of Mary Immaculate. «They are students aged 16 and over, university students or young workers, they come from different parts of Rome, even from Anagni – says Father Pavel – and I get along very well with them. Maybe at the beginning there were some misunderstandings about how to organize ourselves, but now everything is going smoothly. They integrated into the parish reality." She adds: «With these kids it is faith that unites us. They come here, to serve at the table, for the faith they have. It is a free service and also an opportunity for growth. It is done for faith, there is no other purpose." Father Pavel is happy to have managed to also involve families, children and catechists; at the beginning the children are shy, perhaps scared, then slowly they open up, supported by the older ones.
There's a long queue outside the gate now. It's 12.30 and the guests enter, say hello, take their seats and little by little the steaming dishes arrive. First course, second course, side dish, offered and cooked in part by nearby restaurants, as well as by the nuns or the parish community.
The guests don't want journalists around, we stop to observe from the sidelines, without asking questions. They eat without haste, enjoying the Aventine garden and the company. They arrive a little at a time: we clear the table and set it up again for whoever arrives later. And then there is always a sweet treat, a coffee to enjoy in company.
«They want to talk, not just eat. They stay here until the end, until we close everything to have a chat. The best thing is staying with them even afterwards", Michele and Brigida, two young volunteers, who leave the service for just a few minutes, tell me. «The climate is convivial. Each of them has its own story. There is a lady who loves to perform singing. There are those who are more impetuous, those who are more reserved."
«I don't want to trivialize – Michele tells me again – but it's a beautiful moment, a free moment». There are about twenty kids in total. Typically around ten of them are always present. The shifts are organized with a WhatsApp group: those who cannot come look for a substitute, so the commitment is not onerous.
In addition to this gesture of charity, the young people of the Fraternity of Saints Aquila and Priscilla have been sharing Saturday Mass and summer holidays in the mountains for some years now. «For me and my sister it all started with coming to Mass – Brigida tells us – then the priest who follows us, Don Lorenzo Cappelletti, proposed holidays to us. My sister and I didn't know many people, but we said: why not? Well, the holidays brought us together and also allowed us to expand the group."
Michele continues: «Don Lorenzo always tells us to open our gaze, not to close ourselves off, to be open to others, otherwise you risk creating a reality within reality». And Don Lorenzo arrives, hugs the boys and immediately goes to the nuns, intent on arranging the large food containers, now almost empty. He jokes with everyone and sometimes guests approach him, asking for advice, an opinion. There are no fences in the garden of Santa Prisca.
There is another moment of conviviality: the soccer match. There's room for that too, in the garden. The Vietnamese nuns are the most passionate, together with some girls from the Fraternity. The game is male against female: women are the majority and therefore win.
Father Pavel goes back and forth between the parish office and the garden, stopping to talk to some of the adults and young people, he knows them by name, even those who come less often. Then he wants to sum up: «It is the Eucharist that leads us to charity. These kids participate in the Eucharist, and for this reason they participate in charity."