The Casa Sfântul Alois Guanella in Iași was inaugurated, the first of the Servants of Charity in Romania. With many signs of gratitude from the local Church

by Don Bruno Capparoni

Iași, the second city of Romania, is nestled in a hilly area that includes as many as “seven hills”. We are heading towards one of these, called Bucium-Păun, to visit our works. The surrounding area is pleasant, full of greenery and still dedicated to the traditional cultivation of vines.

The Guanellian Sisters arrived here in 1994, after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, and first opened the Casa Providenței, for the formation of girls who wanted to embrace religious life; later they added a retirement home, the Casa Sfântul Iosif. At the time, Sister Serena Ciserani was responsible for the presence of the Guanellians in Romania, elected superior general in 2010 and passed away in 2020.

Sister Serena had been farsighted when she chose the location for the works of her nuns; in fact, she purchased a very large plot of land. The part not occupied by the nuns was then given to the Servants of Charity who have now built the Casa Sfântul Alois Guanella, for a work dedicated to the disabled.

It was 2015, the centenary of the Founder's death, when the Guanellians also arrived in Iași. To start their vocational animation, they first relied on a department of the women's house, then in 2021 they took over the management of a work for the disabled in Bucharest, from which the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta were withdrawing. And so we arrive at October 23, 2022, when the first stone of the house now inaugurated was laid in Iași. From that moment, to everyone's great amazement, the new house arose and was completed, in less than two years.

It is a beautiful building that presents itself in a simple and functional form, with a longer main wing and a short one, connected at a right angle. Along the Plopii Fara Sot road, it is faced by a large courtyard, useful for parking and outdoor activities; on an external wall, clearly visible, there is a large mosaic, corresponding to the internal space of the chapel, which represents Saint Luigi Guanella with two disabled people in traditional Romanian costume.

Entering inside, on the ground floor we find the management and service areas (kitchen and laundry), but also a series of bedrooms for the more serious people, adapted to the European regulations on disability. A comfortable elevator leads to the first floor, occupied by other bedrooms for the less disabled and by rooms for educational activities. The top floor consists of a large habitable attic (with systems still to be completed) where the community of religious and the children who intend to undertake the path of the Guanellian vocation will reside.

This well-designed and solid structure was inaugurated and blessed last August 23. For the occasion, the superior general of the Guanellians, Father Umberto Brugnoni, came from Italy, accompanied by the writer of these lines. The superiors of the nuns, Sister Neuza Giordani and Sister Esther Leroux, also came from Rome to join the celebration of the Guanellian confreres.

For such an important anniversary, Casa Sfântul Alois Guanella was prepared in every detail. In the morning, the three Catholic bishops of Iași took part in the celebration of the Holy Mass: the titular Monsignor Iosif Păuleţ, the emeritus Monsignor Petru Gherghel and the auxiliary Monsignor Petru Sescu. About twenty diocesan priests were also present, demonstrating how much the Opera Don Guanella is appreciated in the local Church. Above all, there was a crowd of friendly people, together with the civil authorities and the workers who worked on the construction and finishing touches; among them, also the architect George Heresh who signed the project of the house, but who is also responsible for the modern Catholic cathedral of Iași, with its characteristic circular shape and dedicated to Mary Queen.

During the homily given in the solemn concelebration, Bishop Păuleţ described the new house as follows: "It is a place where love and compassion come to life, where our hands become the hands of God for the most vulnerable among us. It is a space of hope and grace where each person is valued and encouraged to discover the dignity given to them by God." He wanted to indicate with very touching expressions the purpose of the work: "This house that we officially inaugurate today, almost blossomed from the earth thanks to the care of the religious of Don Guanella, becomes a sacred place, a place where every disabled person is a living image of Jesus Christ. Thanks to the love and dedication of the Guanellians, here the words of the Gospel are transformed into concrete actions. Here we encounter Christ himself in the faces of these sick and needy." His final wish was particularly heartfelt: "May this house always be a living testimony of the Gospel of love and divine mercy. We pray that, through every gesture of care and compassion offered here, we may bring a smile to the face of God and a ray of hope into the hearts of our smallest brothers and sisters."

After the greeting to the religious and civil authorities of the superior general Father Umberto Brugnoni, the director of the Center and trainer of seminarians Father Alphonse Baktiswalagan concluded: "Thanks to the generosity of many benefactors, and here I want to especially remember the fundamental contribution of the Pious Union of the Transit of Saint Joseph of Rome, and thanks to the efforts of many people of good will, we have arrived in a short time at the blessing of this house. In this solemn Eucharistic celebration, together with our bishops, our pastors, we express our gratitude to God and we dare to say with our Founder Saint Luigi Guanella: It is God who does!".

Divine benevolence on this work of charity was also manifested through two young Romanian Guanellians, Iosif Barticel and Gheorghe Andrei Ghergut who after a few days arrived in Rome to complete their theological formation at the Pontifical Lateran University and thus prepare for the priesthood. Together with the new house dedicated to the Founder, this is also a promising sign for the Opera Don Guanella in Romania.