This was the theme of the Scalabrini Fest 2024 proposed by the Secular Scalabrinian Missionaries in Solothurn, Switzerland, at the Scalabrini International Center on the first weekend of May. And it is truly a great dream that brought together the approximately 400 participants from 32 countries and residing in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and France: young people and adults, families with children and teenagers; locals, migrants, refugees, international students; representatives of the Diocese of Basel, the Scalabrinian Missionaries, some pastoral units and linguistic missions of the region, the Missionary Center of Piacenza... A great diversity of origins, professions, stories! The intense Saturday afternoon began with a Forum in which Daniele Supino (of Italian origin and a high school teacher in Solothurn), Antonella Torchiaro (originally from Calabria and a doctor in Rome), Shadi Rbat (arrived from Syria as an asylum seeker in Germany and now a PhD student in electrical engineering) and Anna Fumagalli (a secular Scalabrinian missionary) shared their experiences. Voices that go against the current compared to the widespread climate that would like to deny the dream of fraternity and peace: a dream not only rooted in the heart of every man and woman, but the very dream of God. In the exchange in small groups, we found ourselves sharing the joy of committing ourselves – each in a different way – so that all the men and women of the earth recognize themselves as part of a family and learn to live for one another, to take care of one another. A vibrancy that recalled the relevance of the words spoken by Saint Bishop G.B. Scalabrini in New York in 1901: “The collaborators of God, who even unconsciously work for the fulfillment of his plans, are numerous in all times, but in the great historical eras of change, there are more than one knows, more than one thinks.”
The afternoon culminated in the Mass celebrated in the cathedral and presided over by the Bishop of Basel, Mons. Felix Gmür, during which everyone could also rejoice at the "yes" pronounced by Antonella Torchiaro – with the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience – to the life project of the Secular Scalabrinian Missionaries. In particular, at the beginning of the celebration Adelia Firetti, with whom the journey of the Secular Scalabrinian Missionaries began in Solothurn in 1961, and Regina Widmann, current general leader, expressed special gratitude for the presence of Bishop Felix and for the closeness of the Diocese of Basel from the beginning until today. The celebration continued with a reception for everyone at the Scalabrini International Center. And it still continues in gratitude for the many who, in different ways, made it possible. Béatrice Panaro
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