The neighbourhood of Palmarola, on the far western outskirts of Rome, watched with pleasant surprise as a caravan of cars passed by – everyone later learned – to take Pope Francis to a condominium garage located not far from the back of the building where the parish church is located. This event, as unexpected as it was fortunate, took place on the afternoon of Thursday, 6 June and was the third meeting of the “School of Prayer” that has brought Pope Francis to meet parishioners in different parts of the Diocese of Rome. The Pope’s aim is to help prepare for the Jubilee of 2025.
Pope in a council garage
The reasons for the choice of St. Bridget of Sweden are not known, not even by the two Spiritan Fathers responsible for the animation of this parish. Fr. Guy Leandre, the parish priest, was not even in Rome and the one who accompanied the Pope was his Vicar, Fr. Francis Tchancho, who – as he confided to me, still a little dazed – is still digesting the joy of such a unique and inspiring surprise.
Betting on Families
A Vatican News reports that, at this meeting with families, “there were newlyweds, grandparents, the parish youth group, children, a group of immigrant women from Senegal, an Orthodox man, the town leader. In short, a varied humanity that had been notified at the last minute about this special evening catechism time”. The Pope asked that no one be discouraged by the storms of life, saying: “Let’s defend the family, which is oxygen for raising children. He concluded: “If parents quarrel, it’s normal, but they must reconcile before the end of the day, because the cold war the next day is terrible,” repeating several times the three key words essential to making a couple’s relationship work: “Sorry, excuse me and thank you.”
There was time for questions and some young people from St. Brigid’s Parish asked the Pope how it is possible to strengthen faith today. The answer was clear: “The only way is witness. You have a responsibility to carry history forward, without ever falling away”.
When will there be a Church – a building?
Getting down to the specifics of life in this parish, which was founded in 1983, a parishioner lamented that there still isn’t a church, since the celebrations are held in an improvised back room, and catechesis and feasts are held in a prefabricated, dirt-floored space. He said: “On Sunday we shall have the parish feast, it always rains inside, we don’t even have tarmac, but it doesn’t matter, we do it anyway. And your presence, Pope Francis, makes us feel that you are part of our community!”
Pope Francis emphasised the importance of community, insisting on respect for the younger and older generations: “A parish where children are not listened to and the elderly are forgotten is not a true Christian community. Don’t forget, the elderly are the memory and the children are the promise. Don’t forget those who are the memory of God’s people.”
After greeting everyone present, the Pope offered them a picture of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus: “You can keep it here in the building!”
Feast of the Patron
Palmarola was filled with festivities from 7 to 9 June to celebrate the patron saint of the parish, St. Bridget of Sweden. Spiritans from the Generalate travelled in large numbers to take part in the festivities, but there was also a special reason: the 25th anniversary of the arrival of the first Spiritans in the parish. At the time, preparations were being made for the great Jubilee of the year 2000 and some Congregations were challenged to take on pastoral work on the outskirts of Rome. The Spiritans luckily chose Palmarola, a poor parish with no structures.
This Sunday, the feast began with the carrying of the statue of St. Bridget aloft in a procession which, leaving from the back of the church building, travelled through some of the neighbourhood’s streets to the rhythm of a musical band. One of the passing points was the housing estate where Pope Francis’ catechesis had taken place three days earlier.
Silver Jubilee Mass
When we arrived at the area where the future church will be built, a Mass was celebrated on the grounds, presided over by Fr. Alain Mayama, Superior General of the Spiritans, and animated by the parish choir. In his homily, Fr. Mayama recalled the 25 years of Spiritan presence, which began in 1999 under the leadership of Fr. Jean Jacques Boeglin, who had worked for many years at the French Seminary in Rome. Since 1999, eleven Spiritans have worked in this peripheral parish, coming from countries as diverse as France and Congo, Nigeria and Poland, Sierra Leone and Cameroon, Tanzania and Uganda.
Feast… and then what?
The celebration lunch, organized and served by the Celebrations Committee, showed the commitment of many lay people, belonging to different organisations and dynamics in the community, while also acknowledging the hard work of the young people. When it was time to break the cake, members of the community once again spoke of the beginning of the construction of the church, relying on the pastoral presence of the Spiritans and expressing their trust in the priests who work with them.
The parish will celebrate its golden anniversary in 2033. The desire to take the step towards building a parish church was clearly expressed. Will this be the gift that the community will offer itself and the world before the 50th anniversary of its existence?
Tony Neves, CSSp
