About ten kilometers from Napoli, In the municipality of villaricca, a town of just over 30 thousand inhabitants that embodies the hardships of a difficult suburb and the potential derived from the presence of many young people, rises the parish of San Francesco d'Assisi. Driving it is Don Giuseppe Tufo that animates a real family on the move, made up of couples, elderly and young people who have rediscovered all the charm and pleasure of being salt and light, with their lives, in a commitment that is expressed in social and after-school activities, a pastoral care of love open to all couples in the city and a group of volunteers who live the word of God by visiting the sick. Their lives are illustrated on TV2000 in the docu-series “The House on the Rock”, which tells stories of parish communities, with testimonies from lay people and priests, young and old, on the meaning of being the Church, understood as a home that welcomes everyone, that defends and cares for anyone who knocks on its door, revealing a profound mystery: love for one's neighbor.
"The church, the community, the parish in these parts are able to give answers to the people - explains Don Giuseppe Tufo in the video “The house on the rock: Villaricca (Naples)” which can be seen at the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe4pu6dHzTw -, and they also constitute the village fountain, the meeting place and not only for believers, but also for those who experience moments of despair and tiredness”. A safe haven for the many who suffer from the many fragilities of today's times: “With us you can find a hand that welcomes you - adds the gift -, a look that makes you feel important”.
Priests like Don Giuseppe and Don Salvatore do not only address the most abandoned but each of us. Every day they make room for us, they offer us their time, they willingly share a piece of the road and listen to our difficulties.
“Priests, by giving themselves, teach us that God is the most beautiful reality of human existence.” There are approximately 32 priests in Italy who—as highlighted by Pope Francis—dedicate themselves to others. To call attention to their mission, he returns Sunday September 17 la National day of offerings for the support of the diocesan clergy, celebrated in Italian parishes.
The day – arrived at the XXXV edition – allows us to say “thank you” to the priests, announcers of the Gospel in words and deeds in today's Italy, promoters of anti-crisis projects for families, the elderly and young people looking for employment, a point of reference for parish communities. But it also represents the traditional annual awareness event on tax deductible offers. A tool of great value as explained by the head of the Service for the promotion of economic support for the Church, Massimo Monzio Compagnoni: "The Day is an important event to tell the faithful once again how much their contribution counts. It is not only a Sunday of gratitude towards priests, but an opportunity to remember that since the beginning, communities have taken on the responsibility of supporting the Church and this should still be, today, the basic principle that drives us to take on the support of priests. As then the commitment of community members to provide for their needs is vital. The offers have always been there, therefore, They constitute a means of supporting all priests, from their own parish priest to the most distant. Even a small sum is enough, but donated by many people."
Don Giuseppe, ordained in 2000, has recently turned fifty and is also director of the confraternities office of the diocese of Naples. He knows the territory and his parish, composed of about 10 thousand faithful, and is accompanied by the constant presence and good will of many people. "I'm never alone - explains - the Lord has always wanted to make me participate in a sharing of life". And, in fact, alone Don Giuseppe it never really was, also due to the presence of a twin brother, Don Ciro, a priest who exercises his ministry a few kilometers away.
A difficult yet extraordinarily intense land that vibrates with the enthusiasm of a solidarity that welcomes and strives to overcome the many complications of daily life. Starting with the pastoral care of love that guides young couples—about 60 to 70 weddings are celebrated each year—and also supports more mature ones.It is open to everyone, even to couples who have remarried and who have had failures behind them. - explains Don Giuseppe -; this group, in a time of crisis like the current one, is very popular and is inspired by Christ as a model of love”. They tell it Flora and Michael, two volunteers, who have experienced difficult moments in their marriage and who then received the call for this experience - “and a world opened up”, they say – of which they are an active part and also beneficiaries of the great support received from the entire community when they decided to continue a difficult pregnancy that ended in the best possible way.
And then there is the splendid testimony of “The House on the Rock”, the association that manages a property donated by a local donor, promoting activities for the little ones who need a family-friendly place to study and spend time together: an after-school program run by volunteers, including other parents. An initiative that creates good and reciprocity: “Thanks to this group - highlights Giuseppe, member of the association - I was able to meet Christ again".
Over time, all the parishioners have managed to carve out a niche of love in which to carry out their charitable work.
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In the populous Neapolitan neighborhood of San Giovanniello, instead, the parish of Santi Giovanni e Paolo has recently inaugurated the Casa della Pace don Tonino Bello. At the helm is Don Salvatore Melluso, a young and dynamic priest, who animates the community to promote a sense of charity towards the most fragile, welcoming single mothers with children in the "House", a work of the diocesan Caritas that offers refuge to five mothers (including two Ukrainians fleeing the war) and their nine children, which was built in record time a few months after his arrival in the parish, in October 2021.
"If I think about my vocation - explains Don Salvatore, 33 years old, - There are two aspects that helped me to know and fall in love with Jesus so much so that I chose to follow him: the poor and the children”. That of Don Salvatore, ordained in 2016 and active for several years in the diocesan Caritas, is a story of great attention and care towards the little ones, from the first steps taken in the parish as an educator of Catholic Action and then matured in the encounter with Jesus through the service of meals to the poor. The common thread of the action of donation it can be traced in a constant and dynamic search for ways to support people in difficulty, providing a suggestive example that translates into an education in solidarity for the entire community.
Since the seminary he had cultivated the dream of being assigned to a territory with a charitable work. And as soon as he arrived in the parish of Saints John and Paul, he immediately understood that there was room for exploiting abandoned premises for charitable purposes: “I immediately thought that a work of charity could be born here, but I knew I couldn't do it alone. So, without expecting anything – Don Salvatore Melluso tells Manuela Borraccino in the film “The house of peace warms the heart of the neighborhood” which can be seen at the link https://www.unitineldono.it/le-storie/la-casa-della-pace-scalda-il-cuore-del-quartiere-san-giovanniello/ In November, I spoke to Archbishop Mimmo Battaglia about this abandoned structure. And lo and behold, on December 31st, the Vicar General came and said, 'Yes, something can happen here.' By January 20th, we had the project. Within ten days, we raised the €200 needed for the work, thanks to the Grimaldi Foundation Onlus, which entirely funded the renovation and furnishing of the structure. Work began on April 11th, Holy Monday. And on July 29th, 2022, we inaugurated the house.
And the neighborhood, inspired by the great faith and availability of Don Salvatore, he always answered present. “The parish and the 'House' exist in a popular area - he adds -, there are many difficulties and widespread poverty, but the heart of the people is huge, the hairdresser offers the haircut, the bakery the bread and then there is the large network of associations”. In a complicated reality this house “it was a gift from Providence - points out Sister Maria Pitrella, director of the diocesan Caritas which financially supports the structure -, which allows us to provide answers to a widespread need for hospitality".
The commitment of priests like Don Giuseppe and Don Salvatore knows no respite. Witnesses of the Gospel, they offer us their time every day, listen to our difficulties and encourage paths of recovery; they dedicate themselves full time to places where we can all feel welcomed and rely on the generosity of the faithful to be free to serve everyone. Promoters of many stories of salvation and help carried out in the territory, the priests are engaged on the front lines together with their communities. In these works they are supported by the liberal offerings dedicated to their sustenance.
“To carry out his task, the priest needs support and assistance to live a decent life - underlines the head of the Promotion Service for economic support to the Catholic Church, Massimo Monzio Compagnoni – The offerings represent the concrete sign of belonging to the same community of believers and constitute a means to concretely support all priests, from the most distant to our own. Our priests need the closeness and affection of the communities. Today more than ever they push us to live the Gospel by facing difficulties with faith and generosity, responding to emergencies with dedication”.
Le Offerings for priests, born as a tool to give smaller communities the same means as the more populous ones, are different from all other forms of contribution in favor of the Catholic Church because they are expressly intended for the support of diocesan priests. From one's own parish priest to the most distant.
Offers reach over 32.000 priests at the service of 227 dioceses Italians and, among these, also 300 diocesan priests engaged in missions in Third World countries and 3.000 priests, now elderly or sick, after a life spent serving others and the Gospel. The total amount of offerings in 2020 stood at over 8,7 million euro compared to 7,8 million of 2019. This figure is still far from the overall annual requirement needed to guarantee all priests a remuneration of approximately one thousand euros per month for 12 months.
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