On the steps of Aquila and Priscilla: renewal and support for families in Selva

Villa Capriolo is a place of renewal, where one can find support through personal journeys as well as a couple and as parents, and cultivate vital friendships, with others and with the Lord. It is a time of grace where the little ones can benefit from spending time with their parents and peers, during moments of animation.

There were more than 80 who participated in the winter family course offered in Selva, from March 9-16. The families were from Rome and Milan, but also from Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Puglia.

“Ten children in their twenties of the participating families took care of and entertained about 30 very young children, toddlers and teenagers. Not to mention the many volunteers who worked in the kitchen, the laundry, the secretary’s office, and who made the week possible,” Fr. Guido Ruta, SJ, director since October, said.

Paul, Aquila and Priscilla

Theme of the course offered in the afternoon: “Aquila and Priscilla, possible transformation”. “The encounter between Paul and a couple not only accompanies the first steps of the proclamation of the Gospel in the land of Europe, but also helps to outline a style of proclamation that consists in welcoming people into their homes, in sharing their daily work, and in a common confrontation with the possibilities and limits that are intrinsic in a large multiethnic and multicultural city,” highlights Fr. Iuri Sandrin, SJ, who led the reflection together with Maria Grazia Prandino. It is an invitation to start again with these ingredients in order to reflect on some fundamental nuclei where life as a couple and life as a disciple of the Lord enlighten each other and give a particular voice and form to the proclamation of the Good News”.

Feedback

“The story of Aquila and Priscilla is a prophecy for the future, which speaks of the relationship between laity and religious, of the new evangelization, of the synodal style, of inter-religious dialogue, of lifelong learning, of community style, and of the Church of the future.” This was the feedback given at the end of the course.

In the future, we would like to enrich this ‘Experience of Renewal for All’, Fr. Ruta Explained, “with a mini-Bible course appropriately adapted for younger children and conducted through storytelling and drama.” Three summer courses are planned for families this summer: one in July and the other two in August.

For more information visit gesuiti-selva.it (in Italian)