Selva families: from wounds to opportunities

The number of participants for the two weeks of initiatives planned for families at Villa Capriolo, Selva di Val Gardena, was low this year due to Covid regulations: There were 80 people who participated for the 2 initiatives offered in July and August.

This is a shared holiday, having the opportunity to spend most of the time outdoors. In the morning there was a time allotted to praying together. In the afternoon, two activities took place: Marco Tibaldi, a teacher and director of the Institute of Religious Sciences in Bologna led the first acting activity by making use of his puppets, the Friends of Guido. During this initiative biblical passages and classical texts were read, in which those present took an active role.

The second, led by Maria Grazia Prandino, teacher of the history of art was selected from the works of art by Magritte, Fontana and Picasso and adapted to the theme chosen for families.

Before dinner, the Eucharist was celebrated where sharing of the day’s experiences and the works of art produced took place. This was led by Frs. Rotelli and Titta. There was also time allotted for housework, from cleaning the rooms to washing the dishes, which was an opportunity for everyone to meet and get to know each other and for growth.

Finally, among the evening initiatives the film Woman in gold was shown and an explanation of Ignatius’ wound at Pamplona was given through the application of passages from the New Testament and songs by Fabrizio De Andrè.

The theme, for the Ignatian Year and the time of the pandemic, has been that of light entering our wounds. As in the Japanese technique of Kintsugi, one can experience that something even more precious can be born from a wound, not only on the outside. “At Selva we still kept the hand sanitising, wearing of masks and social distancing measures. This is still out of the ordinary, but a strong measure,” Valentina, who was at the Capriolo with her family highlights. “These measures are almost as uncomfortable as a pair of tight shoes that cause blisters. You want to remove them as soon as possible, but if you are determined to keep them on, they will take you to the top for a unique view.”