Parish of Santa Maria Maggiore
(St. Mary Major)
via Dante 23/25 - 85010 Pignola (PZ)
Archdiocese of Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsiconuovo
Don Antonio Laurita - Parish Priest
Parish office - via Dante 23
open workdays 9 to 11 a.m.
email: mariassdegliangeli@gmail.com
phone: 0039 0971 430008 (also to book a visit to the Parish Museum)
TAX CODE: 96002180766
IBAN: IT 28 J 07601 04200 00013119854
Postal Current Account : 000013119854
MASS TIMETABLE
HOLIDAYS
11:00 MAIN CHURCH
S.ROCCO 18:30
11:30 PANTANO 18:30
Working days
S.ROCCO 18:30 (at Main Church from 3rd Sunday of May to 3rd Sunday of Sept.)
PANTANO 19:15
The Parish Priest is available daily for confession or interviews after each evening Mass
ArticlES
After the blessing, there is a new bell in San Michele church
In the Bible, the invention of the bell is attributed to Jubal, the creator of all musical instruments.
The oldest bells in Europe were found in Crete and date back to the second millennium BC, although at that time they were made of terracotta; they were also known to the Romans, as shown by some mosaics in Pompeii depicting how they were used to call people to thermal baths. The spread of the bell in Europe is due to Christianity, which led to the creation of several foundries.
According to tradition, St. Paulinus of Nola (355 – 431) introduced bells to religious use and promoted the production of bronze “Vasa campana” (literally: bronze vases from Campania, the region of south Italy where there is Naples) from which the word “Campana” comes.
The Church ritualized the use of bells in the 11th century: their sound urged the faithful to gather and participate in liturgical celebrations, to call them to moments of prayer during the day, especially with the triple greeting to the Virgin Mary. The voice of the bells therefore expresses in a certain way the feelings of the people of God when, gathering in the same place, they manifest the mystery of His unity in the one Lord.
Over time, the sound of bells has also acquired other functions, including that of signaling danger or, especially in rural areas, of marking the passing of the hours, thus the rhythms of work and rest, the announcement of a new day and its coming to end, the signal of a celebration and mealtime.
Calling the blessing of the bells a “baptism” is not an official statement of the Church, but simply a common way to describe the special ceremony used for many centuries; it emphasizes the sacramental power of the bells, where sacramental means an “extension” of the sacraments: a sacred sign that offers spiritual help through the intercession of the Church. The bells in fact lead us directly to the celebration of the Eucharist, calling us to worship God on Sundays and during the week.
The blessing of the bells also concerns their purpose of chasing away evil spirits and protecting the Christian faithful from storms:
“Let the faith and piety of the people increase whenever they hear their melodious peal, and their sound drive away all evil spirits; let thunder and lightning, hail and storm be banished; let the power of your hand defeat the evil powers of the air, making them tremble at the sound of this bell, and flee at the sight of the holy cross that is engraved upon it… when the peal of this bell shall resound among the clouds, may a legion of angels watch over the assembly of your Church, the first fruits of the faithful, and grant them your everlasting protection in body and spirit.”
Ultimately, bells are instruments that can be interpreted by everyone, since they speak a universal language that tells of joys and sorrows; bells have a familiar and reassuring sound.
Let’s close with a phrase by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, which provides a joyful image: “The bells move up and down like girls’ skirts on a swing”
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click the bell to look at the video
1st Confession
"God's mercy is our liberation and our happiness. We live on mercy and we cannot afford to be without mercy: it is the air to breathe. We are too poor to set conditions, we need to forgive, because we need to be forgiven."
Pope Francis
Thirty-two children experienced the Mercy of God the Father for the first time, thirty-two families participated in their joy. This is why we decided to let them, the protagonists of this special day, speak.
The children:
"...there was very high tension, we entered and I wanted to go underground, I was very embarrassed, I was sweating.... Don Antonio was nice, not severe, after the individual confession I was calm until the end..."
" ...I was a little afraid of making a mistake. We entered and I was so happy; after a while, one by one we went to confession and I had butterflies in my stomach..."
"...when I entered the church and saw my father I was a little shy, but then I was reassured. My heart was beating fast, I thought of the words my grandmother told me, I was very happy to have confessed my sins and to have a pure soul..."
"... I couldn't feel my bones anymore, I was afraid of making a mistake, I was very tense, at the same time I was happy and I couldn't realize that I was confessing, I was shaking but I was happy... In the end I was so happy that I wanted to do it again another time..."
"...When I arrived I was very anxious but the catechists encouraged me, while I was saying the first prayer I felt that God was next to me... I freed myself from the anguish I had for having sinned. When I went up to the altar I was very happy I knew that God had forgiven me and from that moment my life would start again and without sin..."
"... Since I was very anxious I reflected, I said to myself why be anxious, I should stay calm and not worry, and I calmed down, in the end I was super happy"
"... At the beginning I was very anxious, when I went to Don Antonio he gave me confidence. The most beautiful thing that made me emotional was at the end, when we all hugged each other even with the catechists..."
".... I was afraid of making a mistake, but Don Antonio helped me... This day was the most beautiful and I will never forget it..."
"... I felt anxiety, fear of making mistakes, shame, in the end cheerfulness, joy, happiness, I was satisfied, happy, free... I was cheerful as if I had done the most beautiful thing in my life and I am happy to have confessed my sins"
"... I was shaking with fear of making a mistake, but I had a lot of fun. It was the best day of my life..."
"It was a beautiful and exciting experience, except that during the final ballet I was a little ashamed... The celebration of the first confession is very beautiful, I would like to do it again..."
"I let myself go and had a lot of fun, I felt joy and happiness..."
"After I confessed I was shaking a lot but I felt happier and more relaxed... The happiness was too strong and as I danced I calmed down. As soon as we finished dancing a hug was really needed and in fact it was like that..."
"At first I thought everything would go badly because I was anxious... I spoke to Don Antonio, it felt like I was talking to a friend, I felt free.... We hugged each other at the end, it was a beautiful experience..."
"... it was a beautiful day and I especially want to thank Jesus for forgiving me... I felt so much happiness and joy..."
"...the part I liked the most was when we went to confession..."
"... I felt anxiety at first, but then great joy..."
"...I was happy and I was very relieved..."
"... I felt a lot of happiness and also a lot of relief after confessing..."
"...I got so emotional I almost cried..."
The parents:
"It's difficult to put into words what you conveyed to our children... they were tense and were so afraid of making mistakes but you were fantastic, you put them at ease, you brought out the best... The wonderful final dance... Thank you for everything and for always accompanying our children with a smile... Top catechists. Don Antonio a wonderful priest!"
"Seeing the children walk towards the altar singing... And I don't think they sang just because they had to: it was their love for Jesus, you could feel their emotion, especially in their final embrace. This only happens when faith and love are transmitted in a simple way."
"Seeing the children so serious and excited as they approached the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time moved me very much... The ceremony was beautiful. A heartfelt thank you to Anna, Carmela, Mariagrazia and Teresa for the commitment and dedication they used to accompany them in these years, and to Don Antonio for the words used to remind the importance of forgiving and being forgiven. And to our children, because they have been wonderful... With the hope that they are increasingly aware that, whatever they can do, there will be a merciful Father who awaits them with open arms and rejoices in every child found."
"Confession... such an intimate and unique sacrament experienced by our children with extreme emotion and participation, thanks to the simple and essential way in which they were accompanied on this journey by our catechists, attentive to their needs, to every question or concern. A celebration with attention to every detail, very simple but at the same time full of emotions... an unforgettable moment for us"
"On May 4 there was my daughter's first Confession; a day full of emotions, engaging, which deeply touched the hearts. I want to give a special thanks to the catechists who have been alongside the children, guiding them with care and gentleness, making this day unforgettable. Thank you very much"
"On Sunday 4 May our children received one of the most important sacraments of Christian initiation. Our thanks mainly to the catechists, who followed and accompanied these children on this important journey; it was exciting to see them enter the church holding the baptism shirt in their hands, but even more exciting was seeing their complicity and collaboration during the "flash mob". We thank you for everything"
And we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for sharing your emotions with us, we are truly very happy....
Carmela, Mariagrazia, Teresa ed Anna
clic here for photo and names =>
Symbolism in the statuary iconography of San Michele
The vast and detailed literature on the Michaelic cult is based on testimonies that start from old mythological origins, then borrowed in various ways in the Christian tradition and have come down to us enriched by various representations of the Angel who defeats the devil in the guise of the dragon, as John tells us in the Apocalypse. Each one of the many sanctuaries present in Italy has its own history linked to the symbols of Michaelian devotion: the rocky walls of a cave, spring water, the unsheathed sword, the scales, the devil.
In the cult linked to the mystery of the Indo-Iranian deities of Mithra and Varuna who govern the two aspects of the human and cosmic order, as well as the alternation of day and night, the myth of the Persian god of light who makes water flow from a rock and slaughters the bull from whose blood the universe will then be born is celebrated. The cult of the god Mithra had wide influence in the Hellenistic Roman world and was practiced in underground places, called mithraea, near a water source.
In the Christian tradition the Archangel Michael pierces the evil with his sword, becoming the holy warrior defender of the faith. There is, however, another religious contamination called Psicostasia, a term of Greek origin which means weighing of souls, so the scales that the Archangel holds in his hand signify his task as judge of souls to the glory of Paradise or in the eternal flames of the hell. Satan, that Saint Michael crushes under his feet, is instead represented by a polymorphous creature who has various animalistic features, such as a serpent-like dragon, but a living expression of the evil one.
In the Italian peninsula, and beyond, there are numerous sanctuaries dedicated to the cult of the Archangel Michael; his image is present in the mosaic of the 5th century present in his chapel in Santa Maria Major in Rome, as well as in the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel in Normandy and the Sanctuary of Sant'Angelo on the Gargano.
In the sanctuaries and churches scattered throughout Italy different characteristics distinguish the celebrations of the canonical feasts of 8 May and 29 September; different traditions and origins are mixed, Greek Byzantine and Lombard, which refer to the apparitions of the Saint or to his thaumaturgical ability and are linked to the geographical position of the sanctuary and to the events of which there are clear testimonies.
There is even talk of an ideal via sacra Micaelica, a line which, according to legend, was traced by the blow that the Saint inflicted on the Devil to drive him back to Hell, connecting seven sanctuaries: Skellig Michael (Ireland), St Michael's Mount (Great Britain), Mont Saint Michel (France), the Sacra di San Michele (Piedmont), San Michele (Puglia), the Monastery of San Michele (Greece) and the Monastery of Monte Carmelo (Israel).
In addition to the religious aspect of the cult reserved for Saint Michael the Archangel, it is also possible to consider the more strictly anthropological one connected to it, the iconographic figure of the Saint in his multiple values of warrior, judge and miracle worker represents the antagonism between the Saint and the dragon, where a miracle materializes.
The warrior Archangel victorious over Satan is a judge of souls and at the same time does his thaumaturgical action when invoked in popular devotion regarding exceptional events. He becomes the prototype of a mythological hero who attempts to dominate nature in its multiple evolution, well represented in negative events by the dragon.
Michele Vista
Na votë a S. Angelo ngh’erë u roffëlë... e mo? (once near S. Angelo there were the springs… and now?)
The elevation at 940 meters above sea level where there are the Church of San Michele with the ruins of the old convent of the Zoccolanti Friars, acts as a watershed between the Fosso delle Mele and S. Angelo. Entirely covered by a dense forest of chestnut and turkey oak, as the altitude increases towards its eastern part called Il Pisco (1089 m), surrounded to the north-east by siliceous spurs covered by the centuries-old beech forests of Monte Serranetta (1475 m), of Ciglio (1439 m), and to the south-west, limestone, from the Piano della Madonna (1477 m) to Mount Crocetta (1319 m) with beech forests, turkey oak and chestnuts. In the lower eastern part, at about 910 m., there were several perennial springs loudly coming out from the rock, named “u roffëlë dë San Michelë” in local dialect, that today are part of the public water network. Once the area was abandoned by the monks, the territory offered extensive pastures for the flocks but and in particular for the numerous herds of “Podolica” cattle, coming from nearby towns in the summer. The doctor and botanist from Potenza Orazio Gavioli, like some other talented botanists such as Emilio Fittipaldi from Pignola, makes a detailed description of the vegetation in the area; he wrote “… 892 species belong to the vascular flora of Monte Serranetta”
This was very important for the quality of milk and dairy products that could be obtained, in particular for the stretched curd ones, which became an absolute excellence. In the fresco of the nativity painted by Giovanni Todisco (1559) in the church of S. Maria del Rosario in Anzi, you can see two scamorza cheeses hanging from a beam, and in the 1884 Italian General Exhibition held in Turin dedicated to the quality of dairy products, a medal was awarded to a Master Cheesemaker from the Pignola area.
Today it has been preferred to create industrial structures for cattle breeding in easier places, also circumventing the many constraints linked to the establishment of the so-called natural parks, born attempting to enhance the tourist side of the territory. We thus return to the dilemma we posed in our title: and now?
Welcome then to the fascinating rediscovery of the religious tradition linked to the Holy Warrior!
Michele Vista
Witnesses of a historic moment: At the funeral of Francis - the Pope of humanitas
It is April 26 of the Jubilee Year 2025, a day that will remain in history.
Rome confirmed to really be “caput mundi”, placing itself at the center of media attention and the interest of the entire world, because today it hosted the main world leaders, here to homage an extraordinary person: Francis, the Pope who more than anyone placed at the center of his pontificate the concept of humanitas, that is the interest in every need of the human race.
St. Peter’s square was incredibly full of people, from the powerful to the last, from the elderly to the young, and there was a particular atmosphere, not of despair but of that serenity that comes from the awareness that with death a true life begins, the eternal one. The jubilee song of the adolescents was mixed with a silent and respectful mourning for the Pope who with extreme dignity put the evangelical message into practice with concrete gestures. Pope Francis has placed the man, as a creature of God, at the center of his pontificate and has been able to speak in a simple but effective way, also revealing himself to be an extraordinary communicator
The language he used was that of the parable, so that his words could reach everyone without filters and superstructures; he was always following integrally the Gospel to the point of being uncomfortable and at times revolutionary just like the Saint who inspired him. Also for this reason he was loved, although someone considered him too much progressist.
In the crowded St. Peter's Square, there was a heartfelt participation, not distraction but prayer, not despair but serenity, not a message of death but of Resurrection, not a complete absence but rather the lack of a physical presence, in the full awareness that his teaching will always remain in our hearts and now he will be the one to support us with that prayer that he always asked us to do for him.
Angela Guma
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father”
In these moments, radio, television, newspapers, various social media, high prelates, writers, actors, politicians, in practice everyone is talking about the death of the Pope and reminding us of his figure; we too would like to add a few considerations.
At the time of his election, choosing the name Francis, he gave a clue of what his pontificate would have been like. A name that was a program in itself: that of a Saint known as “the poor man of Assisi” because of his choice to lead a minimal life, stripped of everything that was not absolutely necessary.
And he started immediately, presumably causing the first shocks in the Vatican: he chose a home that was certainly more modest than the Vatican apartments, he did not want to go around sitting on the back seat of a luxury sedan but sitting next to the driver of a FIAT 500L; he continued to recommend to everyone
- and mainly to the clergy - to use money mainly for charitable purposes and not for themselves and so on, to the point of writing in his will that he wanted to be buried in the bare earth inside a simple wooden coffin without any frills, after a funeral ceremony without any pomp, and not in St. Peter's but in Santa Maria Maggiore.
His approach to people was also very minimalist: when a Pope, looking out over St. Peter's Square, appears happy but also almost surprised at seeing so many open umbrellas and says "thank you for being here even in this bad weather" and concludes his Sunday speech with a "Enjoy your meal", what else more “humane” could he say?
The same when he said he would have given a punch in the nose of anyone who would have offended his mother ! (words that have made some modern Pharisee wrinkle their noses, who found it convenient to remember "turn the other cheek"...)
When he passed through St. Peter's Square in the popemobile, between two wings of cheering crowds, one could sense that he was "obliged" for reasons of safety and time: he would have gladly walked through the crowd of faithful, dispensing handshakes, hugs, kisses to children and blessings to everyone. In short, Francis entered everyone's heart because we felt within us that his easy-going, paternal way of doing things was not an “external” attitude but a true expression of his being, and that when (lot of times) he invited the humble and powerful to love their neighbor, all the more the poorer and more unfortunate they are, he was not "preaching well", but wanted to convey what he felt first. Let us remember that he began his pontificate with the same act done at the end: a visit to prisoners.
Among the various voices captured in interviews with ordinary people, someone said "He seemed like a person with whom you could talk like your neighbor", or "For me he was a person full of mercy and love for all people, no matter how poor or what country they came from: he loved everyone".
We also have to recall his openness to interreligious dialogue and the attention he paid to those who are discarded by societies based on consumerism and materialism, and his recommendations to respect the creation when he urged reducing harmful emissions and increasing the use of natural sources of clean energy; and of course also his constant exhortations (unfortunately unheard) for the cessation of the many, too many, armed conflicts that afflict innocent people in many parts of the world.
Pope Francis took up the defense of migrants as a sign of faith, because Christianity was born from Abraham, the migrant par excellence, at the cost of perhaps causing some destabilization even within the hierarchies of the Church; but that was how he was made: he guided Peter's boat in rough seas, sometimes against the current.
The representative of an NGO said that Francis once, pointing to a painting depicting a hand reaching out to another emerging from the water, said to him: "Do you see it? I look at that every morning to remember what we have to do."
Even in the most difficult cases he was guided by divine teaching: “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge him?”
Who am I! The representative of Christ on earth was saying it!
It was his firm belief that “The Church does not close the door but opens it wide to everyone”; and even about the divorced and remarried he said “They are baptized, they are brothers and sisters; the Holy Spirit pours gifts and charisms into them for the good of all; their presence in the Church testifies to the will to persevere in the faith, despite the wounds of painful experiences”.
And he insisted: “Do not forget this word: all, all, all” that is, “all those who struggle on the path of faith, because everyone needs merciful and encouraging pastoral attention. Jesus said it in a parable: when the wedding guests do not come, the master says to the servants: “Go out into the streets and bring everyone” – “Lord, all the good ones, right?” – “No, everyone, good and bad, everyone”. Do not forget that “everyone”, which is a bit of the vocation of the Church, which is the mother of everyone”. All this makes us understand why Francis was loved even by many non-believers.
Certainly unforgettable is his image in a completely deserted St. Peter's Square, strangely silent and wet from the rain, that Friday of Lent when he was praying to implore God for the end of the Covid pandemic: "Lord, you ask us not to be afraid. But our faith is weak and we are fearful. So do not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Repeat again: 'Do not be afraid. And we, together with Peter, cast all our worries onto You, because You care for us'
It may be a fortuitous coincidence dictated by chance, but Francis firmly wanted to take one last lap of the square on Easter Sunday, just before leaving this earth. Well, in the Gospel it says that "Jesus loved the disciples until the end": and he wanted to stay among his people until the end.
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EASTER 2025
GOOD FRIDAY
On Good Friday, we commemorate the death of Jesus, as the prophet Isaiah had predicted: “He has taken on our sufferings. He is mistreated, he lets himself be humiliated and does not open his mouth; he is like a lamb”.
The liturgy picks up where we left off on Holy Thursday, before Eucharistic adoration. During the rite, the Eucharist is not celebrated because it is a moment of great suffering and sadness for the Church: on this day, we relive the moments in which the Son of God, betrayed by Judas, is unjustly arrested, denied by Peter, condemned by the crowd, mistreated, crowned with thorns and mocked, then loaded with a cross on his shoulders, helped by a certain Simon of Cyrene and, having reached Mount Calvary, crucified between two criminals.
At the foot of the cross were Mary his mother, John, the women and some disciples who saw him die without being able to do anything; at the end, his body was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb by one of his disciples, Joseph of Arimathea. On Good Friday we listen to the story of these painful events and keep in our hearts the sufferings endured by Christ for the love of humanity, becoming aware of how many afflictions Jesus had to suffer for the sins of men.
The celebration ends with the adoration of the cross. The most painful moment of the entire Easter Triduum is listening to the story of the death of Jesus, who faces with dignity and courage every terrible moment, every humiliation and every suffering that is inflicted on him, entrusting himself totally to God. Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple, take up his cross every day and follow me”. The Lord asks us to have courage. Life is not always simple, sometimes it offers challenges that are not easy to overcome, tiring days to face, but the Lord is with us, he holds our hand. It is great to read in the Gospel “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid!”: said Jesus to his frightened disciples, when he surprises them walking on the water. He amazes us, but he reassures and comforts us showing with his ordeal that fatigue and pain can be faced and overcome. While Jesus carries the cross and is crucified, Mary is with him, in suffering and difficulty, in the same way she is beside us and comforts us in moments of affliction.
Kissing the Cross
On Good Friday we perform a very suggestive and intense gesture of veneration towards the dead Jesus and adoration towards God who, with the sacrifice of his Son, has demonstrated infinite love towards humanity. Because of sin we distance ourselves from God, but Jesus, dying on the cross, erases all our guilt: with the crucifixion of Christ the world is reconciled with God. By kissing the cross we remember the suffering of the Son of God, the trials and difficulties he had to face, we recognize his courage and we also arm ourselves with patience and strength to face our problems and overcome them with dignity.
When we adore the cross, it is as if we too were at the foot of Golgotha; with our eyes and heart turned to Jesus crucified with open arms, ready to embrace and forgive us. Before dying he will say, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing” In front of his cross and looking at these words we feel small and fragile and, at the same time, we feel that God is great, because he never ceases to amaze us and loves us with an immeasurable love. That crucifix that we adore on Good Friday is both gift and sacrifice: with it, in fact, God gives his Son to the world, that is, he sacrifices his life for the good of humanity.
Living Via Crucis
After the liturgy, as for decades now our community relives the last painful moments of Jesus' life in the streets of the historic center. Adults, young people, and children represent the stations of the Via Crucis starting from the Garden of Olives up to the crucifixion and deposition from the cross.
Moments that touch the heart. The crowd of faithful is silent, attentive, follows the various stations and prays together with the parish priest. Each station is preceded by the invocation; "We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because with your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world".
When they arrive at Calvary, the highest part of the town near the church of S. Donato, the figures are stripped and here comes the most emotional moment: the crucifixion. Christ, shortly before dying, asks for water; they give him something to drink with a sponge soaked in vinegar on the end of a cane. “It is finished,” he says, and he breathes his last. A soldier pierces his side with a spear and blood and water come out, a sign that Christ had totally offered himself to the world; darkness falls and the heavens are torn open.
His body, taken down from the cross, is given to Mary who holds him close for a final heartbreaking farewell before placing him in the tomb. Mary accompanied Jesus throughout his life until his death; in the same way, our heavenly Mother accompanies us throughout our lives.
And all together we carry the effigy of the dead Jesus towards the Mother Church, with the catechism children forming a circle carrying torches. Memories come to our the mind, we become children again remembering when, in a large chapel at the back of the church, behind a heavy black curtain, this statue of the dead Christ at the feet of Our Lady of Sorrows was kept. It was dark behind that curtain, there was only a small light bulb that created shadows...and yet curiosity overcame fear, so that we peeked out behind the heavy curtain to see that scene of pain and love at the same time. Jesus and Mary of Sorrows... The sad little Madonna, as a three-year-old girl called her.
Mary followed her son to Calvary and remained under the cross, while the prophecy of the old Simeon at the presentation of Jesus in the Temple came true: “and a sword will pierce your soul too”. And that is exactly what happened: Mary’s heart was pierced, saddened by the death of Jesus. Mary weeps under the cross, and her son, with his arms open to the sky, dying, worries about her and says: “Woman, behold your son!” and then, turning to the disciple John, he adds: “Behold your mother!”. With these words Jesus expresses his will: he wants John to take care of Mary just as a son would and for Mary to take care of John, like a mother.
For the Church this disciple actually represents all of us: JESUS ENTRUSTS US TO MARY.
Holy Saturday
The Holy Saturday preceding Easter is a day without celebrations, in which the Church relives the burial of Jesus. On this day, as the Creed says, Jesus descended into hell to take to heaven those who had hoped in him even though they had not known him. It is a day of silence and meditation. We can only imagine the shock of Jesus' friends in seeing the Son of God lifeless, after having followed and listened to him for years: He who had given sight to the blind, multiplied the loaves and fishes and raised the dead was now placed in a tomb. They must have felt confused and remained speechless, in silence. The Church asks us to do the same, inviting us to meditate in our hearts on what we have heard, read and felt in the previous days; it asks us to stop and be silent. This day has also been called the great Saturday or the longest day, because it marks the passage between death and life, between crucifixion and resurrection, between pain and joy. We can take advantage of this moment to reflect on what our life would be without Jesus: it would certainly be sad, melancholic, and dark like a day with no sun.
Easter Vigil
After the Saturday, the Gospel tells us that the women who went to the tomb carrying aromatic oils to embalm the body of Jesus saw that the stone at the entrance had been rolled away: Christ was resurrected. The Easter Vigil, which is usually celebrated on Saturday shortly before midnight, summarizes the ancient history of salvation and celebrates the resurrection of the Lord. It is also called the Night of Grace and is a moment of listening and prayer during which humanity shows its gratitude towards the Lord and expresses great joy in front of the empty tomb.
The vigil begins with the lights off and continues with the blessing of the fire, or Lucernario. Jesus, in fact, is the light that shines on men; he is the risen one who, from the darkness of shadows passed to a new life freeing the world from sins. At the fire the priest lights the candle, a sign of Christ, the light of the world, and announces his resurrection. Engraved in the Easter candle is a cross with the letters Alpha at the top and Omega at the bottom; within the arms of the cross are the four numbers of the current year. In the new fire the children burn little paper flowers, symbols of the small sacrifices they have committed to make ing in this Lenten season.
Then we have the Liturgy of the Word which narrates the creation of the world, the ancient alliance between God and man, the Jewish Passover and the discovery by the women of the empty tomb. Then the baptismal liturgy takes place with the blessing of the water and the celebration of possible baptisms.
On this day of joy, the Church invites us to praise God for giving his Son to humanity.
HOLY EASTER
In the Jewish Passover, which Jesus celebrates with the apostles during the Last Supper, lamb is eaten to celebrate the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. In the Christian Easter, the sacrificial lamb is Jesus, who after his death is resurrected: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
The Easter season begins with the Easter Vigil and ends fifty days later with the Vigil of Pentecost, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and Mary.
On Easter Sunday, the Gospel that narrates the resurrection of Christ is proclaimed; the wonderful event that strengthens the trust that, like the apostles, we all have in him. The liturgical color of Easter time is white, but on Pentecost Sunday, red is used.
The first eight days of Easter time constitute the octave of Easter and are celebrated as a solemnity of the Lord. Forty days after Easter, the ascension of the Lord is commemorated, that is, the moment in which Jesus ascends to heaven.
By reliving this paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus from which our faith is born, the Church encourages us to live according to the will of God and the teachings of Jesus, that is, by practicing charity and mercy, loving our neighbor and God as ourselves.
From the message “URBI ET ORBI” by Pope Francis on April 20, 2025:
“Dear brothers and sisters, in the Lord’s Easter, death and life faced each other in a prodigious duel, but the Lord now lives forever and gives us the certainty that we too are called to participate in the life that knows no end, in which the clash of weapons and echoes of death will no longer be heard.
Let us entrust ourselves to Him who is the only one who can make all things new. Happy Easter to all!”
The catechists
HOLY WEEK
“It is the most celebratory week of the liturgical year; it recalls the passion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. These are days of prayer, silence and meditation in which the Christian community relives Christ’s sacrifice for humanity.”
It is a special period of the liturgical year when we can stay close to Jesus to relive together the most difficult days of his life on Earth. It begins with PALM SUNDAY to end with the Easter Vigil and is full of celebrations.
In those days the Church reflects on God's love for the world, a love so great that it led Him to sacrifice his Son to save us from sin and death. During this week we are called to gather frequently in church to listen to the Word of God that narrates the moments of salvation, to pray with gratitude to the Lord to celebrate the Eucharist, which is the sacrament in which we find the bread and wine, that is, the body and blood of Jesus, offered for the forgiveness of sins.
The first event that is remembered is the Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem: Palm Sunday, in which we celebrate the joy for Jesus' arrival in the holy city, seven days before the Lord's Passover.
In the Holy Scriptures it is written that the Son of God arrives in Jerusalem riding on a donkey, a gentle and peaceful animal, while the crowds welcome him waving olive and palm branches and shouting: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom that comes in the name of the Father David! Hosanna in the highest heavens".
This event is called MESSIANIC because the crowds recognize him as the MESSIAH, and welcomed Him with enthusiasm. However, those who applauded will then condemn him to death.
The priest reads the Gospel that narrates this episode, which is usually commemorated with a short procession in which the faithful carry olive and palm branches and raise festive songs. Later, the olive trees and palms are blessed, and everyone will take them home after the celebration of the mass.
Inside the sacred buildings and on the altars, vases full of olive branches are placed, as a sign of peace but also of hope, and palms, a symbol of eternal life and resurrection.
The liturgical color of this Sunday is red, just like the cloaks laid out on the ground by the crowd as Jesus walked, but mainly like the blood shed by Jesus for the love of humanity.
His entry into the city is also a moment of hope, because a new alliance between God and men is about to be fulfilled. Every day we can welcome Jesus with joy and hope in prayer, during the mass, reading of the Holy Scriptures; but every day we can practice GENEROSITY AND CHARITY, so that OUR HEART CAN BECOME A SMALL JERUSALEM THAT WELCOMES JESUS WITH TRUST.
HOLY THURSDAY
On the morning of Holy Thursday the Chrism Mass is celebrated in the cathedrals, presided over by the bishop, and during this mass the priests renew the commitments of their ordination.
In this celebration, the holy oils are blessed:
- the oil of the catechumens, used for baptism;
- the chrism, used in confirmation, priestly and episcopal ordination
- the oil of the sick
Holy Thursday marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the TRIDUUM OF THE PASSION, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF THE LORD, more simply called the EASTER TRIDUUM.
During the evening mass, the Church remembers the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist: it is called MESSA IN COENA DOMINI. The priest reads the Gospel that narrates the Last Supper, that is, the last Passover of the Jews celebrated by Jesus with his friends in Jerusalem.
That evening he instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, told Peter that he would deny him and Judas that he would betray him, then to everyone's amazement he took a basin with water, wrapped his loins in a towel and washed the feet of his apostles.
Likewise, in every church, the priest washes the feet of 12 people sitting around the table; in our community the priest washes the feet of 12 children who will soon receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. At the end of the liturgy, thanks to the May feast committee, blessed bread was distributed, as a symbol of the bread shared by Jesus with the apostles and a symbol of the body of Jesus.
The rite of the washing of the feet is rich in meaning: with it Jesus teaches humility and service and demonstrates his immense love for humanity. Just as the Son of God placed himself at the service of the Father and humanity, the apostles will also be called to serve God and the world, spreading the Gospel; but we too are all exhorted to help our brothers and sisters. The washing of the feet anticipates a greater gesture: the gift of Christ's life for the salvation of the world.
Jesus knows what Peter, Judas and the other apostles will do and forgives them. Forgiveness is a precious teaching for everyone: he forgives to show us that it is always possible to forgive. Giving something or giving yourself is an act of love and Jesus came to earth precisely to tell all of us that THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT IS THAT OF LOVE!
THE ALTAR OF REPOSE
On Holy Thursday, at the end of communion, Jesus, truly present in the consecrated host, is not placed back in the tabernacle, but is carried in procession on a previously prepared altar, decorated with white flowers, wheat seeds germinated in the dark that symbolize the passage from the darkness of death to the resurrection, the bread and the lamb, which represent JESUS THAT SACRIFICED HIMSELF FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.
On Wednesdays, the catechism children bring to church the little sprouts that have been cared for and grown in the various groups. Little plants that grow with love like our children and that crown Jesus along the path of the altar of repose. “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them…”
This altar is called the altar of repose because on it rests, or is exposed, the Eucharist, that is, the body of Christ.
On the evening of Holy Thursday, churches remain open until late at night, to give the faithful the opportunity to visit the altars of repose and to pray in front of Christ, truly present in the Eucharist.
Normally, before these altars, one kneels and says a prayer of praise and thanksgiving: "let the Most Holy and Divine Sacrament be praised and thanked at every moment", then people recites three times the GLORIA, the prayer meant to profess faith in the Most Holy Trinity, that is, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
From 10 pm to midnight, one meets in church for adoration led by the parish priest.
the catechists
Yesterday…in the fight against illiteracy…today victims of computer illiteracy
Once upon a time there was the Bibliobus. Starting in 1949, the Ministry of Public Education in collaboration with the Education Superintendents began a campaign to fight illiteracy, starting first from the province of Salerno, the largest in the entire national territory, together with that of Potenza, and including in the early years also the province of Matera. Shortly after, the campaign was extended to other Italian regions. In practice, two buses were set up, with a well-studied project, transforming them into perfect travelling libraries, hence the name bibliobus, equipped with special educational and audiovisual aids available at that time (we were at the beginning of the fifties and just emerging from the Second World War). The bibliobus allowed, both from the outside and from the inside, an excellent display of books of various kinds in the squares of the towns visited, arousing in the population of all ages from elementary school children to the elderly, vast interest and participation. Furthermore, there was a selection of texts of absolute validity, pertaining to professional and didactic training but within everyone's reach, coming from publishing houses like Hoepli, Edagricole, Lavagnolo, Ramo editoriale degli agricoltori.
In this way, not only an immediate interest was stimulated but also the understanding of the need to be able to read, write and calculate. The richly illustrated technical and professional texts aroused the curiosity of the potential reader, who, even though he did not know how to read or write, by stimulating his logical and rational connections led him to leaf through the book, which thus became in his hands a work tool, a utensil indeed.
What happens today instead? We navigate on search engines, but this does not absolutely mean research; we use “apps”, we follow media paths that are quite insane, almost unconsciously driven by “influencers” who love stimulating the curiosity of the Internet user but certainly not in the sense that Plutarch assigned to the term, that means a stimulus to knowledge, thus revealing themselves as perfect masters of stupidity in its most exact lexical meaning!
Surely the initiative of maestro Antonio La Cava, who with his itinerant bibliomotocarro stimulates the curiosity of children to handle books, is to be preferred; he well remembers the visits of the bibliobus when he was still a boy in his village! The growing computer illiteracy requires to be contained as soon as possible, avoiding to use the media in a passive way. Democracy itself is at stake: it is being distorted by the economic power that wants to keep it under its control.
The upgrade is mandatory and that's enough!
Michele Vista
FAITH and SUPERSTITION
An interesting formation meeting entitled: Faith and Superstition was held at St. Anthony's Church in Pignola on Tuesday, January 14.
The theme was treated with simplicity, clarity and competence by don Rocco Moscarelli, penitentiary of the diocese, who dialogued with Francesca Conte, leader of the adult sector of Catholic Action.
The meeting was part of a training path promoted by the adult group of Catholic Action in which, following the guidelines of associative catechesis, important themes such as the relationship between science and faith, faith and tradition, faith and communication are being addressed
The last one addressed namely faith and superstition was among the most significant also because it was treated during the novena before the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, the saint who made his faith a shield against all forms of temptation. On the other hand, the catechetical journey that A.C. is promoting this year invites us to place mercy at the center of our formation journey, inviting us to make the Gospel of Luke our companion on the journey. In addition, the biblical icon that serves as the backdrop for the catechetical journey of all sectors invites us at the same time to be witnesses of our faith by broadening our horizons in responding, like Peter and the apostles, to Christ's call. So this is the invitation that every associate intends to internalize with these formation meetings, that of being enlightened by the Word and to undertake, together, a journey of co-responsibility.
For this reason, don Rocco Moscarelli's contribution was valuable and significant: with his role and particular charisma he provided us with useful indications to help us overcome all the obstacles that could interfere with our growth in the faith, and one of them could precisely be a distorted perception of faith often confused with superstition.
Don Rocco highlighted this concept by arguing that faith cannot be based only on the emotion of the moment but must be sustained by prayer, the one and only true weapon that can overcome the obstacles of temptations and sustains us in the difficulties. At the same time, faith cannot disregard reason and, in fact, fides et ratio are an inseparable pair. Rather, superstition embraces the irrational and often gives a distorted perception so it is important to understand that growing in faith means embarking on a path full of obstacles but which rests on prayer and Eucharistic participation and is illuminated by the Church in its communal dimension.
Angela Guma
