Silent gestures

The "Monsignor Alessandro Vitetti" Odv Ets Association of Cirò Marina, chaired by Fausto Mingrone, organised a cultural visit to San Giovanni in Fiore, the Silan municipality that preserves the cultural and spiritual legacy of Abbot Joachim da Fiore.

The initiative is part of the "Silent gestures" project inspired by the life and works of the Servant of God Monsignor Alessandro Vitetti, the Cirò-born priest, much loved by the faithful for his exemplary life devoted to charity and service to the poor.

In San Giovanni in Fiore, the members of the association led by Mingrone joined local school children on a guided tour of the town in the Sila region; an itinerary that united history, traditions and spirituality in the footsteps of the abbot, philosopher and theologian, who was also quoted by Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy. The visit stopped at the cathedral, where the remains of Abbot Joachim rest, and then continued through the historic centre to rediscover a past that in every street, in every house, expresses millenary roots. The initiative constituted a fruitful opportunity for the elderly and children to share, who together "travelled through time" retracing the life story of a great thinker of the Middle Ages, Abbot Joachim. A meeting between different generations to enhance San Giovanni in Fiore, a small town nestled in the Sila mountains, one of the most evocative ancient villages in the whole of Calabria.

The model that inspired the project implemented by the Cypriot association was precisely that of "small silent gestures to do good always and in any case without fuss and without ever letting people know the origin", because this was the modus vivendi of Bishop Vitetti, whom everyone called the 'wanderer of God'. A journey that revived the salient stages of the intense existence of a minister of God who gave all of himself to the souls entrusted to his care. A presbyter who is emblematic of simplicity and material poverty but of high moral and spiritual standing. The 'wanderer of God' who for all is already a saint left an indelible mark on the community in which he lived and worked, becoming a shining example for the younger generations.

The "Silent Gestures" project will continue with a trip to Matera and a cultural exchange on the figure of Monsignor Vitetti with H.E. Archbishop Antonio Giuseppe Caiazzo. Also scheduled are two more days dedicated to the figure of Monsignor Vitetti with the creation of a docufilm that will recount his life and commitment through the places and narratives of those who knew him. The project will end with the final event scheduled for 24 April 2024 in Cirò Marina, at the Istituto Comprensivo Casopero, with the presentation of the docufilm.