When the Fraternity of St. Charles came to Bologna, in 2006 on request of Bishop Carlo Caffarra, few thought of a relevant historical precedent: the same patron of the Fraternity, St. Charles Borromeo, present in the 16th century as a cardinal legate, was the founder of the Archiginnasio, the first true seat of the University. Perhaps it is not by chance, therefore, that among the tasks of the mission of the Fraternity in the capital of Emilia, there was from the beginning a presence in the university, in the ultra-secular Alma Mater Studiorum, and in the world of the schools. It is a presence that continues to this day with Fr. Stefano Lavelli, a university chaplain and Fr. Luca DeChiara, a teacher of religion and art history at Malpighi high school.
Besides the work in schools and the university, the priests of the Fraternity were also entrusted with the pastoral care of the parish of St. Isaiah, guided by the “dean”, Fr. Peppino Manzini. In the center of the city with fewer residents and ever increasing numbers of B&Bs, students, tourists and beggars of every ethnicity and religion, there is no shortage of social problems and there are always more elderly who are terribly alone. Despite it being difficult to reach this Church in the center of the city, today, there are around 60 children in catechism. In a city that does not have kids, this is big news. And it is precisely these little kids, excited about the catechism -which is another unusual happening- to bring along other kids, sometimes who come from families that are not practicing or who are not Christian.
Speaking of human frontiers, Fr. Martino de Carli has some experience, having now been chaplain for two years at Sant’Orsola, one of the biggest hospitals in Europe. It happens often, day and night, that the telephone of Fr. Martino rings with the request for the last sacraments or simply to comfort someone gravely ill. It is a school of total essentiality, for him who arrived from decades of mission in South America. When Fr. Martino began to celebrate mass in the hospital, there was only him and a nun. Today the mass is attended by the sick and by hospital workers. Then there is a monthly meeting to dialogue with a group of doctors: they too, exposed to the drama of sickness and suffering, need a place of comfort and conversation.
Sometimes it doesn’t take much for something to reignite in the soul…but you do need that small thing!
Since October 4, 2024, San Carlo has also been entrusted with the Parish of Santa Maria della Misericordia, a historic church just outside Porta Castiglione, now administered by Don Paolo Paganini.
“There is not just one Bologna, there are many,” observes Don Stefano. When he arrived in Bologna with his suitcases after seven years in Turin, the first person to welcome him to Via del Pratello was a homeless man who greeted him with a simple and warm “Welcome, Father!” without even asking him for a penny, thus being the first to express the city’s welcome. The door-to-door Easter blessings were a great opportunity to meet the people of this parish nestled in the rich hills of Bologna. Don Stefano recounts: “This spring, Don Paolo and I rang the doorbells of every house in the neighborhood. Among the various people we met, I was struck by one person who, when I offered to bless his home, replied, ‘I’m sorry, I’m agnostic’. My instinctive reaction was to extend my right hand and simply say, ‘Ah… nice to meet you, I’m Stefano’. It may have been a coincidence, but the ‘agnostic’ had the same name as me! This coincidence was enough to get me into his house after a few moments of embarrassment. We had a nice chat and after half an hour of him telling me about his life, Stefano ‘the agnostic’ said goodbye, asking me just one thing: ‘What about the blessing?’. Sometimes it doesn’t take much for something to reignite in the soul…but you do need that small thing! Like ringing a bell. Like an extended hand. Like one who comes to seek you out and the other who opens the door of the heart at home, at the school, in university or in the hospital. God does the rest. This is the real reason why we are here in Bologna.”
