This phrase, so apt to talk about the history of Faith and Light, is meant to be a wish above all else. “Never alone again” aims to express in three words the truest substance of Faith and Light, even if many are still not part of it.
When we are asked by those who know nothing about it, “but you, at Faith and Light, what do you do?”, I would always like to answer: “we don’t do anything at all”, which is the truth. We weren’t born to do something for disabled people, but to be by their side, to stand next to them and their parents, to not leave them alone!
I would like to talk about the beautiful phrase that Cardinal Martini dedicates to Faith and Light in the preface of the book “Never Alone Again”: “Faith and Light is a page of the Gospel that the Spirit has written and continues to write for the men and women of our time”… I would like to comment on the words chosen by J. Vanier for his introduction: “called to joy”… I would like to cite the many people, starting with Marie-Hélène, who have dedicated part of their lives to ensuring that Faith and Light lives in many countries of the world… To remember the dedication of numerous seminarians, priests and bishops who have proven to give without sparing themselves, with courage and often against the tide.
But it’s not to these great ones that I want to dedicate my editorial, even if the inspiration was given to me by the Italian release of Marie-Hélène Mathieu’s book, published by Jaca Book. If you take one of the photos in the center of the book, number 5, or number 25 or number 26, you’ll immediately understand who I want to talk about: the smallest among the members of Faith and Light (even if today they are fifty years old or thereabouts). Because it was they, in my opinion, who sparked the flame that moved everything else: when we organized the first Faith and Light camp (with tents even!) with Guenda we went to a Center for very severely disabled children to choose about fifteen of them to take on a mountain vacation. When we asked: “but Fabio, as far as you know, has he ever been on vacation?” “No, what do you think, his parents couldn’t manage, he’s too severely disabled! And then for him, city, sea or mountain is the same thing!” “Then we’ll take him!”
Antonio (in the center with the guitar) at the F.L. Camp in Rocca di Papa in July 1984
This is how we let ourselves be enchanted by the idea of taking with us children whose parents were too alone, too abandoned to afford a vacation!
One thing led to another. Slowly, bonds were created between the parents, their children, and friends. Every idea that crossed our minds, we tried to put into action: trips, home visits, outdoor picnics; festive masses together where one day Claudio, a child who is now in heaven, sang “Bandiera rossa” at the top of his voice, telling us that was his father’s song!
Only by looking at those photographs can one deduce what the book wants to tell us about. It doesn’t matter if the first part concerns only the initial history (see: pilgrimage 1971) with all the difficulties it represented. It doesn’t matter if certain details will seem superfluous to some, the thing that matters most and that should be read in this big volume, is to know that every written word, every anecdote, every name, is part of a “sacred” history as J. Vanier calls it. A history dictated by the Spirit, supported and carried forward by many people… that in this history there are no verticalisms, even if the founders are often mentioned. Because I will never tire of repeating that the true founders are and will always remain the young people and their parents, starting with Maria Rosaria’s mother, invited to one of the first meetings where we didn’t know where to begin and when I timidly said: we could start by reciting a Hail Mary, that mother said: “Maria’, I don’t even remember it anymore!” or to the one who, coming to visit me with her child, said: “I’m Jewish, atheist, divorced: can I come in?”
The true protagonists and founders are each of them, every disabled child or young person and their parents, with the help of friends big and small, from the newborn of only 15 days old, whom the friend mother brings with her to the meetings, to the 85-year-old friend who proudly tells everyone that she will continue to come to F.and L. until the end.
We often ask ourselves: “how could it happen that from a small group of few people, such a large movement was formed?”
I am convinced that Faith and Light is something wanted by Jesus’ mother, that mother to whom, the first time I went to Lourdes, personally, and I don’t think I was the only one, I said: “It’s easy for you to say, but your child spoke, walked, taught… ours are all in the negative, how can you understand us?”.
And she understood us thoroughly, giving us this gift so great that the pages of this book cannot contain. She gave us Faith and Light which, in summary, is a great friendship between heaven and earth!
