Making hosts with nothing in Gaza
Thanks to a workshop set up in 2020 by an Italian foundation that works with prisoners in the world's most tormented places, the parish of the Holy Family continues to be able to celebrate the Eucharist. Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori: "A light of hope, despite all the horror".
Milan (AsiaNews) - "In their eyes and in their smiles, we see, despite all the horror that is happening, the virtue of hope, a thread of light that does not give up." Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori, president of the Casa dello Spirito e delle Arti Foundation, is constantly in contact with the Catholic community of the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza and in particular with Father Gabriel Romanelli.
“Last January 7, when the first communions were celebrated with the hosts that continue to be produced there, thanks to the 'The sense of bread' project, I was moved. This initiative is a sign of peace in that 'open-air ordeal' as Father Gabriel always says."
Started in 2015 in the Opera prison, near Milan, the wafer production project, in the most tormented places on the planet and among the most injured or marginalized people, is now present in 19 places around the world. Including the Gaza Strip where, without that laboratory, the parish would not even have the hosts to celebrate the Eucharist, given that nothing comes in, including basic necessities and medicines.
“The fact that the laboratory continues to function despite the war is for us a sign of that bread that becomes Jesus who came to save us. The people making the hosts smile. The meaning of the Eucharist can be seen in their eyes. It's something that strikes me a lot within that drama,” says Mosca Mondadori.
The laboratory was started in 2020 thanks to the interest of Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem: “We contributed first of all to the renovation of the premises and brought the machines with the help of the nuns of the Hogar Niño Dios of Bethlehem - continues Mosca Mondadori .
"There are currently several people working there on a voluntary basis. We, as a Foundation, support the community and, in particular, the most needy people who at the moment are practically everyone."
He adds: “We would like to be able to return to those places, to be as close as possible to the people there, especially in this difficult and sad time. In the meantime, let's try to at least keep this project alive. Let's see what it will lead to."
The initiative, which was originally created to testify to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, had already found a completely extraordinary welcoming place in Palestine, namely Bethlehem, which means "House of Bread". Here, the Sisters Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara, belonging to the religious Family of the Incarnate Word, have created a reception center called Hogar Niño Dios for children and young people with physical and mental disabilities.
There are around forty people currently welcomed, including many Muslims who are abandoned by families who are often very poor or disadvantaged precisely because of their disabilities. Today several of these boys and girls collaborate in the pworkshop producing the hosts, which are then donated to some Churches in the Holy Land and Jordan and to the Basilica of the Nativity itself.
“There where Jesus is born, hosts are continually born - Mosca Mondadori points out -. And it is precisely young people with disabilities who produce them. The Hogar Niño Dios is a house where people feel truly welcomed. And, as in all the other places where hosts are produced, it is a place of rebirth."
This is still visible today where it all began: the Opera prison, near Milan. It is here, in fact, that on the occasion of the 2015-2016 Jubilee of Mercy, Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori had the intuition to give life to this initiative, involving people convicted of murder. Already in January 2016, Pope Francis consecrated some of them on the occasion of the Jubilee of Migrants.
“The strength and immediacy of this project, which sees the bread for the Eucharistic celebration produced by those who have killed in their past, but have followed an authentic path of interior conversion and repentance - explain from the Casa dello Spirito e delle Arti Foundation which is also supported in this project by the Ennio Doris Foundation - it has encouraged the participation of hundreds of Italian and foreign dioceses, religious congregations, parishes, monasteries, Christian and Catholic entities, who have received and continue to receive the hosts free of charge, the production of which craftsmanship is now several million".
“The meeting with Pope Francis changed my life - concludes Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori - After coming across his light I chose to dedicate myself completely to service. I feel it like a mission. The Pope naturally led me towards this path. His peace affects me daily and his presence today is a beacon for everyone. Thanks to Pope Francis every day we break down the walls of indifference and try to build bridges."
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