This morning the Holy Father received the Poor Clare Nuns of Paganica (L’Aquila).
The group’s convent was destroyed in a 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, and their Abbess Mother Gemma Antonucci died under the rubble.
“Your Community of Paganica, the hamlet of L’Aquila, experienced the tragedy of the earthquake of 2009, in which your Convent was destroyed,” Pope Francis said. “The Abbess, Mother Gemma Antonucci, died under the rubble and other Sisters were wounded.
“However, from that tragedy God has made you come out strengthened and, as the grain of wheat that must die to bear fruit, it has been so for your monastic Community. You experienced great pain, but also the loving care of the heavenly Father and the solidarity of so many people.”
Below is the full greeting of the Holy Father:
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The Holy Father’s Greeting
Dear Sisters,
I’m happy to welcome you and I give my heartfelt greeting to each and all of you. I thank you for the support you give me in prayer and, in particular, for the gift of the paschal candle, decorated by you, for the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta. Through this symbol of Christ, Light of the world, you are spiritually present at the celebrations being held in that Chapel.
Your Community of Paganica, the hamlet of L’Aquila, experienced the tragedy of the earthquake of 2009, in which your Convent was destroyed. The Abbess, Mother Gemma Antonucci, died under the rubble and other Sisters were wounded. However, from that tragedy God has made you come out strengthened and, as the grain of wheat that must die to bear fruit, it has been so for your monastic Community. You experienced great pain, but also the loving care of the heavenly Father and the solidarity of so many people.
On that night you lost everything, except God and fraternity. From these two solid points, you set out again with courage. Initially, you established yourselves in a provisional building and, ten years after the earthquake, you have returned to the reconstructed and restored Convent. Now your community is flourishing, made up of twelve nuns, all young. This is the message you gave people: in face of tragedies, it is necessary to start again from God and from fraternal solidarity. I thank you so much for this!
Dear Sisters, do not tire of being a praying and consoling presence to support the population, harshly tested by the terrible experience and still in need of comfort and encouragement. May Blessed Antonia’s example help you to be always poor and joyful women out of love for the poor Christ. Faithful to the charism received from Saint Clare and Saint Francis, respond with generosity to the desire that God has put in your heart, living your life as consecrated women in total adherence to the Gospel.
I thank you for this visit! I invoke on your path the light and strength of the Holy Spirit and I accompany you with the Apostolic Blessing, which I impart to you from my heart. And, please, continue to pray for me and for all the Church. Thank you!
© Libreria Editrice Vatican
[Original text: Italian] [Exaudi’s translation by Virginia M. Forrester]
