On Saturday evening, October 18, 2020, a soup kitchen for the poor was inaugurated at the ancient Sant’Antonio di Padova Friary in Portici (greater Naples, Italy). The soup kitchen was made possible through a generous grant from the Caritas Antoniana charitable institute, supplemented by contributions from other benefactors and the work of the faithful.
Friars from the Province of the Seraphic Father St. Francis in Italy (Naples), together with a large and active group of lay people, prepared hot meals that were distributed to the homeless in the metropolitan area of Naples.
Friar Maurizio DI PAOLO presided over the solemn rite of inauguration and later conducted an economic visitation to the Province together with Friar Leszek ŁUCZKANIN. Others present at the inauguration included the local Guardian and Pastor, Friar Claudio IORIS, and the Dean of the Province, Friar Oreste CASABURO.
The soup kitchen, furnished entirely in stainless steel, meets all necessary criteria for hygiene and safety as well as for efficiency, with its large cooking spaces and six-burner range. Due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic, only a limited number of faithful could attend. They represented the many volunteers who, in the Franciscan spirit, have been providing this valuable service for years.
Friar Maurizio DI PAOLO
