{"id":73774,"date":"2024-10-09T14:04:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T12:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/73743\/"},"modified":"2024-10-09T14:07:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T12:07:13","slug":"73743","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/73743\/","title":{"rendered":"Palermo: Leonardo VITALE Fraternity Park Project Presented"},"content":{"rendered":"

On September 20, 2024, the Italian Province of the Immaculate Conception (Sicily-Calabria) officially presented its Leonardo VITALE Fraternity Park Project<\/em>. The event took place in Palermo (Sicily) Italy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was a large turnout, with many of those attending showing great interest in the \u201cmission\u201d and the architectural project that was presented. The event was held in the former church of San Mattia ai Crociferi. Civil, military and religious authorities were also present. Notable among them was the Most Reverend Corrado LOREFICE, Archbishop of Palermo, the Mayor of Palermo, Roberto LAGALLA and the General Visitator, Friar Emil KUMKA, OFM Conv.
\nThe event speakers included the Minister Provincial, Friar Gaspare LA BARBERA, the neuropsychiatrist Olga VICARI and the architect Luigi Aggius VELLA, all key figures in the study and implementation that led to the drafting of the project.
\nProfessor Felice CAVALLARO, a journalist and writer, introduced and moderated the event. He gave a reflection on the topic that was used for the title of the event: \u201cI chose to be free: faith in Christ gave me life and true joy.\u201d The phrase was taken from one of Leonardo VITALE\u2019s letters. In fact, the park is named after him. He is known as the first true mafia repentant. His repentance followed immediately after his authentic conversion of faith. Giovanni FALCONE spoke precisely about this during the sentencing at the Maxi Trial of Palermo. He paid homage to Leonardo\u2019s courage and conversion: \u201cReleased from prison in June of 1984, he was killed a few months later, on December 2, while returning from Sunday Mass. Unlike the State Justice, the mafia perceived the importance of his revelations and punished him for having violated the code of silence. It is hoped that, at least after his death, VITALE gets the credit he has deserved and still merits.\u201d
\nThe land for the park project is located in the Zisa neighborhood of Palermo. It was donated twenty years ago to the Friars Minor Conventual who were members of the then Province of Sicily. The donor was Maria VITALE, Leonardo\u2019s sister. She is now a Poor Clare in the Palermo Monastery.
\nThe land and its house were both donated in order to honor a promise that Maria made to her brother. His will stipulated that the land and the house were to be donated so that in those places \u201csomething\u201d could be realized for young people, a place where they could have an \u2018encounter\u2019 that might change the direction of their lives and keep them from falling into the designs of the mafia, as had happened to him.
\nThis is precisely the goal that the religious Province of Sicily-Calabria has set for itself: to create a Franciscan center of spirituality, culture, education and social charity. Using a multidisciplinary team, the Province intends to create a place that will become a physical, moral and spiritual setting for welcome, education, interaction and growth, for children, adolescents and young people from the neighborhood, from the city of Palermo and from the entire region. This initiative aims at preventing social distress, juvenile delinquency, combatting educational poverty, promoting social integration and active citizenship through continuous and meaningful activities that foster an integral ecological culture, thereby promoting peace and fraternity.
\nAn area of \u200b\u200b approximately 5,500 square meters [59,201 square feet] will host a parking lot, a small amphitheater, a playground and sports facilities, namely, a soccer field for five players on each side, a basketball court, a tennis court, and a multifunctional space for various activities in the park. Most importantly, at the heart of this project, there will be a diagnostic center that will offer a welcoming environment and develop initiatives aimed at prevention and intervention through tailored programs.
\nAccompanying the reflection and discussion was the presentation of the book \u201cVerr\u00e0 il giudizio di Dio\u201d [God\u2019s Judgment Will Come] by Nicole OLIVERI, Luca CRAPANZANO, and Tommaso PACE. This book was published to commemorate the 30th<\/sup> anniversary of Pope John Paul II\u2019s call for conversion in Agrigento. It serves not as a condemnation but as an invitation to conversion and genuine repentance.
\nWe must always be aware that God, in His infinite mercy, welcomes all His children. We only need the courage to break down the wall of prejudice that often resides even in the hearts of those who proclaim themselves as believers. There may be some difficulty in accepting stories like that of Leonardo VITALE, but it is precisely these stories that testify that God excludes no one from His love.
\nLeonardo VITALE certainly symbolizes a dramatic chapter in the history of a city, but he also represents a personal story that, through conversion and authentic repentance, transformed his life and altered the course of history, allowing a ray of light to pierce the darkness. He is described as \u201cthe first repentant in the history of Italy, in the truest and most religious sense of the term,\u201d according to Corrado STAJANO. It is through this testimony of conversion that the Province of the Immaculate Conception aims to communicate its message via its \u201cFraternity Park.\u201d
\nWelcoming others, after all, is a characteristic of the Franciscan charism, as evidenced by the quote from the Legend of the Three Companions<\/em> mentioned by Friar Gaspare LA BARBERA: \u201cFor we have been called to this: to heal the wounded, bind up the broken, and recall the erring. In fact, many who seem to us to be members of the devil will yet be disciples of Christ\u201d<\/em> (LC3<\/em> 24:58, FF<\/em> 1469).
\nThere were some powerful, emotional moments, such as the reading of a message from the President of the Republic, Sergio MATTARELLA, and a short video message from Sister Maria Cristina VITALE.
\nThe corner stone hasn\u2019t been laid yet, but the project is already operational and its specific mission of promoting and supporting young people is being carried out through a calendar of appointments and events.
\nThe Minister Provincial extended an invitation to all present: \u201cIt\u2019s time to turn this dream and promise into a reality. To do this, we need to share this initiative so that it becomes everyone\u2019s project. The city belongs not only to those who live in it, but also to those who can be courageous witnesses of Christian life on its behalf.\u201d The Minister Provincial also started a fundraising campaign to bring the project to fruition.
\nIn truth, when we requested aid from the Italian Bishops\u2019 Conference, they promised to finance, at least in part, the construction of the sports fields. Similarly, we contacted Caritas Antoniana<\/em> regarding the diagnostic center. This financial contribution would certainly provide a boost in getting the work started. However, one should not overlook the significant importance of \u201cthe widow\u2019s mite,\u201d meaning, the little contributions that hold great value in evangelical terms, and on which the Province relies as a sign of divine providence for realizing this project.<\/p>\n

The Italian Province of the Immaculate Conception (Sicily-Calabria)<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On September 20, 2024, the Italian Province of the Immaculate Conception (Sicily-Calabria) officially presented its Leonardo VITALE Fraternity Park Project. The event took place in Palermo (Sicily) Italy. There was a large turnout, with many of those attending showing great interest in the \u201cmission\u201d and the architectural project that was presented. The event was held […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":73770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[132,117,148],"tags":[2609],"class_list":["post-73774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-federations","category-fimp-en","category-news","tag-italy-sicily-calabria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}