“He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you” Luke 22:15
In 2014, 600 catechists from 22 countries came together in the desert of Arizona to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Many talks and stories were shared throughout the week together. Today we share with you a talk from Fr Giancarlo Pani, S.J, on what he remembers about being a priest in the atrium with Sofia, Gianna, and the children at the original atrium in Rome.
Fr Giancarlo is the Deputy Director of Civiltà Cattolic and the Docent of Modern History of Christianity at “La Sapienza” of the University of Rome, serving on the faculty of Literature and Philosophy. He first met Sofia in 1971, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in which she served as a guide. Father Giancarlo became a priest in 1974 and then, in 1976, began a collaboration with Sofia and Gianna at the atrium of Via degli Orsini in Rome. In addition to celebrating Mass throughout the atrium year, he heard the confessions of the children and assisted with the retreat and celebration of their First Communion.
A USB drive of recordings from the 2014 Anniversary Celebration is available for purchase from the CGSUSA Online Store. Use the code PODCAST at checkout to receive $5.00 off the purchase of the USB drive.
You can also read Fr. Giancarlo’s words in the 2016 CGSUSA Journal. Read Fr. Giancarlos’s important article on the Foundations of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, recently published in La Civiltà Cattolic, a highly respected digital Catholic journal from the Vatican in Rome that reviews present issues alive in the Church and the Church scholars interpreting the history, politics, culture, science, and art in the light of the Christian faith. It was also published in “Avvenire,” the Italian daily newspaper of The Italian Episcopal Conference.