A delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church visited several communities implementing integral ecology and volunteer projects in the Milan region on April 4-6, 2022.

The visit facilitated the assimilation of good practice models in the field of ecology in Italy to implement the pilot project initiated this year in sixteen Orthodox parishes in Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

The first day’s programme included a visit to the San Lorenzo Oratory in Schianno, where training activities are carried out for young people, including in the field of ecology and agriculture.

Nocetum Community

Another landmark of the visit was the Nocetum community, developed in 1988 around the church of Saints Philip and James on the outskirts of Milan.

Romanians are greeted in their own language at Nocetum with a “bine ati venit” message. The Romanian Orthodox parish of Saints Nazarie, Ghervasie, Protasie and Celsie is hosted by the church of Saints Philip and James of the Nocetum Association. Photo: Basilica.ro / Aurelian Iftimiu

Nocetum was recognised in 2020 as a Laudato Si’ Community for its efforts to protect the environment and provide social support to people in need. Projects developed by this community include hosting mothers with children, catering services, educational services, and environmental and spiritual initiatives.

Dialogue with Caritas Ambrosiana partners

The members of the Romanian Orthodox Church delegation met Luciano Gualzetti, director of Caritas Ambrosiana, at Nocetum.

Luciano Gualzetti, the first lay director in the history of Caritas Ambrosiana, met with representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church at Nocetum Community on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Photo: Basilica.ro / Aurelian Iftimiu

Luciano Gualzetti noted that climate issues impact people who cannot build alternatives, i.e. the poor. Therefore we must realise that “we are all in the same boat and must join forces, responsibilities and knowledge.”

The director of Caritas Ambrosiana referred to some communities in the area that have translated Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical into their own life experience.

The members of the Romanian delegation presented the pilot project of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the field of ecology. They stressed the importance of exchanging experiences for the project’s next steps.

According to the delegation members, the concrete experiences of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy will be a starting point to be adapted to the specific society of Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

Pachamama

The Pachamama Community of young people and families founded in 2009 in Olgiate Olona was visited on Wednesday by representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Although bearing an Inca name, the community has as its rule of life the encyclical Laudato Si’ of Pope Francis, namely integral ecology.

In addition to the environmentally friendly lifestyle, the main actions of the Pachamama community are the organisation of training schools and the promotion of the community way of life under the title Weekend of Beauty (Weekend di bellezza – WEB) and the development of a 3-year project for young people to train and encourage community life.

Perspectives

“It was a formative experience where we discovered many great projects in the field of ecology but also a lot of volunteer involvement. We need to analyse everything we have seen and experienced and apply it in our context,” Fr. Ciprian Ioniță told Basilica.ro.

“During the study visit, we had the opportunity to get acquainted with the social activity in several parishes, with the ecological projects started by them, but also with other types of social actions that have become a tradition at a community level,” said at the end of the visit Mr Igor Belei, executive director of the Diaconia Social Mission of the Metropolis of Bessarabia.

The director of Diaconia Mission assured that “we will use the models of good practice identified in the process of implementation of our project, and the new perspectives of approach in the fields of volunteering, training and ecology will be the basis for new projects in parishes.”

“Also, thanks to the visit, we had the joy to meet priests and colleagues from Caritas structures, who willingly and openly shared important experiences in the social field”, Igor Belei told Basilica News Agency.

The Romanian delegation consisted of Fr. Ciprian Ion Ioniță, Patriarchal Counsellor, Aurelian Nicolae Iftimiu, Patriarchal Counsellor, Igor Belei, Executive Director of Diaconia Social Mission, Fr. Ioan Cosoi, coordinator at Diaconia Social Mission, Ana Gavriliță, project coordinator at Diaconia Social Mission.

Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro