St Cassian’s Team receive greeting from Pope Leo XIV

St. Cassian’s Retreat Centre’s Team took a busy expedition to Italy from May 18th to 23rd, doing two service days in a Lasallian Community in Scampia, Naples before heading to Rome for three days.  

After a busy Confirmation retreat in Kintbury ending on a Sunday after lunch, the team filled the centre’s minibus to head to Heathrow, looking forward to the week ahead. The flight got us to a busy Naples Airport, where not very many security guards were able to pry their eyes away from a Napoli FC potentially winning the league in the 102nd minute of the game. (They did not).  

Br. Enrico met us at the airport and the streets of Naples felt alive, even at 11pm. We made our way to the centre, home to the Occhi Aperti [Eyes Open] Social Cooperative, where we’d be sleeping and working at for the next two days, shared some of the most amazing pastries and were briefed on the plan for the next day.  

On each day, half of the team headed to nearby Roma Gypsi towns, meeting young people to encourage them to go to school. The young girls were fascinated by these interesting and strange people, happily braiding each other’s hair and asking endless questions – the boys were just happy to have people to play football with.  

The other half of the team spent the morning preparing the centre for the day. From 10am-2pm we were assisting with the Io Valgo [I’m Worth] scheme, which runs a second chance school for young people who have struggled to assimilate into mainstream schools. The centre teaches lessons and prepares workshop activities. On Monday we helped with English, Humanities and cooking, whilst on Tuesday we helped with an Art Workshop making paper and cast moulds.  

Then to end our days we were present to see younger children, from six to 16, come to the centre for their after-school club so that their parents can continue working. These young people would otherwise have little else to see and do, so the after-school projects aren’t just the building of a community for those young people but also helps keep them safe and builds their skills in a positive environment.  

The experience in Scampia was a reminder of the different kind of poverties we face as part of our Lasallian mission, and a humbling moment for us as a team as we reflected on our time before heading to Rome.  

A late arrival to the campsite saw the team have some well needed rest before the next couple of days which were to be filled with wonder, awe and exploration.  

Wednesday morning was an early wake-up call to see the newly ordained Pope Leo XIV in his first public audience. The team was incredibly fortunate to receive a personal greeting from him, welcoming an “An International Group of Young Volunteers from St. Cassian’s Centre” - our cheering at which prompted a wholesome smile from the Pope. 

Once the audience had been seen and the Pope’s reflection on the Gospel of the day imparted, snacks and refreshments were had before the team embarked on a pilgrimage through the Holy Doors. The first to go through was that of St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a short journey to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the resting place of Pope Francis, and slightly longer journeys to St. Giovanni’s Basilica and then St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls.  

The end of our day saw a community meal at the campsite before an exhausted team rested before another day of adventures.  

Thursday saw the team explore the city for the morning before meeting at the Generalate of the De La Salle Brothers after lunch. Nora, of the Lasallian Foundation, kindly showed us around the Generalate, and we got a private tour of the archives, seeing the original copies of the Papal Bull of 1725, photographs of the journey of De La Salle from France to Rome before being laid to rest in the chapel, as well as letters from De La Salle to his compatriots.  

Another community meal saw us end the day and wrap up an interesting trip filled with pasta, pizza and joy & community.  

The week taught us a lot about the project we visited, the organisation of DLS and the institute but also ourselves and the community we share along the way.