A Story of a Welcome

Many years have passed since the Matuzian land, in the area of San Martino, welcomed the Parodi family, who, returning from Equador, brought with them a centuries-old devotion to Our Lady of Mercedes.  Many more years have passed since the mystical experience of Saint Francis, a bourgeois from Assisi,  who, once converted, has involved and thrilled entire generations over the centuries.  

These two facts are different and distant in time, but are linked by a thin thread, since both echo an ancient and still current fascination.  Within this community, in sharing the faith, we continually see the intrinsic universal value of the great call of the Gospel. It transformed the life of the Poor Man of Assisi and gave courage and spiritual strength to many who renewed the tired patterns of their time.