Pope says his farewells
to Castel Gandolfo
Translated from
the 10/2/09 issue of
On Thursday morning, the Holy Father started saying farewell to the community oF Castel Gandolfo as he prepares to return to the Vatican Saturday after spending the months of August and September here.
He met at the Swiss Hall of the Apostolic Palace with civilian and military authorities, the religious orders, and those assigned to various services during his summer stay here.
This is a translation of his remarks to them:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am about to to end the summer months that I spend by tradition in the residence at Castel Gandolfo. These months give me the opportunity to observe directly the generous dedication and competent commitment offered by so many persons in order to assure every assistance to me and my co-workers, and to the guests and pilgrims who come here to visit me, especially on Sundays for the traditional
Angelus.
For all of this, I renew my sincere gratitude to each of you, as I bid farewell to this beautiful and smiling locality that is so dear to me.
I greet and thank above all the Bishop of Albano Laziale, Mons. Marcello Semeraro, the parish priest and the parish community of Castel Gandolfo, and all the various religious communities who live and work here.
Various encounters have enabled me to note the spiritual tension that animates the entire Church of Albano, which I encourage to proceed with renewed enthusiasm in announcing and bearing witness to the Gospel.
I address a deferential greeting to the Mayor and the members of the Commune administration who have always done everything within their respective competencies to make my stay in Castel Gandolfo pleasant.
In thanking you for the profitable collaboration that you carry on throughout the year with the management of the Pontifical Villas, I take this occasion to express my affection and thanks to the entire population of Castel Gandolfo.
And now I address the officers and personnel of the various services of the Governatorate, starting with the Gendarmerie Corps, the florists and the technical services.
Dear friends, even here in Castel Gandolfo, I can appreciate the abnegation that distinguishes your work in the service of the Successor of Peter. For you and your families, I assure you of constant remembrance in my prayers.
And I address my grateful acknowledgment to the Pontifical Swiis Guard whose presence here in the Palace and in my encounters with pilgrims visibly contributes to offer visitors an efficient welcome.
Likewise, my thoughts and sincere gratitude to the officials and agents of the various forces of order of the Italian government, for their constant collaboration, as well as the officials and airmen of the 31st Squadron of the Italian Military Aeronautics.
I thank you all for your competent services which contribute to keep our stay here safe and secure, and are also especially helpful to me for facilitating my travel with the helicopter flights.
Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you I renew my thanks from the heart. Today the Church remmebrs St. Therese of the Child Jesus, who was a Carmelite nun in the monastery of Lisieux. Her witness shows that the Word of God alone, when accepted and understood in its cooncrete demands, becomes a spring of renewed life.
To our society, often permeated by a rationalistic culture and a widespread practical materialism, the young Therese of Lisieux shows, as an answer to the great questions of exitence, the 'little way' which looks at the essentials of things. It is the humble path of love, able to surround and give sense and value to every human event.
Dear friends, follow the example of this saint. The path which she followed is within reach of everyone, because it is the way of total trust in God, who is Love, and who will never abandon us.
I thank you again for your presence and for this meeting. Thank you especially to those who expressed sentiments in your behalf. I entrust you all to the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin, and from the heart, I impart on you the Apostolic Blessing, which I extend to your families and all who are dear to you.
In the afternoon, the Holy Father said his farewell to the staff of the Pontifical Villas and their families.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Having come to the end of my stay at Castel Gandolfo this summer, I wish to renew to you my sincere gratitude for the valuable and diligent work that you carry out in the Pontifical Villas.
I greet first of all the director, Dott. Savero Petrillo, and I thank him for the courteous words he expressed in your behalf, as well as all his co-workers and all of you who form part of the work team in this 'appendage' of the Vatican.
In the past two months, I have personally experienced and noted the care and diligence with which you carry out your daily activities. I thank you all from the heart!
I extend my thanks to your families, who in some way participate in your service to the Holy See, accepting your having to be available on call, which can mean considerable absence from the family, especially during my residence here.
I ask the Lord to help you and those dear to you, filling you with his grace and accompanying you with his paternal love.
Today we celebrate the memory of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus, who is remembered by the Church primarily because she sensed and described the profound truth of Love as the center and heart of the Church, and lived this mystery intensely in her brief existence.
Precisely because of the centrality in her life of her relationship to Christ and her choice of love, and for the space that she reserved for affections and sentiments in her spiritual path, Therese of Liseiux is a very relevant saint, who is a singular model and guide for everyone, young people as well as adults.
I entrust you to her special protection so that you may carry out your work calmly and profitably. And may the Blessed Virgin, whom I invoke with trust, always watch over you and your families, while I assure you of remebrance in my prayers and I bless you all with affection.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 03/10/2009 03:24]