Vincenza Arbore
President of the Association Luisa Piccarreta
February 28th, 2021
"Day of Obedience"
Dear brothers and sisters in the Divine Will, who are present here physically or joined us virtually from various parts of the world, allow me first of all to thank His Excellency, our Archbishop Leonardo D'Ascenzo, who is always helpful and close to our association, as well as the Episcopal Vicar Don Giuseppe Lobascio and Don Gianni Cafagna, parish priest of the Church of St. Joseph.
What can I say? It has been about a year since Archbishop D'Ascenzo appointed me as president of the Association Luisa Piccarreta L.C.D.W. I won't hide the fact that, although I had been attending the Association for about thirty years, in my human nature, in my fragility, in a short time I went from wondering why God had set His gaze on me to wondering why in this historical moment.
And this for very specific reasons:
1st to decide whether or not to participate in the Regional Call addressed to Ecclesiastical Bodies for interventions of enhancement and fruition of the cultural heritage;
2nd the Communication n.4 of Archbishop D'Ascenzo with updates on the Status of the Cause of Beatification;
3rd and serious reason: the Covid 19 pandemic with the first lockdown that was decreed in our nation on March 11, 2020.
Regarding the participation of the Luisa Piccarreta Association in the Regional Call for Proposals, it is with great joy that I officially inform you this evening that the Region of Puglia has granted us funding for the integrated restoration of the Luisa Piccarreta House-Museum with the setting up of a dissemination laboratory, aimed at the dissemination and knowledge of the Servant of God through the use of innovative technologies, methodologies and tools.
Integrated conservative restoration interventions are planned for the basement, ground floor, first, second and third floors of Luisa’ house, the improvement of the internal distribution of the rooms, works of static consolidation, the rehabilitation of the substrate of the rooms in the basement, the remaking of plasters and floors, the restoration of facades, the adaptation of technological systems and the elimination of architectural barriers.
The following will also be created: a digital narrative path, a virtual textile laboratory, digital supports for services and religious functions as well as multimedia contents with a high level of immersion and involvement of the user.
Said works will begin in early April and will continue for about two years. During this period, Luisa's room with its furnishings and the administrative activities of the Association will be transferred to the Institute of the Daughters of Divine Zeal, whom I thank for their hospitality.
I would like to emphasize that this Institute was inaugurated on October 7, 1928 with the name "House of the Divine Will" because Saint Annibale Maria Di Francia, extraordinary confessor of Luisa, wanted to erect it in order to welcome the Servant of God among his Sisters and make this place a point of irradiation for the spirituality of the Divine Will.
Since this Institute is a tangible sign of the close spiritual bond between Saint Annibale Maria Di Francia and Luisa Piccarreta, who lived there for 10 years, from 1928 to 1938, we thought that, during the execution of the work, that was the most suitable place to host us and those who will go to Corato to visit the places of Luisa.
I would like to invite everyone to consider that clearing out, moving and renting rooms to store material and furniture, as well as utilities and fees for various services, require both physical and economic efforts and for this I appeal to your willingness and your good heart.
With regard to the above-mentioned Communication No. 4, the last March 4 during the celebration in memory of Luisa Piccarreta's death, His Excellency Msgr. D'Ascenzo pointed out that the long, faithful and complex work of critical transcription of Luisa's handwritten Diary, already carried out by the Association Luisa Piccarreta L.C.D.W., is to be considered a starting point for Luisa Piccarreta’s Cause of Beatification. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith highlighted some ambiguities in the writings which, although not considered doctrinal errors, require a new and competent evaluation with further in-depth studies.
Therefore the Archbishop invited all of us to support this further study with prayer and the availability of resources to support the work of the theologians to whom this delicate and demanding task will be entrusted.
It's been a year since that March 4, the Covid 19 pandemic has slowly spread worldwide and has disrupted our lives; it has had an unprecedented impact on the entire society, it has affected various areas and brought to light critical issues not only health. The entire global economy is paralyzed and compromised and even our Association, whose main source of support comes from the flow of the faithful who come to Corato to visit the places of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, is feeling the effects of the blockade of pilgrimages and is going through a period of economic difficulty.
Surely from my words comes the invitation to support the Association Luisa Piccarreta L.C.D.W. and the Cause of Beatification. In fact my appeal is addressed to all the Children of the Divine Will and to all the souls in love with Luisa and our Corato.
" Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. " (Mt 5:15) and the Light of the Divine Will will shine also thanks to the help of this great family.
In his message for Lent, Pope Francis invites us to live this time by renewing our faith, hope and charity:
“Let us renew our faith, draw from the ‘living water’ of hope, and receive with open hearts the love of God, who makes us brothers and sisters in Christ”; as such let us share even a small amount we have because if it is “given with love, never ends, but becomes a source of life and happiness”.
My faith leads me to affirm with certainty that what is good, but not yet accomplished, the Lord will preserve and will carry on to completion (cf. Phil 1:6). It is precisely faith that nourishes hope, and surely charity will not be long in coming.
Thank you and holy Lent to all.
Vincenza Arbore