On Sunday, January 12th, we accompanied our Alessandro on an important step in his journey towards the priesthood. During the university students' Mass in the Cathedral, he received the ministry of lector from the bishop. Many people were present to express their affection and to pray with him and for him. Among them were his seminary classmates in Bergamo, several priests, relatives, friends, and even some young people from the "7 Signs" programme, which Alessandro, together with Don Giovanni, is guiding this pastoral year. The bishop referred precisely to this service during his homily, when he recalled a passage from the apostolic exhortation: Rejoice and be glad Quoted by Alessandro during a catechesis: "May you recognise that word, that message of Jesus that God wishes to convey to the world with your life." This was the invitation extended to all those present, especially the young people, to discover within themselves the call to holiness that concerns all the baptized, each in their own specific vocation. The culminating moment of the celebration was the prayer of blessing following the homily, at the end of which the book of Sacred Scripture was presented to Alessandro, with the invitation to meditate on it assiduously to be intimately enlightened by it and become a faithful announcer of it to his brothers. Many of those present remained after the celebration to personally greet Alessandro, a testament to the special closeness of the entire Church of Pavia.
We thank our friend Cesare Carabba for his photos!
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