Thursday, July 20, 2006
"In the Center, There is the Church"
As it should be.
Zenit's art correspondent Elizabeth Lev with a success story from a Roman church not quite empty. From an interview with her pastor:
Don Carmelo told me that the spirit of renewal during Vatican II shaped his life as a diocesan priest. "I see the role of the priest as among the people," he explained. "From when I first began parish work, I visit the families at their homes, I go to the parks where the kids hang out and to the snack bars where workmen eat their lunches. I try to be in touch with as many people as possible." As anyone living in the area can attest, Don Carmelo practices what he preaches. He is a familiar figure on the local scene. Don Carmelo has done everything in his power to put the church at the heart of community life. The church sits at the end of Via Innocenzo XI, dominating the road. "On the right we have our social services center and on the left there is the playground and the sports fields," says the parish priest, "but in the center, there is the church."
