HANDS TOGETHER - Saints and solidarity in Turin

Turin is magical, but spiritual. The esoteric and pagan traditions have not obscured the acts of brilliant men and women of faith who still give prestige to the city today. Here is a "virtual" pilgrimage through the places that perpetuate the memory of the Saints and the Blessed Turinese.

Start from Palazzo Nuovo, premises of the Turin University's Humanistic Faculties. Many of the students who crowd the classrooms everyday are unaware that they are in the road dedicated to one of Turin's three martyrs: Saint Ottavio (the other two are Solutore and Avventore) heroically testified to his faith and met his death at the beginning of the 3rd century. He is remembered with the others on 20th January and their remains are conserved in the Chiesa dei SS Martiri in via Garibaldi.

Going down via Po we come to via San Massimo, named after (together with the church of the same name) the first bishop of Turin: a strenuous opponent of paganism and heresy, he was an irascible preacher and hostile to Jews and the military (who he accused of violence and overbearance), he died between 408 and 428 and his liturgy is held on 25th June.

The gothic church of San Domenico is in via Milano, built at the beginning of the 14th century for the Domenicans. The Beato Bartholomeo Cerverio (1420- 1466) visited here; he was the general inquisitor of Piedmont and Liguria (remembered on 11 July). Both Massimo and Cervorio were persecutors and their beatification might test a modern conscience, but for the religious spirit of those times the struggle against heresy and paganism was considered a great service to God.

Passing through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Turin had to wait until the 17th century for the figure of the Blessed Sebastiano Valfrè (1629-1710 liturgy celebrated on 30 January). The two symbolic places of his apostolate are the Church of San Filippo Neri in via Maria Vittoria where he is buried and the road dedicated to him, near the Castle Keep. San Filippo (St. Phillip) was the inventor of the oratory as a place for reflection and prayer: there was one in every city and the Blessed Valfrè was director of the one in Turin for many years.

As tutor of the future king Vittorio Amedeo II, he did his utmost to assist the poor, the sick and soldiers wounded during the siege of 1706: in that great work of charity he worked alongside a great Carmelite mystic the Beata Maria degli Angeli (the Blessed Maria of the Angels 1661-1717, remembered on 16 December).

Still in the area of Palazzo Nuovo is the Chiesa di S.Giulia: this was built for the Marquess Giulia di Barolo (1786-1864) at the end of the road that bears her name. The Marquess, enormously rich, decided to spend her wealth on the poor and for this reason many today have requested her beatification. She lived in Palazzo Barolo in via delle Orfane - which on her initiative became one of the city's more prestigious cultural salons.

The Marquess was born the same year as S. Giuseppe Benedict Cottolengo (1786-1842, liturgy held on 30th April). He was the founder of the Piccola Casa della Divina Provvidenza (the small house of divine providence), where he managed to aid, despite bureaucratic problems and scarce help - orphans, invalids and the brain-damaged.

From the Piccola Casa, after a brief visit to via Cigna, we reach Rondò della forca, where executions were once held. Here a monument remembers the work of S. Giuseppe Cafasso (1811-1860, liturgy held 22nd June). For 68 times he accompanied convicts sentenced to death to the gibbet and once achieving their repentance in confession, gave them comfort promising them eternal life.

Behind the Basilica of Maria Ausiliatrice (foto) is the grand oratory of Valdocco, where S. Giovanni Bosco (1815-1888, remembered the 31st January) gathered many "street children", training them for work, prayer and the joys of community life.

These children were from families who had transferred from the country to the city and were victims of the social upheaval provoked by rapid industrialization. To take care of them Don Bosco founded in 1857 the Society of S. Francesco di Sales (from which derives the name Salesiani) and, together with S. Maria Domenica Mazzarello (1837-1881, remembered 13th May), the order of the Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice. The Valdocco oratory was an extraordinary "fucina di Santi" (forge of Saints): among them stands out S. Domenico Savio (1842-1857,remembered 6 May) who was proclaimed Saint at the tender age of fifteen for his immense faith and Christian piety.

In west Turin in the parish church of Nostra Signora della Salute, the remains are revered of S.Leonardo Murialdo (1828- 1900, remembered on 18 May).

The last of Turin's great "social saints", he also undertook the care of the young poor, orphans and the marginalized.

He was particularly occupied with the newly emerging world of work, by supporting the Union of Catholic Workers, creating an employment office and a network for helping families in trouble and putting himself on the line as chief spokesman for legislation against child labour.

Our "virtual pilgrimage" finishes in front of the Polytechnic. Here the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925 - 4 July). Son of Senator Alfredo, director of La Stampa, Pier Giorgio was an adherent of Azione Cattolica and other religious student associations. He made many visits to the numerous sick poor who lived in the attics of Turin. Pier Giorgio Frassati caught the infectious polio that killed him at the age of just 24.

...and new commendable initiatives

The Sermig
In 1964, when Ernesto Olivero was 24, thanks to his youth group , the Serming - Servizio Missionario Giovani,- a centre whose hard working voluntaries do their best to help poor people- was born. Years after the number of young voluntaries grew and the centre developed. Until 1983, when they chose a symbolically strong place as their new head office: Turin military arsenal, right in Borgo Dora.
The place where once they had produced weapons, they started to do social activities , so that the place definitely took the name of "Peace Arsenal". A meeting place for cultures, religions, orientations, a place where people could exchange ideas and walk a common path. Here, every year thousands of people work, speak and leave their mark, so they contribute to make Turin a city open to tolerance and integration which grows in numbers every day.

Abele Group
In the same years when Sermig started its activity,a new city socially committed reality started actively to work for the poorest of the city, in the juvenile jail, among the drug addicts. It is don Ciotti's Gruppo Abele, Don Ciotti is a priest who will also become famous for his strong struggle against the mafia made by Libera association. The Gruppo Abele develops little by little beyond the Turin area, facing problems linked to alcohol, immigration, mental illnesses and prostitution. Once again young people are the focal point of an important city initiative:as addressees and promoters of a tangible sign of help. Welcome, work and culture are the key words of this group, strong points in which don Ciotti and his partners still hardly believe on.

ERNESTO OLIVERO'S WORD

Sermig founder"Young people don't want to have their legs pulled, they want reliable people.Young people are not only the problem ,but the solution to many problems. I would like them to learn to say yes and no and understand what is good and what is bad. I want to go back and bet on hope and young people".

DON CIOTTI'S WORD

"In 1972, when I was appointed priest, cardinal Michele Pellegrino, said my Parish would have been the road to recognise God's face among people. Today I believe that people meet and problems can be faced. So we shouldn't face people, but meet them."

2010: THE EXTRAORDINARY HOLY SHROUD OSTENSION

The last Holy shroud ostension dates back to 2000, Jubilee year, when more than one million of people passed by Turin to be present at the event. Ten years later, in 2010, they are preparing a new exceptional display of the shroud which would contain Christ's effigy. The relic has been preserved in Turin since 1578 and, once again the city is preparing itself to host thousands of worshippers who are coming to admire it. It will be, by the way, the first ostention after the intervention actions of 2002.
The holy shroud will be exhibited in the Cathedral of Torino (piazza San Giovanni) from 10th April to 23rd May 2010. To be present you must book: you can do it on line (www.sindone.org) or personally (at the beginning of the ostension track).