Chiesa di San Fulgenzio

The first steps of the parish dedicated to Saint Fulgentius date back to 8 February 1968. The bishop of Ruspe, a city close to ancient Carthage, counted among the fathers of the Latin Church and epigone of Saint Augustine, had what it took to have a parish dedicated to him in a neighbourhood where the street nomenclature honours both Latin writers and fallen gold medalists. The Church of the Annunziata by Clemente Busiri Vici, owned by the Vicariate of Rome and entrusted since 1933 to the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary, had been chosen, by decree of Cardinal Vicar Clemente Micara of 09/11/1967, as the provisional seat of the parish while waiting for another definitive settlement.Still lying forgotten in the archives of the office responsible for the construction of new churches in the Vicariate is the plan for a complex to be built near the Roma Balduina railway station. The urbanisation programme of the Pineto district was by then executive, but the fierce opposition of the residents in the neighbouring districts averted the danger and what was at first provisional became definitive. All this while the Franciscan Sisters independently decided to give up their most important structures in Rome for a return to the Institute's original vocation.Between 1933 and 68, the church and the school run by them had nevertheless been an important pastoral reference point for the core of residents in an old hamlet that was later demolished to make way for new settlements. The appointed parish priest, Fr Ivan Natalini, was joined from September 69, as vice-parish priest, by Fr Giorgio Alessandrini, then parish priest from 1980. The pastoral orientation gathered the conciliar indications with particular attention to the liturgy and with the utmost care for homilies all prepared in common. A prerequisite for the participation of adults was the invitation to read and compare life with the word of God known and prayed through group experiences. But in that same context a further need arose to frame the Gospel message within a unitary horizon. The assembly at the end of the year 1974 therefore called for the experience of a catechesis open to anyone. The person to be entrusted with the leadership was identified in the editor of the magazine Servizio della Parola, Fr Gioacchino Biscontin. The meeting with Fr Chino, in those years in Rome for a specialisation in moral theology at the Alphonsian Athenaeum, left an important mark on San Fulgenzio, even a decisive one for the many thunderstruck by the revelation of the absolute gratuitousness of God's paternal love. Not a few then established a lasting bond with the parishOther significant moments for the aggregation were the assemblies convened periodically on topics of importance for ecclesial and even civil life. Events concerning the economic structure of the parish were discussed, with the choice of sobriety and gratuitousness, and the question of the ministries of the Church was addressed, without losing sight of the dutiful commitment in the multiple contexts of civil life. Also discussed in the assembly were the terms of participation in the conference on the evils of Rome and the expectations of charity in February 74. As the years went by, issues such as the responsibility of the laity in the Church with explicit reference to the position of women, secularism, public custom and Christian conscience, the school, along with others, were put on the agenda, depending on the appropriateness of the moment. It was a matter of opening up spaces for everyone to participate in order to specify in relation to life what the Sunday sermons and through the prayers of the faithful barely touched upon. Beyond all theoretical considerations, it was necessary to compare real situations also in relation to concrete commitments.In the de facto situation, it was unthinkable to place it within the ranks of traditional Catholic associationism, especially in relation to the crisis of Catholic Action, whose image was still suffering from the misunderstandings generated under Gedda's presidency by the intermingling with political motivations. This was hardly conceivable at the level of the young people who, by natural turnover, were often imbued with a spirit of protest in keeping with the times. It was therefore not easy to find willingness among them for a stable commitment to animating the young. The situation was different in the context of the scout movement present in the parish as the Roma 16 Group. When, however, a whole group of university students, in response to a serious need for concrete commitment, wanted to make themselves available for the animation of youngsters between the ages of fourteen and fifteen, the fruits were immediate and palpable; the experience lasted at least three years, but unfortunately did not have the desired continuity. A characteristic fact of that period was the integration between generations, unusual in other contexts, due to the undoubted merit of adults capable of entering into direct dialogue with young people who felt taken seriously, without expecting uncritical acquiescence to their positions.Date from 78 the election of the first pastoral council, which precisely the achieved integration between generations made particularly significant and widely attended.Then, following the earthquake in Friuli, some of those same young people promoted an initiative open to outside participation, for a fifteen-day work camp aimed at recovering materials for reconstruction. For the subsequent Irpinia earthquake, beyond a fundraising effort, albeit an important one, the parish's commitment was global, thanks also to the qualified presence of adults in the Salvitelle and Buccino centres. Impromptu local operators who came to Rome to qualify were also offered hospitality with families in the parish. Thanks also to a substantial cash grant, a community-run facility was able to be built in Buccino, which is still a reference point for lonely elderly people, according to the initial plan, but also for social and cultural initiatives at a later date.Catechesis for initiation into the sacraments involved considerable commitment. For children of First Communion, it was not only a matter of drawing up cards and original didactic material, but also of actively involving them through appropriately designed paraliturgies. The effort to prepare a large group of catechists was also remarkable. Among other things, the parish was chosen on two occasions as the venue for three-year and two-year courses for the prefecture's qualification of catechists. Decisive on this occasion was the support of the Catechist Sisters of the Christian Doctrine, who had taken over the running of St Anthony's Elementary School since 1972.A separate group of other catechists then devoted themselves, on a weekly basis, to preparing a Sunday liturgy of the word for the children. The very youngest children were taken care of in the first decade of the parish by some parents who used to entertain them during Sunday Mass, and who would later take to heart their initiation into their first encounters with Jesus.The decision to offer a catechesis for Confirmation to coincide with entry into high school entailed a special commitment that at certain times went so far as to involve a fair number of young people and adults in close collaboration.The ordinary formative itinerary at the adult level took the form of offering moments of retreat during the year, but for theological and pastoral issues it contemplated the intervention of speakers at an appropriate level. Mention should be made of Giuseppe Ruggieri's two talks on The Council twenty years later and, on different occasions, the presence of speakers such as Severino Dianich, Maurilio Guasco, Fr Marsili. Father Adrien Nocent, Salvatore Privitera, Dalmazio Mongillo, Carlo Moro, Father Padovese, Jesus Castellano, Father Ugo Vanni (with a three-year continuity), Pietro Scoppola. Vittorino Grossi, Giulio Albanese, Andrea Grillo. Other equally qualified contributions were due to regular visitors to the parish. In the series of pastoral collaborators who alternated over time, the most notable is that of Cardinal Silvestrini, Don Achille, who was faithful for ten years as Sunday celebrant, before commitments forced him to an episodic but invariably valuable presence. In the early days of the parish, Piero Agrano, Cosimo Sagona and Filippo Concetti returned too soon to the Lord and yet still present.In a second period Giuseppe Alcamo, Ferdinando Pieroni, at a later stage Giuseppe Bonfrate, a presence that would be worth a separate speech and that continues even now, albeit from the outside. The list is completed by Giuseppe Pellegrino, Luca and Claudio Margaria, Marco Gallo, and lastly Giuseppe Cestone and Carmine Fischetti. Still, among the Sunday presences not to be forgotten are Pedro Jaramillo, Giuliano Zatti and Ennio Serrani. Following the change of guard with the current pastor Paolo Salvini in December 2011, Pino Lorizio and Francesco Cosentino continue their valuable collaboration. Also worthy of note is the support of the Missionary Sisters of Christian Doctrine, especially for the catechesis of children and for their significant work in the neighbourhood through the St. Anthony School.There were numerous lay presences that cannot all be mentioned, but it is only right to mention at least those of those who, having left the scene summoned by the Lord, continue to live on in the common memory.Lots and lots of things have happened over these years of parish life for which to be grateful to God and man.Mention must also be made of the parish after-school programme, which mainly benefits the children of immigrant families, and the dispensary of reusable clothes for those who cannot provide otherwise. To conclude it all, we cannot fail to remember the person of Ivan Natalini, the first parish priest of San Fulgenzio: it is to him that the parish pastoral approach dates back, which his successor has sought to maintain. His decision to leave the parish and ask to be reduced to the lay state, taken with the loyalty and clarity of conscience that was part of his character, certainly left a void, but it was understood by those who knew him most intimately and remained firm in the bond of esteem and affection. Others who were less closely involved in the life of the parish have certainly suffered and suffered disconcertment, even in a heavy way. Among the many things he said and that many of us continue to remember, it is worth recalling the last phrase he spoke at the retreat he attended, which was also the last before his heart suddenly gave out Let's hurry, the mass is about to begin.