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Suppl. al n° 7 de «Il Messaggio della Santa Casa - Loreto», vol. 50 n° 2, (May./Aug. 2015)(Sped. in abb. art. 2 comma 20/c. Legge 662/96 - Filiale di Ancona)

Vol. 50 n° 2 (May./Aug. 2015)Suppl. to n° 7

Published three times yearly

CONTENTS35 50th Anniversary of the Constitution: Lauretanae Almae Domus – by Fr. Santarelli36 Mary, Woman of the Magnificat – by Mons. G. Tonucci37 Letters to “The shrine of the Holy House”38 Beyond the crisis: the need of family – by Fr. Valentino Salvoldi40 A Door, never before opened – by Mons. Decio Cipolloni42 The mortal remains of St. Luigi Guanella in Loreto43 Prayer in suffering: makes the heart beat to the rhythm of His heart – by Paolo Giovanni Monformoso44 The healing of Jolanda Cesaroni – by Prof. Fiorenzo Mignini45 Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) – by Fr. Marcello Montanari47 SPECIAL – to John Paul ll Center51 The Annunciation of Ludovico Seitz (9) – by Fr. Santarelli52 A defibrillator for the Shrine of Loreto53 The archaeological excavations in the Holy House finished half a century ago54 The Veneration of the Virgin of Loreto in Molfetta55 A Statue of Our Lady of Loreto in Stockholm56 Passage of the Fraternity of the Capuchins of Loreto to the direct supervision of the Minister General59 Pope Francis blesses the Statue of the Virgin of Loreto destined for the World Youth Day60 International Women’s Day60 In Loreto, the Treasures of the Pious Sodality of Piceni61 An Exhibit of Loreto Artworks at Castel Sant’Angelo

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OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSALCONGREGATION OF THE HOLY HOUSE

Front Cover:Pope Francis touches with devotion the Statue of

the Madonna of Loreto. (last March 25th).The statue together with the crucifix of san

Damiano of Assisi is destined for the World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland in 2016.

Photo "L'Osservatore Romano"

WEB SITE www.santuarioloreto.it E-MAIL [email protected] [email protected]

DirectorFr Giu seppe San ta relli

Text TranslatorCecilio Rotor

Imprimi potest+ mons. Giovanni Tonucci,

Pontifical Delegate,Loreto, July, 10th, 2015

The imprimatur implies nothing morethan that the material contained

in this magazine has been examinatedby diocesan censors and that

nothing contrary to faith or moralshas been found therein.

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34 THE SHRINE OF THE HOLY HOUSE • May./Aug. 2015

THE SHRINE OF THE HOLY HOUSE • May./Aug. 2015 35

P. GiusePPe santarelli - Director

editorial

On 24th June 1965, Paul VI issued the Ap-ostolic Constitution Lauretanae Almae Domus, which conferred a new juridical, pastoral and administrative arrangement

to the Shrine of the Holy House, with implications to the spiritual care of the population of the Municipality of Loreto. The Constitution modified the previous Pa-pal Bull Lauretanae Basilicae, promulgated by Pius XI on 15th September 1934, when the Loreto Shrine, confis-cated by the Italian State in 1861, was returned to the ownership of the Holy See in accordance to Article 27 of the 1929 Concordat between the Holy See and Italy. Pius XI instituted the Pontifical Administration of the Holy House, appointing an Apostolic Administrator resident in Rome, in the person of Msgr. Franceso Borgongini Duca, and his vicar, resident in Loreto, Msgr. Gaetano Malchiodi, with the task of attending to the pastoral needs of the pilgrims and the faithful of Loreto, and the administration of goods of the Shrine.

After the canonical visit of the Shrine, completed un-der the Pontifical mandate by Msgr. Aurelio Sabattani, Paul VI published the new Constitution, which funda-mentally modified the previous structure. It could be reasonably said that the person who inspired him was the same Msg. Sabattani, an expert jurist and well-versed with the situation of the Shrine after the canonical visit.

The new Constitution created two distinct institutions: the Pontifical Delegation for the Shrine of the Holy House, which attends respectively to the administration of the temporal goods and to the pastoral care of the pilgrims, and the Prelature of the Holy House, which cares for the pastoral needs of the parishes in the territory of Loreto, taken from the ancient Diocese of Recanati-Loreto.

Both the Delegation and the Prelature are admin-istered by the same Bishop who is, contemporane-ously, Delegate and Prelate. The first Bishop was Msgr. Aurelio Sabattani.

The presence of a Bishop in Loreto, a small demo-graphic centre, is explained only by the importance of the pontifical and international Shrine. The Prelature, therefore, exists because the Shrine and the correspond-ing Delegation exist.

The Prelature is defined as: nullius dioecesis, that is,

not under any diocese, but immediately under the Holy See. Thus, the Bishop of Loreto can exercise freely the pastoral care relative to the Shrine, without being ac-countable to another Bishop.

As a result of such structure, the clergy of Loreto is divided into two sections: one, constituted by the Capu-chin Friars, attends to the service of the Shrine in various pastoral expressions and belongs to the Delegation; the other, constituted by the parish priests and by the reli-gious and priests, residents of the Municipality of Lore-to, is part of the Prelature.

The 50th Anniversary of the Constitution Lauretanae Almae Domus deserves to be commemorated because it has not been changed for half a century, proving that it is a valuable tool for the pastoral care of the pilgrims and the faithful of Loreto and for the administration of the important artistic and economic heritage of the sanctuary.

50th Anniversary of the Constitution: Lauretanae Almae Domus

Dina Belotti, Painting of Paul VI, Loreto, Sacristy.


mons. Giovanni tonucci - Archbishop of Loreto

words of the archbishop

The response of Mary to the prophetic greeting of Elizabeth does not end with the expres-

sions of praise to God for what He has willed upon His servant and for what, through her, would be ac-complished in favour of the entire humanity, manifesting His mercy from generation unto generation.

The hymn, in these initial verses, seems to be inspired by an analogous composition that Mary had heard many times in the prayer gatherings in the syn-agogue of her town – primarily the Canticle of Anna, the barren woman who became the moth-er of the Prophet Samuel. In the subsequent verses, however, the “Magnificat” assumes a different tone, consistent with what has been said so far, but with a vision that extends to the journey of the people and to the completion of the plans of God in human history.

In the words of Mary, the Lord appears as a universal God, who does not limit his intervention to the protec-tion and guidance of the people of Israel, but who looks instead upon all the peoples of the earth, all gathered around him and identified with the attitude of love and veneration for him: “all those who fear him”.

Immediately after, the young woman of Nazareth expressed herself with strong words of social protest, subverting the then current mentality and opening the vision to the ideals that would be the heart of the Gospel message. The Lord promised to help and bless His peo-ple. As a consequence of this, in the mentality of many, then and unfortunately even today, richness and human success, however they be obtained, are interpreted as an obvious sign of God’s benevolence. The rich and power-ful is envied and of him is said: “Blessed is he who can

afford it” and often times it is also added: “If I could do that too!”

The prophets already denounced this wrong mental-ity without hesitation. The shepherd and farmer Amos, called by God to become the voice of his anger, prom-ised great punishment to the carefree of Zion, who wast-ed time in feasts and banquets, while the poor and the oppressed suffered because of their fault. In the Psalms, inspired prayers, used by the chosen people and taken as its own also by the Church, say that the Lord loves justice and establishes the law. Words clear and strong, however, for many they remain empty words. Powerful words which, yesterday and today, no one wants to hear.

Mary used very precise and clear expressions: the God she describes in not only the God who provides help and lifts up the poor. Her God wants justice and considers the riches of some as an abuse, because the

Ludovico Seitz, Mary proclaims the “Magnificat” before Elizabeth, a detail of the Visitation, Loreto, German Chapel (1892-1902).

Mary, Woman of the Magnificat


gifts of creation are for everyone. Not only for the arrogant who grab privi-leges for themselves at the expense of others.

The proud, who rely on themselves and on their great power, will be scat-tered: their successful plans will be useless because God will show to everyone their inconsistency. Those who build for themselves a throne to affirm their superiority will be put to the ground and those they humiliated will be exalted. The hungry will be fed abundantly, while the rich will find themselves deprived of everything.

In these words, we hear the strength of the message of the Beatitudes that Jesus, Son of Mary, will proclaim on the hills of Galilee, not far from Naz-areth. His mother already intuited the spirit that would have animated the proclamation of the Gospel, when the Word of God, made flesh, begins his mission of Messiah and Saviour.

Some, perhaps also with good rea-son, think that the words of the “Mag-nificat” were not really pronounced by Mary, but that the text St. Luke offers us is an elaboration made by the prim-itive Christian community. Even if it were true – and there is nothing wrong in believing it to be so – we need to be all the more impressed. Already then, our first brothers in faith had under-stood the greatness of the personali-ty of Mary, her extraordinary mettle, demonstrated in Nazareth and con-firmed with extreme consistency up to Calvary. They thought that it would be just to put on Mary’s lips the clearest affirmation of Christ’s Gospel of Jus-tice, which is at the foundation of the teaching that the Church continuously expounds, in order to guide the men and women of all times.

We then understand why Mary is remembered, in the Litany of Loreto, as “Mirror of Justice”. In her we can re-flect ourselves in order to understand and live the justice of the Gospel.

We publish part of a touching testimony of Adrianna Belladon-na in Santoro di Villa (RN) on the miraculous healing of her hus-band Tonino.

I am an 80 year old woman and, before the end of my life, I would like to give testimony to a very great blessing, received by my husband Tonino from the much loved Madonna of Loreto.

The blessing, or miracle, happened towards the end of 1959. I, married for three years, was 24 years old and my husband was 33. We had a small daughter and I was six months pregnant with my son, who was born in March 1960. We were a happy fami-ly. My husband, one afternoon, experienced an acute pain, with stabbing pangs, on one leg. The attending doctor, urgently called, immediately brought to the house a good cardiologist because he knew that the pains were caused by a blood clot in the leg. Since childhood, my husband often had bouts of rheumatic fever, which damaged his mitral valve. But we did not know this. The blood clots followed one after the other and in the span of six months there were already seven, of which two were in the liver, one in the lung, one in the bronchus and two in the stomach. Each one accompanied by excruciating pain.

There was absolute desperation when the lung was hit and my husband, increasingly emaciated, had a major collapse with heart failure. The doctors, present in our house for consultation, clearly told me that my husband would die within the day. He also had pleurisy. A neighbour brought me a holy picture of Our Lady of Loreto and a bottle with blessed oil. I approached my husband, who had a 41-degree fever, and rubbed the holy oil on his chest and back. While I was doing this, I was reading the prayer writ-ten at the back of the holy picture. I was crying and imploring our Lady to help me and to not take away the father of my two-year and a half old daughter and the other child in my womb.

A little while after, my husband started to feel hot and to per-spire. I dried him and changed his shirt and pyjama. Everyone present reproached me, telling me that I should not unnecessarily mishandle him because he was already in agony and that it was the perspiration of death. I did not listen to anyone and contin-ued my work. I realised that my Tonino’s fever was gone! After a while, my husband wanted a pillow to raise him up a bit in the bed. All were amazed! The miracle was crystal clear and the fever completely disappeared.

Tonino, having recovered, was able to undergo various treat-ments, even a surgical one, and got healthy again, so much so that he lived another 38 years.

Healed through the intercession

of the Virgin of Loreto

letters to “The shrine of the Holy House”


Fr. valentino salvoldi

spiritualityCatechism on the Family

Waiting that the Pope declares.

The expectation of many faithful is growing – as also that of the non-practicing people who await changes in the Church – over the pronouncements that Pope Francis would make concerning the family: the family morality.

Seeing the “Jesuit” method used by the Pontiff – pre-senting questions rather than giving answers, goading, resorting to collegiality (consisting of listening to the mind of the Church, summarised by the various Bishops’ Conferences) – an easy answer in a short time is not to be expected. The current morals shun from “casuistry”, understood in the negative sense (resolution of ethical questions – through immediate answers to the question:

“Is this a sin or not?” – when there is conflict between one’s conscience and the assertions of the Magisterium of the Church). Resorting instead to the valorisation of the person who grows thanks to formation, discernment and discovery of the signs of the times. The moral theo-logian, the parish priest, the confessor, and the spiritual director must help the faithful to understand what the Holy Spirit wants from him, at this precise historical moment and in this specific situation, thanks to the as-sumption of one’s own responsibilities, in view of the personal and common good.

For these reasons, Pope Francis, before responding to the expectations on many moral problems, has already made a revolutionary act: he willed an ample consulta-tion of the Bishops around the world, called to interview the faithful over the often considered embarrassing questions. Thirty-eight questions. The responses of the faithful were given to the Bishops, who in turn were to give suggestions in view of two Synods to be celebrated in Rome, one in October 2014 and another in 2015.

From these came the Instrumentum Laboris (the basic document over which the representatives of the Bishops from around the world will meet) entitled: The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelisa-tion. The crisis of the family is analysed, the loss of many values, the problems connected to economic questions, rising tensions in relationships, the difficulty of dia-logue with the new generation. Many problems will be taken into consideration, many of them too common…

A positive outlook on reality.

It is interesting to note how the analyses of the In-strumentum Laboris are decisively positive in approach: even behind the more scorching problems, one can see the desire to stress out that even crisis can be viewed as an opportunity for change, noticeable above all in the expectations of the youth. An important and significant data, which emerges from the responses, is strongly em-

Beyond the crisis: the need of family


phasized: “even in the face of very difficult situations, many people, especially the young, perceive the value of stable and lasting relationships, a real and proper de-sire for marriage and family…”.

This is defined as “school of love, school of commu-nion, a gymnasium of relationships”, the privileged place where one learns to build significant relationships, which favour the development of the person into one capable of self-giving.

With these premises, one can understand how much the Bishops hold close in their hearts the possibility of presenting a family pastoral ministry unhooked from legalism, because – as Fr. Häring would say – Morality is for the person: the title of his book that should be re-read now, in light of the teachings of Pope Francis.

It is particularly useful to read, also from the same theologian: Pastoral Care of the Divorced, in order to better understand the ideas that are coming forward in the Church today, especially in the document being studied. This does not resolve the problem of the sac-raments asked for by the remarried divorced but high-lights “the true urgency of allowing these persons to curing the wounds, of healing and of resuming the jour-ney together with the whole ecclesial community”.

The path of beauty.

The orientation of the Church in the last few years has moved, if that could be said, from law to love, from

“you must” to “you can”, from fear of sin to the prospective of the beau-ty of following the law of creation and of the new Covenant.

In this context, testimony is pre-sented as essential not only of the consistency with the principles of Christian family, but also of the beauty and joy that welcome the Gospel proclamation in marriage and in family life. Also here, as we have seen in other moral arguments, is outlined the via pulchritudinis, namely the way of the testimony, full of the appeal of the family lived in the light of the Gospel and in con-stant union with God.

It refers us back to the concept ex-pressed by Pope Francis in Evangelii gaudium (n. 167): “to believe in and to follow Him is not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendour and profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties”.

It follows a hope: “the Synod would help rediscover the deep anthropological sense of the morality of conjugal life, which, beyond every mor-alism, appears as a sincere tension to live the demand-ing beauty of Christian love between man and woman, enhanced in view of the greatest love, which comes to ‘lay down one’s life for one’s friends’” (Jn. 15:13).

The beauty of conjugal love, strengthened by the Sac-rament of Marriage, is extolled by a catechesis of Pope Francis: “When a man and a woman celebrate the sacra-ment of Marriage, God, so to speak, is ‘reflected’ in them, imprints in them His features and the indelible charac-ter of His love. Marriage is the icon of God’s love for us. In fact, God is also a communion: the three Persons of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit live forever and ever in perfect unity. And this is exactly the mystery of Marriage: God makes one life of the two persons”. An existence that is beautiful because it is based on the truth of the bond, on the goodness of the relationship, on the unity of the couple, blessed by the gift of children.

Nicoletto Semitecolo, Holy Trinity (1367), Padua, Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art. “Marriage is the icon of the love of God for us. In fact, God is also a communion: the three Persons of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit live forever and ever in perfect unity”.


mons. decio ciPolloni

spirituality

What door is referred to, if not the Holy Door? In the past, only the Door at Saint Peter’s and the other three Basilicas are opened, however this time, Pope Fran-

cis consented to open “in every local church, at the ca-thedral – the mother church of the faithful in any partic-ular area – or another church of special significance, a Door of Mercy might be opened”.

Before we allow ourselves to be thrilled by this event that will also include the Shrine of Loreto, Cathedral Church of the Prelature, it is good to remember the title

that the Pope gave in declaring this extraordinary Jubi-lee – “the Face of Mercy”.

One who searches for mercy, wanting to identify with some act of compassion or with some consoling word, he finds it immediately in front of Christ, the true face of God’s mercy. While we write this, in Turin, the Holy Shroud is offered for contemplation, full of wonder and mystery, which once again will see an overwhelming crowd stand in silence, their hearts touched by the face of Christ. Over the entire linen, shining mildly, luminous, veiled with profound sadness, but at the same time with an unmistakable sweetness still tells us “my people, what wrong have I done you, how have I grieved you”.

The extraordinary Jubilee, as it will also be for the Icon, different from all others, proposed to us: the mercy of God the Father to which a face is given, that of Christ, so that no one can doubt, not only of His love but neither of him “who lives in the heart of every person, when he looks with sincere eyes his brother who he encounters in life’s journey”.

I still remember in my heart what a twentyish young man in prison wrote to me before taking his own life: “I was told that God is love, but I never met anyone who loved me”.

Thus we go further into the sea of God’s mercy start-ing with human misery, in order to better understand our own, which for a long time were veiled by the re-sponsibility that “made us feel safe, locked up within the Church, in a privileged citadel, without hearing the yearning of Christ”.

How do we announce that the time of mercy has come, the mercy proclaimed by this jubilee, which can-not be ignored by the mercy of the Church, because in her, Christ shines in his unmistakable patience by wel-coming sinners and rejecting the Pharisees?

She must be the most obvious icon, but she must also be more provocative than that of the publican and the Pharisee to become the dominant image of each assembly.

The Sign most evident of this passage, from sin to conversion, will be that of crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, which, in an extraordinary and exception-al manner, for the first time will also be opened in our Shrine.

The pilgrimage that remains, the Pope says, “a unique “In Turin, the Holy Shroud is offered for contemplation, full of wonder and mystery”.

A Door, never before opened

Jubilee of Mercy


»

sign of the Holy Year, because it best expresses the jour-ney that each person completes in his life”, for the town of Loreto it will be a privileged occasion to welcome the old and new pilgrims, as a sign of Divine Mercy, which, in the Holy House, one will find fully in the maternal embrace of Mary.

I think with deep emotion when our Archbishop

will open the Holy Door, which he will enter first, fol-lowed by the clergy and the Christians, in order to ex-perience grace. Because purified therein, they prepare to welcome with the same embrace those who will pass through the Holy Door during the entire Jubilee Year. A Door of Mercy is necessary in the Shrine, because of the millions of pilgrims who come every year looking

for an experience of God’s mercy, reserved in abundance for the sinners and identified in the paternal and amiable faces of the confessors. To them the pilgrims say: “We understand you because you are fixed for hours and hours to your ministry of grace. Do not let yourself be taken over by tired-ness, but in truth and in patience commit yourself to listening and encouraging those who mourn for their sins and stir with gen-tle force a serious change in life for those who do not feel the need”. But the miracle of love, which the Lord works in the secret of the conscience, will not result neither to the hurried pilgrims, neither to the tired or to the “used to” confessors nor even perceive the grace of that mercy poured out abundantly by the Holy Spirit. These considerations are confirmed more in the strong appeal of Pope Francis, who in the Bull of Indiction addresses the confessors. This heartfelt word is turned to me and to them, because we begin to tremble even more for this highest ministry entrusted by Christ upon our poor persons.

This Holy Door will open, not to give splendor to our Shrine, but to the God of Mercy, because this event bestows great re-sponsibility to the Church of Loreto, in her pastor, in her priests and in the Christian people, with a concrete commitment, rang-ing from popular missions, desired and requested even by our town, and corporal and spiritual acts of mercy, which are not deleted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but re-proposed in their irreplace-able concreteness, all the more urgent to-day, as the number of the poor increases. A significant gift offered by the Pope, will be the Missionaries of mercy, which he will send to the local Churches “so that they can be convincing heralds of mercy”. We

One of the two lateral doors of the Basilica of Loreto, the southern one made by Antonio Calcagni and his collaborators (1590-1600). “I think with deep emotion when our Archbishop will open the Holy Door, which he will enter first, followed by the clergy and the Christians”.


Pinturicchio (1454-1513), God, Father of Mercy, Rome, Church of St. Augustine.

will also welcome them with joy.We will not be lacking in the enthusiasm, or evan-

gelic passion, in order to give the true face of the Piaz-za of the Virgin, which we can call the Piazza of Mer-cy, because before entering it we take off the clothes of the tourist, we put on that of the pilgrim, we take off that of the Pharisee to put on that of the publican.

We approach this Holy Year as we would a mo-mentous event, which one would like to mark in the history of humanity torn by sin, and the Church tired and repetitive, so that the grace of Christ would puri-fy and renew her.

From the 22nd until the 24th April, the Urn containing the mortal remains of Saint Luigi Guanella, on the centena-ry of his death, made a visit to Loreto.

He was welcomed by the numerous and devout faithful in Piazza della Madonna at 11:30 am on 22nd April and then brought to the Span-ish Chapel. At 12:00 noon, a solemn con-cele-bration of the Eucharist was held, presided by Archbishop Giovanni Tonucci. Afterwards, at 3:00 pm, there was an encounter with the Reli-gious Sisters of Loreto, among them the praise-worthy Sisters of Divine Providence, which were founded by the Saint.

In the next few days, there were events and moments of prayer, with the participation of the Bishop of Macerata, Msgr. Nazzareno Marconi, who celebrated a Holy Mass on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of Religious Profession of Sister Amelia. Different associations: of Unitalsi, of the Volontariato, some seniors and infirmed, participated in the prayers that were regularly scheduled. After a short morning procession of disabled and some school children, the Urn left Loreto at 3:00 pm on 24th April.

Saint Luigi Guanella (1842-1915), a priest of the Diocese of Como, was an untiring apostle and inspired worker in the field of Christian charity. After building a shelter for the handicapped and the terminally ill and other providen-tial initiatives, he founded two congregations: the Servants of Charity and the Daughters of Saint Mary of the Divine Providence. The sisters, present in Loreto since 1927, are dedicated to the assistance and rehabilitation of handi-capped youth with various levels of mental disability, with the intention of promoting proper social reintegration.

The Urn of St. Luigi Guanella in the Spanish Chapel. Photo by Stefanelli.

The mortal remains of St. Luigi Guanella in Loreto


Pain, the tear where God enters

Prayer in suffering: makes the heart beat to the rhythm of His heart (24)

Paolo Giovanni monFormoso

spirituality

“Here I am… thrown into a world completely unknown after a chest exam, and which launched me into a vortex that has not stopped spinning, with repeated trips to the hospi-tal, between the corridors and pavilions: we begin the pro-cedure. “You will be notified when everything is ready”, I was told… Already, I am in their hands; I think: one really only needs to trust!

“The nodule to be removed and biopsy of the lymph node”. Done in one week. You think everything ends there; instead there are still the results. Which come. Hardly 12 days and I am again in the operating theatre; for the mo-ment all is well… Now there is the chemotherapy for at least six months. A state of anxiety ensues, worries; I look far: what situation am I in? I would like to know many things, but I do not know what to ask, and I am also afraid to know a truth that I do not want to know… It is so sad to walk in the ward, you become anxious. Finally, after three weeks, I breathe open air, because by now I missed the air and even sleep. Knowing you are sick, it is not easy to accept… I would have liked someone to be beside me, to explain to me and make me understand each step. Yet there were many people passing by and who could have stopped, seeing so much anguish on my face, but nobody ever stopped. And even if they responded to me, the words meant to calm me were still lesser than the words I used to ask the question. Oh my Jesus, why?”

For a week, a sign hangs at the main entrance of the hos-pital: “Tuesday is Day of the Sick: everyone, patients, volun-teers and staff, are invited to the Holy Mass at 3:00 pm in the Chapel, to be presided by…”

Here comes the celebration. How many beautiful peo-ple, all smiling, praying, side-by-side among the sick and healthy, all full of beautiful charity. Then, in the end, we greet each other, smiling, running off towards the exit: “Come on! Now there is the Day of the Volunteers at the centre…”

Everybody left in a hurry: and some patients were left on their own, waiting for someone to accompany them back to their rooms, looking around preoccupied… the lights of the Church were already turned off…

“… love is not boastful or conceited” (1 Cor. 13:4). It is the conceited that seeks his own glory, while love acts “not to please men but God” (1 Thess. 2:4). The conceited puts “I” at the centre of life; love puts God and his neighbour. The con-ceited boasts of the little he has; love empties what he has to give to others. The conceited is self-centred, while love is self-dedication to God and to his brothers and sisters. Love and conceit go in opposite directions… The deeper the love,

the more the Christian gives himself to others, serving his neighbour, giving to those in need with simplicity and grace-fulness, without making known his services; indeed he tries to do them in secret. Love does not sound the trumpet to announce his good works. “When you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your alms-giving must be in secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6:3-4). Love comes from God and God is truth, therefore where there is sincere love there can be no deceit of vanity.

“Let anyone who wants to boast, boast in the Lord”, says St. Paul (2 Cor. 10:17). The glory of a Christian is to love and do good to others, but not be boastful of it; instead he is grateful to the neighbour who gives him the opportunity, and to God, who with his grace sustains him in goodness.

“O God, our Creator, You dispose things in such a way that each are for all, and for the demand of love, all are for each, and everyone possesses in the other that which he has not directly received, and he humbly gives to oth-ers that which he received from You… Deign that we may serve each other through love. In fact, love frees us from the yoke of guilt when we submit to serve one another through love…” (St. Gregory the Great).

“Love is self-dedication to God and to his brothers and sisters”

Jolanda Cesaroni in Loreto as a Lady of Unitalsi, some time after the miraculous healing.


Jolanda Cesaroni was born in Maiolati Spontini (AN) on 8th November 1922. Her medical history does not show any significant illness during her infancy. Upon reaching the age of majority, she

was diagnosed with “tuberculosis osteoarthritis on the left knee”, which was immediately treated with surgery in a clinic in Ancona. However, the condition of the young girl remained serious and, despite the cast, the reparative phenomena proceeded very slowly and brought about ankylosis, that is, full immobility of the joints. Cesaroni walked with stretched leg. In 1945, after a fall, a fracture was reported on the infirmed knee, which required an-other application of a brace cast. At the end of the treat-ment, the joint pain remained so strong that it impeded walking; the limb, consequently, became increasingly weak, also because of decrease in bone density (osteopo-rosis), with increased risk of falling. On 31st May 1955 she had a second surgery, which, just like the first, resulted in ankylosis in the knee and an apparent shortening of the limb (4-5 cm). Jolanda Cesaroni needed to use crutches. The attending physician wrote: “Outcome of the surgical knee arthrotomy for severe tuberculosis osteoarthritis of the left knee. The patient presents shortening of the lower left limb circa 4-5 cm due to the operation”.

On 15th September 1957 she came to Loreto for the first time with the Jesi-Fabriano-Seni-gallia Pilgrimage and participated in all the functions in a wheelchair. She fin-ished the pilgrimage without noticing any improvement. On 6th October 1958, at the age of 36, Jolanda Cesaroni returned to Loreto on a stretch-er; at 8:00 am of 9th October she entered the Basilica to par-ticipate, with the other pilgrims, in the prayers for the

repose of the soul of the Supreme Pontiff Pius XII. During the passage of the in-firmed into the Holy House, she felt very sick. She was imme-diately brought to the first aid station in the Apostolic Pal-ace, but Cesaroni in-sisted to be brought back into the Holy House. They ac-commodated her. Reaching the Holy House, she felt the sudden disappear-ance of the pain and asked to be allowed to get out of the stretcher to be able to walk on her own; because the person assisting her object-ed, Mrs Cesaroni decided to stand up on her own and she walked perfectly without feeling any pain. The person-nel, incredulous, hurriedly accompanied her out of the Basilica to the infirmary where she was examined by the train physicians, Dr. Melchioni of Albacina and Dr. Pam-foli of Jesi, who noted the perfect capacity of Cesaroni to walk, despite of the persistent rigidity of the knee, and declared the extraordinariness of the fact. For the whole day, Mrs Cesaroni did not feel any pain or any suffering.

Returning to Moie, on 11th October 1958, she under-went x-ray tests, which were compared to her x-ray tests of December 1956. The comparison showed that the os-teopathic phenomena – established before and after the last intervention (31/05/1955) – disappeared nor were there signs of lesions still visible in place. On the other hand, the clinical findings (sudden disappearance of the painful symptoms and the capacity to walk without sup-port) concur perfectly with the x-ray report. The Physi-cians added that the healing happened unexpectedly.

On 5th October 1959, Jolanda Cesaroni returned to Lo-reto on the train of the infirmed as an Assisting Lady and was able to fulfil all the tasks required by her role.

Jolanda Cesaroni is greeted by a distinguished lady immediately after the miraculous healing received.

Jolanda CesaroniProF. Fiorenzo miGnini

healings in LoretoThe Medical Observatory “Ottaviano Paleani”was founded near the Holy House of Loreto on February 2nd, 2012 with the aim of witnessing, gathering and evaluating the facts regarding each case of apparently inexplicable healings, as well as monitoring its evolution for at least on year by qualified professionals. The matters proposed in this article come from the archives of the observatory. For further information visit the web site:www.osservatorioloreto.org

Chiara Lubich (1920 – 2008)

Servant of God

Fr. marcello montanari

Every saint comes to Loreto

»

Last 27th January, the cause for the beatification of Chiara Lubich, uni-versally known as the founder of the Focolare Movement, was opened to

the great joy of her millions of followers and ad-mirers.

She was born in Trent on 22nd May 1920. In 1939 she participated in a course for the youth of Catholic Action held at the Shrine in Loreto. While praying in the little house of Mary, she intuited her vocation: re-live and re-produce the life and experience of the Family of Nazareth as a new vocation in the Church.

With the spread of World War II, over the col-lapse of everything, she felt that only God, disco-vered as Love, is the only ideal that remains and that counts. It was this intuition that will illumi-nate all her life and those of the millions who will follow her.

On 7th December 1943, she pronounced her “yes” to God in the small church of the Capu-chins in Trent. She was 23 years old. While praying with her first companions in an air raid shelter, she opened the Gospel, by chance, to the page of Jesus’ Testament: “May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you”. “That ‘all’ – Chiara recounted – would be our ho-rizon; that plan of unity the reason for our life”.

From the experience of this evangelical ideal, lived in daily life, flowed a stream of spirituality that in a few decades took on a global dimension with the Focolare Movement. The intention was that of Jesus’: reunite the human family creating a universal brotherhood.

7th December 1943 signalled the start of the Focolare Movement, which is now present in 182


countries with over seven million fol-lowers. Invited to speak in every cor-ner of the world, Chiara Lubich repre-sented one of the most fruitful spiritual voices in the global scene, committed to the field of dialogue and unity between movements and ecclesial communities inside the Catholic Church, between the Churches and between different re-ligions and cultures.

Its communitarian spirituality eli-cited a new light in ecclesiastical, civil and social thinking and acting, also for the variety of the people that compri-se it (families, youth, priests, religious men and women of various institutes, and bishops).

Chiara died in Rocca di Papa (RM) on 4th March 2008. At the solemn fu-neral Mass, celebrated on 18th March in the Roman Basilica of St. Paul, more than thirty thousand people were pre-sent, coming from every corner of the earth, as a vivid sign of a new people founded on the Love of Jesus!

She found inspiration in the Holy House of Loreto.

We would like to remember how the stupendous adventure of Chiara started in Loreto in 1939. Invited to come to Loreto for a youth convention of Catholic Action, she was drawn to the heart of the Holy House. She recounted this in her book "L’attrattiva del tempo mo-derno. Scritti spirituali", vol. 1, Rome 1977, pp. 10-11:

“As soon as I was able, during the break, I ran to the House. I kneeled by the wall darkened by the candles. I could not utter a word. Something new and divine en-veloped me, almost crushing me. I contemplated in my thoughts the virginal life of the three. Therefore, Mary would have lived here. Joseph would have crossed the room from there to there. The Child Jesus in their midst would have know this place for years. The walls would have re-echoed his little voice as an infant… Every thou-ght I weigh on, clutched the heart, tears fell uncontrol-lably. It was like this the first time. But then, at every break of the course, I always ran there. That co-existence of virgins with Jesus between them has an irresistible attraction. And every time, there is that sense of the Di-vine that almost crushes. It is the last day. The church is full of young people. A clear thought comes to me, which will never be deleted: you will be followed by an army of virgins”.

So, exactly from the House of Loreto, was launched

this yearning for grace and love that went on to tran-sform the lives of millions in more than 180 countries. And it started from another “yes”, which re-echoed the “yes” of Mary.

On 18th May 1989, accompanied by a large group of her first companions who gave the first life to the Foco-lare Movement, Chiara Lubich came back to the Shri-ne with grateful memories to celebrate in the House of Mary, the 50th Anniversary of that event (photo above).

Honorary citizenship of Loreto to the me-mory of Chiara Lubich

On 25th October 2009, the Municipality of Loreto, in the person of Mayor Moreno Pieroni, conferred the honorary citizenship of Loreto to the memory of Chia-ra Lubich on the 70th Anniversary of the enlightenment she received in the Holy House in 1939.

The Mayor said: “Seventy years since that event and at the conclusion of a strong spiritual, cultural and ope-rative legacy, we would like to present to the current President, Maria Voce, and through her to the Focolare Movement, a seal of significant gratitude and warm re-cognition”.

Chiara Lubich in the Holy House on 18th May 1989.


EDITORIALFather Paolo VolPe, Director of centro Giovanni Paolo ii

dal Centro Giovanni Paolo

ll

inse

rto giovani

Life at the Centre continues, accom-panied by many friends who come from many parts of Italy to implore Mary and to live the spirituality of Nazareth on the hill of Loreto and that of Montorso.

Proceeding with a deeper un-derstanding of the purposes and relative activities of the JP II Centre, (Document of Intent for the creation and management of the Centro Giovanni Paolo II) that is ecclesial – on which we have reflected on last month – we now proceed with the EDUCATIONAL/FORMATIVE:

“The educational and formative attention is brought to light by the strength of the words of John Paul II addressed to the Centre: ‘… always become more a training ground for encounter and dialogue between the Christian community and the new generation’, (Letter of John Paul II to Archbishop Comastri, 21 November 2000). To accompany the youth in the search, discovery, rediscovery and deepening of their own being and

of their own beliefs through specific human, spiritual and vocational itiner-aries. To promote credible testimonial experiences to offer to the young, op-portunities of fruitful exchange and research to be lived in pastoral work-shops, guided, supported, promoted and accompanied by a pastoral team at the regional, national and interna-tional level, in a way geared for the youth. The commitment, moreover, to implement initiatives on an exper-imental nature (especially directed to educators and youth animators) aimed to put in place – and to suggest

– new ways of drawing the youth to Christian spirituality”.

The community of the Centre is an extended community: together with me, priests and sisters, all those who live in the Centre, daily or occasion-ally, either as friends or volunteers or simply as sympathisers, make up the community of the Centre.

We are truly living this experience as a “training ground for encounter” where all the Christian community is

represented and is very strong, above all, the generational exchange between the adults and the youth: be those who live in the Centre, be those whom we welcome daily from every part of our region, of Italy and of the world.

To be able to pursue certain goals of care,

support, and exchange, it is increas-ingly urgent to promote networks of interactions and collaborations between our local Churches and the national Church, in order to plan, create, propose and execute valid ed-ucational and formational itineraries that will prepare those who are called (animators and educators), in the individual localities, to form the youth.

There is already ample collabo-ration with the Centre, in its intent, working with various pastoral offices in the Marche Region and the differ-ent ecclesiastical groups present in the territory and in the region.

The hope is that more and more the Church will feel all this as her experi-ence… live like this is her home… love this vocation as her own.

Prayer and Formation

Mondays to Fridays8,00 am Lauds7,00 pm Mass7,30 pm Vespers

Fridays7,30 pm Adoration and Vespers

Saturdays8,00 am Mass and Lauds

Sundays11,00 am Mass

1st Tuesdays 9,15 pmEucharistic adoration for vocations

2nd and 4th Fridays of the month 9,15 pmLectio divina on the Gospel of Luca

3rd Tuesdays of the month 9,15 pmMarian Prayers

to John Paul ll Center • May./Aug. 2015

I am a catechist in a parish in the Prelature of Loreto. A couple of years ago, following an event held at the Giovanni Paolo II, I enrolled with the group of volunteers as educator of the youth from nearby schools who attend the “community week”. I was asked to do more than just be a night monitor, which is educational.

It was my first experience as an educator with young people “not from Loreto”. It was my first time to sleep at JP II Centre, however, the sisters involved me with the afternoon activities; I collaborated with them in the preparation of the “week”. My introduction was gradual but I participated and I felt welcomed and at “HOME”.

Together with me, for the first time during the night, there were other youth educators, who I already knew. During these years we have grown together in experience, delusions, but above all great satisfactions.

Being an educator at JP II Centre, where many young people pass through, each with their own story, with

their experience, with their problems, with their difficulties, is not easy: the youth are often bold, overbearing, sure of themselves, sometimes also rude, hiding within their insecurity, uncertainty and fragility.

Some are just searching for a person to open up to, with whom to talk their problems with.

At times it is enough just to be near them, knock on their door and say: “Good morning, it’s time to get up”, for their attitude to change and they become more available, more open.

In these three years, I have encountered many young people who confronted and clashed with me. But all, from the more guarded to the most open, only search one thing: happiness. It is up to us the parents, professors and educators to help them in their journey, support them in the difficult moments, most of all

dedicate time to listen to them.In the end, many of them ask only for this:

that someone listens to them.I make myself available because I like being

with young people. I love their enthusiasm, their curiosity and often, in those days when things don’t go well for me (family, children, work), they are the ones who are able to make me smile and give me strength to go forward.

DAVINAI thank the Lord and all those people who

allowed me to have this experience. As long as I can I will continue to be with the youth, to be available, to offer my help, because I am convinced that I receive a hundred times more than what I give.

WITH

YOUTHFUL SPIRIT IN ORDER TO GIVE

THE YOUTH SPIRIT


In my life, I have always dreamt of a project that would allow me, together with my husband, to dedicate myself to others.

Confronting ourselves many times we confided and thought about what it was that is closest to us: the elderly? The physically handicapped? The children?

Everything remained a dream suspended in these questions and in our hearts.

After having undertaken a journey of faith together, we found ourselves involved in the experience of the “JP II Centre”, that sees us today committed to the service of the young people who come to live and strengthen their life of faith.

To our experience, through our joyful witnessing, we have involved my parents: I would never have believed that they could embrace this reality, which is far from their normal way of living.

Being a volunteer, I deal mainly with secretarial matters, which for me means changing the way I approach life, living each day “occupying myself” (and not “preoccupying myself”) of that which I have to face.

The joy that I find in giving myself to others and the joy that I see in my husband’s eyes, are

the fundamental ingredients for living each day as unique and as an enrichment for the one to come.

This joy is the same joy that I discovered on the lived-day, last 8th March at the JP II Centre.

A Sunday spent together with all the volunteers, gathered to share one joyful spirit, which is the SOUL of this project.

Seeing adults, small ones, youth, sisters and priests dance and sing, gave me joy and excitement for what God is able to give us being in our midst… I am reminded of the lyrics of the song: “Here break again the bread in our midst and whoever will eat will never be hungry. Here lives Your church around You, where each will find his true home”.

I can joyfully say that the words of this song encompass the atmosphere breathed on the Day of

Volunteers on 8th March at the Centro Giovanni Paolo II.

STEFANIA CONTI

“Your Church…Your true home”


Would you like to contact us?

Would you like to contact other young people through this magazi-

ne? If so, contact us:

Don Paolo [email protected]

John Paul II CenterVia Montorso n.3 - 60025 Loreto (AN)tel. 071.7501552 [email protected]

For more informationvisit the NEW WEBSITE

www.giovaniloreto.it

Centro Giovanni Paolo II – Loreto

SNAPSHOTS AT THE

CENTREComunity Week

Volunteer’s Party


»

The Annunciation of Ludovico Seitz (9)

“He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High”

The German Chapel (also known as the Choir Chapel) was frescoed by renowned painter Ludovico Seitz in the years 1892-1902, with an articulated and marvellous iconographic

design inspired by the Virgin. Pope Leo XIII, who saw the model, called it: “a true Marian epic”. In the stai-ned-glass window, the artist depicted the Immaculate Virgin with various Biblical foreshadowing and symbo-

lisms. On the right wall, he painted subjects relative to the Virginity of Mary and her Divine Motherhood, while on the opposite wall, he represented episodes relative to Mary’s sharing in the Passion and in the Resurrection and her glorification.

In a massive panel section of the Virginity of Mary, Seitz painted the Annunciation, one of his most celebrat-ed and most known paintings of the Loreto cycle. Diego Angeli, in a speech at the inauguration of the Chapel on 17th October 1908, affirmed: “The sweetest Annuncia-tion really merits inclusion in the iconography, in itself already rich, of the Angelic salutation”.

Mary is figured on a kneeler where a scroll hangs with writings from the Prophet Isaiah in Latin: (Conci) piet et pariet filium et vocabitur nomen eius Emmanu-el. Is. c. 7 ([Behold a Virgin]) “shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel”, Is. 7:14). It is an explicit reference to the Virgin Motherhood of Mary, also alluded to by the many lilies that surround her house, together with the other flowers and plants, almost all symbolically alluding to her virtues: the blue hydrangeas in a vase, the roses covered with bloom, the flowering orange trees laden with fruits, the aloe and the oleander.

The Angel is painted in the act of greeting Mary, much so that according to the Milanese, the verses of Dante’s


F. GiusePPe santarelli the infancy Gospels in Loreto's art

On 13th March, the Rotary Club of Loreto, through its President, Professor Sandra Bolognini, donated to the Shrine of the Holy House a semi-automatic defibril-lator with a First Aid Box. It was received by Father

Franco Carollo, Rector of the Shrine. The precious instrument could be used in cases of cardiac arrests of persons present in the Shrine. Prof Sandra Bolognini, in handing over the device, among others, said: “We felt it crucial to provide a place, so sensitive, with the defi-brillator, because the protection of the safety of the people who visit our Marian Shrine, which is one of the most important in Europe and one of the most visited in the world, should be priority at all times”.

Doctor Enzo Frati, Head of the Emergency Department of Osimo, Loreto and Chiaravalle, was also present and explained the dyna-mics of the first responders in the event of a cardiac arrest. The use of the instrument was entrusted to the Capuchins, in service of the Shrine, four of whom completed the Course of BLS (Basic Life Sup-port) with the Red Cross of Loreto.

A defibrillator for the Shrine of Loreto

Professor Sandra Bolognini, President of the Rotary Club of Loreto, turns over the defibrillator to Father Franco Carollo, Rector of the Shrine of the Holy House.

Purgatory come to mind: “E avea in atto impressa esta favella,/ Ecce an-cilla Dei, sì propriamente,/ come figura in cera si suggella” (Purgatory, Hymn X, vv. 43-45).

The depiction is rich of symbolism, on the top left side, with the haloed Dove of the Holy Spirit, designed inside a red circle and surrounded by heads of angels. From the beak of the Dove emanates a beam-like ray, piercing a golden circle with a cross in the middle (that is the Holy Host) and ending on the halo of the Madonna. In this way, the Word of God made man in the womb of Mary, is depicted by the Eucharistic Host. The ingenious painting alludes to Christ who, in the Mystery of the In-carnation, was made flesh in Mary by virtue of the Holy Spirit and, in the Mystery of the Eucharist, is made “true food” for the believers by virtue of the same Spirit, invoked over the offerings (epiclesis). Mary, in a manner of saying, is the first tabernacle that welcomed the Son of God made man and foreshadowed the innumerable Eucharistic tabernacles, in which His presence in the world is extended.

The following words of the Angel addressed to Mary could be referred to in this depiction: “He who will be born will be holy and will be called Son of the God” (Lk. 1:35).

Seitz also gives emphasis to the House of the Annunciation, envi-sioned with a canopy as it was in the beginning in Loreto, with a step on which the Angel knelt, and with an interior that alludes to a sacred place, to a domus eccelsia, as it was in fact converted to, early on in Nazareth, by the Judeo-Christians and later in Loreto in the XIII-XIV centuries.

Under the scene of the Annunciation it is written: Ave Virgo gloriosa (“I greet you, O glorious Virgin”). These are the words of the incipit of a known Marian antiphon.



The archaeological excavations in the subsur-face of the Holy House, which began on 7 March 1962 under the authorisation of the Pontifical Administrator, Monsignor Primo

Principi, were officially concluded on 29th June 1965. The Director of Excavations was the renowned archa-eologist Nereo Alfieri, Professor at the University of Bologna, assisted by Fr. Floriano Grimaldi, Archivist of the Shrine, and by the geologist Edmondo Forlani. The Loreto excavations followed the diggings done in Na-zareth by Fr. Bellarmino Bagatti and collaborators from 1955 to 1960.

The exploration only covered an area of the Holy House, that is, in a rectangular area of app. 950x400 cm. The maximum depth reached was -245 cm under the current level of the pavement of the Holy House. The subsurface was reached by digging in the north side of the Holy House, a vertical shaft between the sixteenth century marble Encasement and the original walls of the Nazarene chamber. More precisely, the shaft was made inside a brick wall that the people of Recanati erected around the Holy House at the beginning of the XIV century (the so-called “Recanatesi Wall”).

The results of the diggings were reported in two publications, one edited by Nereo Al-fieri and his two collaborators, entitled "Con-tributi archeologici per la storia della Santa Casa di Loreto, 1967", and the other, edited by many authors, entitled "Nuovi contributi archeologici per la storia della Santa Casa, 1969".

The findings of the archaeological investi-gations are of fundamental importance, be-cause they moved the study of the Nazarene authenticity of the Holy House from literary sources, belated and untrustworthy – upon which previous historiography was focused – to the silent or archaeological sources, which offered very interesting objective data to confirm the authenticity of the Loreto tradi-

tion, such as the positioning of the House on a public road, the lack of its own foundations, the structure con-sisting of stones foreign to the place in the lower sec-tion and of local bricks, added by the Recanatesi, in the upper section.

The excavations have called for further studies on the structural construction of the Holy House, on the exte-rior finish of the stones, of the Nabatean matrix, and the numerous graffiti similar to those of the Judeo-Christian culture of the Holy Land. All concrete elements that sug-gest the acceptance of the tradition regarding the origin of the Loreto Shrine coming from Nazareth.

A gallery of the archaeological excavation completed in the subsurface of the Holy House.

The archaeological excavations in the Holy House finished half a century ago


in the Loreto in the World

The devotion to the Virgin of Loreto in Molfetta is from ancient times. According to a reliable document, the parents of the Bishop of the City, Monsignor Giovanni Bovio, erected in

1616 – or, according to others, in 1619 – a church dedica-ted to Blessed Mary of Loreto, endowing it with an opu-lent annuity. The church, according to some testimonies, was located in a borough of the city, near the corner that led to the street of the Capuchins, not far – it would seem – from the Church of Saint Teresa, built in 1835 and later demolished to give way to a new church dedicated to the same saint. The said Loreto church is not in existence any-more and traces of it have been lost.

There is, however, and still thriving in Molfetta, the Con-fraternity of the Most Blessed Mary of Loreto, founded on 28th July 1638. There are those who reasonably presume

that the Confraternity had arisen, at least as an association, in the now disappeared Church of Saint Mary of Loreto. However, it can be said that in the first years of founda-tion, it had its seat in the Church of Saint Francis of the Conventual Friars, where it remained until 1886. Later it was housed in the Church of Saint Dominic and, in the first decades of the twentieth century, it was transferred to the Church of Saint Teresa, where it still has its headquarters.

The Confraternity received its juridical recognition on 31st August 1768 from Fernando I di Borbone. Later, with the decree of 13th June 1936 it was declared a confraterni-ty, with worship as its main purpose.

On their robes, the members of the Confraternity wear the emblem of the Virgin of Loreto. They are custodians of a beautiful polychrome wooden cluster – dated between 1699-1714 – depicting the Madonna of Loreto with the

Cluster in polychrome wood.

Standard of the Confraternity.

The Veneration of the Virgin of Loreto in Molfetta


Child Jesus, atop the Holy House, which is fitted with a small cupola and a small bell tower. The head of a winged cherub can be seen under the feet of the Virgin. In the cen-tral panel of the lower section of the Holy House is writ-ten: Hic Verbum caro factum est (Here, the Word became flesh). The other four panels are decorated with delicate floral ornamentations. The cluster has been restored in recent times. On this occasion, the Child was fitted with a little dress of white cloth, bearing delicate embroidery.

The standard of the Confraternity holds a depiction of another Translocation of the Holy House, carried in flight by two angels, with the Virgin and the Child on top, within a cloud dotted with heads of angles. Below, the Shrine of Loreto can be seen with the sea in the background.

In the end, it is worth mentioning another splen-did canvas also depicting the Translocation of the Holy House, which is attributed to N. Porta and dated at 1765. It is currently under the care of the Diocesan Museum of the City. It is a lavish pictorial creation, with the Virgin and the Child on top of the Holy House, supported by a myriad of angels in celebration. Underneath, in an atti-tude of prayer to the Virgin, are Saint Honorius to the left, and Saint Vito to the right. It is a remarkable painting that enhances the Loreto art.

On 15th June 2014, the Confraternity made a devo-tional pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto, showing their proper insignia. There is a documented bibliogra-phy on the cult of Our Lady of Loreto in Molfetta there: Bellefemine G., La Madonna di Loreto a Molfetta, Fasano 1993; C. Pisani, Confraternita di Maria Ss.ma di Loreto. Storie d’amore, di fede e di umiltà, Molfetta 2013.

Daniela Rosati, renowned television host and dev-otee of the Holy House, is promoting with com-mendable commitment the devotion to the Madon-na of Loreto in Sweden. After proactively concern-

ing herself for the placement of the Virgin of Loreto statue in the Apostolic Nunciature in Stockholm, she has now procured another statue of Loreto for the Church of the Monastery of the Sisters of Saint Brigid in the same city (see photo).

Daniela writes: “I hope that more and more the population of northern Europe will again approach Holy Mother of God, as is already happening in many places”.

N. Porta, attribution, Translocation of the Holy House.

A Statue of Our Lady of Loreto

in Stockholm

On 25th March, in a solemn ceremony, the Fraternity of the Capuchin Friars in the ser-vice of the Holy House has been declared part of the Generalate, that is, directly de-

pendent on the Minister General of the Order, admin-istering it through his delegate, who is concurrently a General Counsellor. Present in the ceremony were the Minister General himself, Fr. Mauro Jöri, his delegate for Loreto Fr. Raffaele Della Torre, the other counsellors, the whole fraternity of the Capuchins of Loreto, led by the Rector Fr. Franco Carollo, the Provincial Minister for Marche Fr. Gi-ulio Criminesi with his counsellors, the Provincial of Veneto-Trentino Fr. Robert Genuin and numerous other Capuchins, especially from Marche Region.

The ceremony was held after the con-celebrated Mass presided by Archbish-op Giovanni Tonucci. In his homily, the

Archbishop expressed cordially and re-spectfully his pleasure of the passage to a more universal presence of the Capu-chins in Loreto.

Father Giulio Criminesi read the histo-ry of their service in the Holy House from the XVI century until the present. Father Raffaele Della Torre explained the recent steps that led to the current juridical sit-uation. The Minister General Fr. Mauro Jöri, then read the relative Decree, which we publish below. The new Convention between the Pontifical Delegation of the Holy House and the Order of the Capu-chin Friars was signed by Archbishop To-

nucci and the Minister General Fr. Jöri. The ceremony was concluded with a prayerful visit to the Holy House.

Fr. Giulio Criminesi, Provincial of the Picena Province, reads the history of the Capuchins’ service in the Shrine of Loreto. Photo Stefanelli.

Fr. Raffaele Della Torre, Minister General’s delegate for the Shrine of the Holy House, explains the steps that brought about the passage of the Fraternity of the Capuchins of Loreto to the direct dependence of the Minister General. Photo Stefanelli.

Passage of the Fraternity of the Capuchins of Loreto to the direct supervision of the Minister General


We present here in summary a panoramic overview of the Capuchins’ service in Loreto that was read during the ceremony.

The Holy House of Loreto is located in the Marche Re-gion, cradle of Capuchin Reform, which houses in Cameri-no the oldest monastery of the Order. The Capuchins have looked from the beginning at the House of Nazareth, trans-ported and venerated to Loreto, as a model of humility and of poverty, especially in reference to the construction of their churches. The famous chronicler of the Order, Fr. Ber-nardino da Colpetrazzo writes: “The churches were small and usually made to the measurement of the Holy House of Loreto.”

In 1558, the Capuchins founded a convent in Recanati from where they would walk daily to the nearby Shrine of Loreto in order to perform humble tasks. When they estab-lished their first monastery in Loreto in 1598 and a second larger one in 1639 behind the Basilica – now the Clergy House – their task in the Shrine extended to the manage-ment of the Hospital of the Pilgrims, to the refectory of the priests, to the distribution of alms to the poor and to the humble service in the sacristy and in the Nazarene chamber.

In 1883 they accepted – through an agreement signed by the local Bishop, Monsignor Tommaso Galluci, and the Minister General of the Order, Fr. Bernardo d’Andermatt – the management of the Universal Congregation of the Holy House, which promoted and still promotes the spread of the Loreto-Marian devotion in the Catholic world and, be-tween the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, has been re-

sponsible for the artistic decoration of the Basilica with the splendid frescoes in the cupola and in the national chapels.

In 1934, the Shrine of Loreto – which, with the unifica-tion of Italy in 1861 was appropriated by the State – was returned as direct property of the Holy See as in the past, in application of the 1929 Concordat. Pius XI, with the Con-stitution Lauretanae Basilicae of 15 September 1934, gave a new legal framework to the Shrine, appointing an Apos-tolic Administrator in the person of Archbishop Francesco Borgongini Duca, resident in Rome, and a Vicar General in the person of Bishop Gaetano Malchiodi, resident in Loreto.

The Constitution Lauretanae Basilicae was immediately followed by Pius XI’s Chirografo pontificio of 24 September 1934, with which the Pope entrusted to the Order of the Ca-puchins the entire pastoral and liturgical care of the Shrine, in all its forms. He wanted to unify the various services of the Shrine, realised then by the Conventuals (confessions), by the Canons (recitation of the Divine Office, sacristy and management of the Holy House) and by the Capuchins (various works).

Paul VI profoundly changed the juridical situation of the Shrine with the Constitution Lauretanae Almae Domus promulgated on 24 June 1965. The Pontifical Administra-tion, which managed the Shrine and the pastoral care of the inhabitants of Loreto, was suppressed. At the same time, two institutions were created: the Pontifical Delegation for the Shrine of the Holy House for the administration, respec-tively, of the temporal goods and the pastoral care of the pilgrims, and the Prelature of the Holy House for the pasto-

Archbishop Giovanni Tonucci and the Minister General Fr. Mauro Jöri sign the Agreement between the Pontifical Delegation and the Order of Capuchins for their service in the Shrine of Loreto. Photo Stefanelli.


Archbishop Giovanni Tonucci, the Minister General Fr. Mauro Jöri and Monsignor Domenico Marinozzi, Bishop emeritus of Soddo-Hosanna, in procession with all the concelebrants towards the Holy House at the end of the solemn ceremony. Photo Stefanelli

ral care of the faithful of the Parishes of the Municipality of Loreto, which was definitively separated from the ancient Diocese of Recanati-Loreto.

In the Constitution, no reference was made to the service of the Capuchins in the Shrine of Loreto, however in the Premise of the Statute of the Pontifical Delegation, 2003 edi-tion, signed by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State of His Holiness, one can read that “the Shrine is entrusted to the pastoral care of the Capuchin Friars”.

The service of the Capuchins in Loreto since 1934 has been managed by the Provincial of the Capuchins of the Marche Region, in liaison with the Minister General, through his delegate.

Now the management passes directly to the Minister General, who can furnish personnel from the numerous re-gions of the Order.

Decree of the Minister General“Having verified all the necessary conditions, fully aware of the

need to continuously guarantee the service of the Friars Minor Ca-puchin in the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto, as stipulated in the Convention with the Pontifical Delegation for the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto:

The Minister General with the consensus of his Council, in accord with n. 118,9 of the Constitutions of the Friars Minor Capuchins

DECREESThat the Fraternity of the Friars Minor Capuchins that

lives in the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto depend directly from the same Minister General.

The present decree enters vigour on 25th March 2015, day

of its execution. All the Friars that constitute the Fraternity on today’s date are confirmed in the obedience received from their proper Minister Provincial. The Minister General in ac-cordance with the means granted by our Constitutions will pro-ceed with the establishment of the Fraternity dependent on him.

The Minister General reserves the right, subsequently, to revise the Statute of the Fraternity and to prepare the neces-sary Conventions that shall govern the collaboration with the Provinces of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins.

May the Virgin Mary accompany us and watch over us.Rome, General Curia, 25th March 2015, Solemnity of the

Annunciation of the Lord”.

Pope Francis blesses the Statue of the Virgin of Loreto destined

for the World Youth Day


Pope Francis touches with devotion the Statue of the Madonna of Loreto.

On the background, the Crucifix of San Damiano. Photo “L’Osservatore

Romano”.

Pope Francis blesses the Statue of the Virgin of Loreto destined

for the World Youth Day

In view of the World Youth Day taking place in Krakow in 2016, Pope Francis blessed a replica of the Crucifix of San Damiano of Assisi and a repli-ca of the Statue of the Madonna of Loreto, sculpt-

ed on wood with gilded dalmatic by Gregorio Mussner di Ortisei. Since 1987, both have become symbols of the Italian Youth that participate at the World Youth Day. The two icons will be brought in pilgrimage to Italian Dioceses, according to an established itinerary, until Palm Sunday 2016.

Presenting the initiative to the Pope were Fr. Michele Falabretti, Head of the Youth Ministry of the CEI, and Fr. Calogero Manganello with some youth of Assisi and Lo-reto. The Pope touched with devotion the Loreto Statue, as shown in the photo.

The first stop of the pilgrimage of the Crucifix and the Statue was the Diocese of Albano Laziale.

The itinerary of the pilgrimage in the Italian Regions of the Crucifix of San Damiano and the Statue of the Madonna of Loreto (from “Avvenire”, 15 April 2015, p. 28).


On 8th March, the International Wo-men’s Day was celebrated in Loreto in accordance with the following pro-gramme. After the solemn celebration

of the Mass at 11:00 am inside the Basilica, an intere-sting encounter was held in the “Pasquale Macchi” Hall, inaugurated with the words of Maria Teresa Schiavoni, President of CIF Loreto. It was followed by the presentation of the golden mimosa to Giusy Versace, the famous Paralympic athlete, a veteran of the TV show “Dancing with the Stars”, who gave a poignant and well applauded testimony.

Special certificates were later given to some “Spe-cial Families” of the Parishes of Loreto. The meeting was attended by, among others, Fr. Andrea Principi-

ni, Vicar of the Pontifical Delegation, Dr. Simona Cal-cagnini, Prefectural Commissioner of the Municipal-

ity of Loreto, and Moreno Pieroni, Counsellor of the Marche Region. An artistic entertainment, led by the actor and voice talent Luca Violini, animated by the Parish of the Sacred Heart and presented by Tiziana Bonifazi gladdened the event.

International Women’s Day

From left: Fr. Andrea Principini, Giusy Versace and Maria Teresa Schiavoni. Photo Casali.

On 23rd April, an exhibit in the Swiss Hall of the Museo-Antico Tesoro of Loreto was inaugurated. It was promoted by the Pon-tifical Delegation and the Pious Sodality of

Piceni, with contributions from UnipolSai Assicurazioni, and in collaboration with Artifex-Comunicare con l’Arte.

It was supervised by Vito Punzi. Precious artworks were on display, coming from the Roman centre of the Pious Sodality of Piceni. Nine are paintings. Notable among them are the Traslazione della Santa Casa con santi by Giovanni Peruzzini (1629-1724), the San Nicola da Tolen-tino and San Antonio abate of Giuseppe Ghezzi (1634-

1721), the Madonna delle Grazie of 1494 by an anonymous painter, and a beautiful Cristo Redentore attributed to Antoniaz-zo Romano (XV century). Also on display was a precious manuscript from the XV century with illuminated initials and phy-tomorphic decorations.

Present at the opening of the exhibit were, among others, Archbishop Giovan-ni Tonucci, the Vice President of the Pious Sodality Filippo Bizzarri, and the Secretary Alfredo Lorenzoni. The exhibit remained open until 21st June. In the photo from left to right: Vito Punzi, Archbishop Giovanni Tonucci, Filippo Bizzarri and Alfredo Lo-renzoni. Photo Stefanelli.

In Loreto, the Treasures of the Pious Sodality of Piceni


An Exhibit of Loreto Artworks at Castel Sant’Angelo

On 2nd February, an exhib-it of numerous artworks from the Museo-Antico Tesoro of Loreto was inau-

gurated at Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome.Art experts and other authorities were

present at the ceremony, among them Mons. Claudio Giuliodori, President of the Episcopal Commission for Culture and Social Communications – CEI. The exhibit was open until 3rd May.

Preparation

The exhibit, entitled “Lorenzo Lot-to and the Artistic Treasures of Loreto, was organised by the “Artifex-Comuni-care con l’arte” under the supervision of Giovanni Morello, with the collabo-ration of Paolo Bedeschi, Maria Chiara Carboni, Monica Manfredini, Divina Mondo and Viviana Morello, and the participation of the Pontifical Delegation of Loreto represented by Sr. Luigina Busani, Director of the Museo-Antico Teasoro of Loreto and Vito Punzi, curator.

It was made possible by the John Paul II Foundation for the Youth, headed by Marcello Bedeschi, by the So-printendeza SPSAE and through the Polo Museale of the City of Rome directed by Daniela Porro, and by the Soprintendenza BSAE of the Marche Region directed by Maria Rosaria Valazzi, with the patronage of the Pontifi-cal Council for Culture.

Aside from Loreto artworks, the exhibit also included artworks from private collections and Roman Museums, like the Galleria Borghese, the Pinacoteca Capitolina, the Museo Nazionale in Castel Sant’Angelo and the Galle-ria Spada. In order to generate attention on the Loreto paintings of Lorenzo Lotto, the “Baptism of Jesus”, an-other work of the great Venetian painter, was displayed at the Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia in Rome, concurrent with the exhibit in Castel Sant’Angelo.

Catalogue

Giovanni Morello also edited the Catalogue, which carries the same title as the exhibit (Lorenzo Lotto and the Artistic Treasures of Loreto). In it, the papers and en-tries of the various sections were published. After “Fore-words” by Daniela Porro, Maria Piccarreta – Director of the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo, Mons. Giovanni Tonucci – Archbishop of Loreto, and Marcel-lo Bedeschi, one can read essays by Giovanni Morello (Magnificenza d’arte a Loreto), by David Frapiccini (Lo-renzo Lotto sulla via di Loreto) with the text of 11 entries relative to as many paintings, by Giuseppe Santarelli (Storia artistica del Santuario di Loreto) with the edit-ing of 8 entries, by Vito Punzi (Iconografia Lauretana) with the compilation of ten entries, by Katy Sordi (An-tico Tesoro della Basilica di Loreto) with the editing of 7 entries, and of Luigia Busani (La collezione delle maiol-iche dell’antica Spezieria della Santa Casa) with the text of 14 entries. Each object of the exhibit examined by the scholars is reproduced in colour.

It is a remarkable contribution to the history and cri-tique of the Loreto art.

From left to right: Maria Piccarreta, Mons. Claudio Giuliodori, Daniela Porro, Marcello Bedeschi and Giovanni Morello.


1) Devotion to Our Lady of Loreto $ 0,80 £ 1,00 1,00 (Prayer Booklet - Available in English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Polish and Portuguese) *2) Loreto, in Art and History $ 7,00 £ 4,50 5,00 (English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian) *3) Loreto - The shrine of the Holy House Spiritual Guide $ 1,50 £ 1,00 1,00 (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, etc…) *4) «La Santa Casa di Loreto, Tradizione e Ipotesi» size $ 18,00 £ 10,00 12,00 (Italian ed. only) *5) Loreto - History and Art $ 15,00 £ 9,00 10,00 (English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian). Big size6) Illustrated History of the Holy House (English and Italian) $ 4,50 £ 2,60 3,00

OTHERMinimum offering perRelic Prayer Card of Our Lady of Loreto $ 0,70 £ 0,50 0,50Holy Oil - minimum offering per bottle $ 1,50 £ 1,00 1,00

PARCHMENTS1) Angelus $ 1,50 £ 1,00 1,002) Magnificat $ 1,50 £ 1,00 1,00 (Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary)3) Come Holy Spirit (Pentecost Sequence) $ 1,50 £ 1,00 1,00

PLEASE NOTE: There are other religious articles besides those listed above, car plaques and key chains of Our Lady of Loreto, etc. All prices are subject to change with increase of cost for articles. Please include the mailing cost for requested articles. All items are usually sent by ship, unless requested otherwise, because Air mail postage is very expensive and almost double the price of articles. Orders sent by regular mail are received within 2-3 months from date of shipment. Payment both for articles and mailing cost should be made by either Travellers check or International Money Order. Do NOT send by Postal Money Order… NOT negotiable in Italy.

ON THE MAILING LIST1 - For usual subscribersIf you intend to continue to receive the Loreto Magazine, renew your subscription without delay. Subscribers who have not renewed theirs for some time now are asked to do so to remain on our mailing list, otherwise it will not be pos-sible to send the Publication because of a con-tinual rise in mailing cost.2 - Change of address, correction of same, or to be taken off mailing listPlease notify this Universal Congrega tion of the Holy House for any change or correction of address, etc. and include the old address with the new one.3 - To avoid unnecessary errorsKindly print CLEARLY the name(s) and address(es) of those to be subscribed.4 - Three times yearly“The Shrine of the Holy House” (English ed.) is sent by regular mail unless requested otherwise.N.B. Do not send by Postal Money Order… Not negotiable in Italy: by Traveller Personal check or International Money Order only. All checks are made payable to the Universal Congregation of the Holy House.

BE A MARIAN APOSTLEHelp us spread the devotion to the Holy Family of Nazareth. SHARE your love and knowledge of the Shrine with others, whose contact with its marvels and reality can come about only though YOU, the “voice” of the Holy Family.HOW?Just fill out the subscription form (in print): send 3 names (addresses of relatives and friends and of people who:a) are NOT already subscribers to the Loreto

Magazine;b) DESIRE and would APPRECIATE knowing

about LORETO, to receive the Publication in either English or Italian (PLEASE print the address clearly).

FREE!Those zealous souls who help to spread the good word and message, who COMPLETE the form for 3 new subscribers - with offering for each sub-scription - will receive FREE: “LORETO - Shrine of the Holy House”, a Spiritual Guide (16 pages with coloured photos) with a brief history of the Shrine and its important messages and prayers.DONT’FORGET TO REMEMBER!When writing, please specify the language desired for the Spiritual Guide Booklet (available in English, Spanish, Polish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Hungarian, Roumanian, Croatian, Czechian, Slovakian, Holland, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese).

SEND TO:Universal Congregation

of the Holy House60025 LORETO (AN) - ITALY

FOR REQUEST kindly write to:PONTIFICAL DELEGATION

HOLY HOUSE BOOKSHOP DEPARTMENT B60025 LORETO (AN) - ITALY

Banca delle Marche - Cod. IBAN: IT70O0605537380000000000941 - BIC: BAMAIT3A

By credit card directly via the official web site: www.santuarioloreto.itWeb site: www.santuarioloreto.it E-mail: [email protected]

BOOKLETS ON LORETO

THE SHRINE OF THE HOLY HOUSE • Jan./Apr. 2015

I would like to CONSECRATE my family to the Family of Nazareth and place my children under the protection of Our Lady of Loreto.

I would like to CONSECRATE myself to Our Lady. I would like my family to become PERPETUALLY ENROLLED in the Universal Congregation of the Holy

House so as to share in all spiritual favours and in the mass which is celebrated in the Holy House DAILY for all members.

I would like to be personally enrolled in the Universal Congregation of the Holy House. I would like _____________________________ to be enrolled in the Universal Congregation of the Holy House.

CONSECRATE YOURSELF TO OUR LADY

• Remember Our Lady’s requests at Fatima: Prayer, Penance, the Rosary, Consecration to her Immaculate Heart. Therefore, consecrate yourself, your family to Her and renew your act of consecra-tion often.• Ask for your parchment of Consecration from Our Lady’s home through the Univer sal Congregation of the Holy House - 60025 LORETO (AN), Italy.• Blessed in the Holy House before being sent, it is a personal document of Consecra tion to Our Lady from Her home.• The said Consecration or/and request for Perpetual enrollment are two separate re quests and the offering for Consecration is equivalent to that of Perpetual enrollment.

FAMILY (offering of US $ 25,00)INDIV. (offering of US $ 15,00)

Those who desire to collaborate more towards the Aims of the Universal Congre gation of the Holy House and the Marian Apostolate of Loreto can ask to become mem bers of the “Friends of the Holy Family” - Promoters of the Holy House.

THE “FRIENDS OF THE HOLY FAMILY”

• Those who spread devotion everywhere to Our Lady of Loreto and the Holy Family, as also to the place where they dwelt… the Holy House of Nazareth at Loreto.• Active members, who love the Holy Fami ly, Our Lady, and spread that love by their zealous efforts, by their Marian voice and prayer life.• If you feel called to give witness to your love in action, to get more involved as a true Christian, then ask for your Promoter membership card, which will be sent to you accordingly through the Universal Congre gation.

SUBSCRIPTION TO THE LORETO MAGAZINE

NAME ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ADDRESS .............................................................................................................................................................................................................

CITY ................................................................................................. STATE .......................................................................................................

ZIP NO............................................................................................. COUNTRY ...............................................................................................

(Please Pr int)

The CONSECRATION and PERPETUAL ENROLLMENT are two separate requests and can be done only upon receipt of offering, so as to avoid confusion and to assure its validity. Individual: US $ 15,00 - £ 9,00 - 10,00; Family: US $ 25,00 - £ 14,00 - 16,00. For Perpetual En rollment, both the Living and the Deceased may be enrolled.

THE SHRINE OF THE HOLY HOUSE • Jan./Apr. 2015 63

CONSECRATION AND/OR PERPETUAL ENROLLMENT

NAME ....................................................................................................................................

ADDRESS ...........................................................................................................................

CITY ........................................................... STATE ...........................................................

ZIP NO....................................................... COUNTRY ...................................................

(Please Pr int)

ORIGIN. The Universal Congregation of the Holy House was officially established in 1883 by Monsignor Thomas Gallucci of Loreto, in collaboration with Fr. Pietro da Malaga, o.f.m., Cap., blessed and enriched with indulgences by the Sovereign Pontiffs Leo XIII and Pius X.AIMS. 1) To spread devotion to the mystery of the Incarnation, to Our Lady and to the Holy Family. And venera-tion for the Holy House, where the great events of the Annunciation and of the Incarnation took place.2) To contribute and to decorate by wills and offerings towards the Shrine and its works.3) To celebrate solemny the Marian feasts, in particular: The Immaculate Conception, the memory of the Translation (December 10th, feast of Our Lady of Loreto), and the month of May.4) To recall to the faithful the solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord (March 25th).ENROLLMENT. It is extended to all the devotees of Our Lady of Loreto, who wish to spread the venerated title and to cooperate in the carrying out of the Institutional aims of the Sanctuary and to share in the spiritual benefits granted to those enrolled. Enrollment is particulary recommended to the members of the great family of Aviation since Our Lady of Loreto is its Patroness (Apostolic letter of Benedict V, 24th March 1920); and to those who want to consecrate their families to the Holy Family.SPIRITUAL FAVOURS. 1) A plenary indulgence on the day of enrollment and on December 10th, under the usual conditions of receiving worthily the holy sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion and to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father and of the Universal Church.2) Participation in the merits of the Mass which is celebrated daily in the Holy House for the members living and decease.3) Participation in the prayers said in the Holy House and in the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin.

TO ENROLL - Individual membership: offering of US $ 15,00 - £ 9,00 - 10,00.Family membership: offering of US $ 25,00 - £ 14,00 - 16,00To become part of the spiritual family it is sufficient to send the name (individual or family name). The Living and the Deceased may be enrolled. It is heartily recom-mended to recite the Angelus three times daily and to honour Our Lady by the frequent recitation of the Rosary and the Litany of Our Lady.

LORETO: Useful Information• LORETO: 127 metres above sea level; about 18 miles south of ANCONA; two miles from the sea of PORTO RECANATI; a city of about 10,600 inhabitants; Province of ANCONA in the Marches region - Centre of Italy.• TRAVELLERS BY CAR: Take the Adriatic High way or Bo logna Canosa «autostrada», toll road 14; coming from Rome, via Ancona, it is about a 5 hours’ ride.• TRAVELLERS BY TRAIN OR BUS: A round-trip from ROME-LORETO-ROME (via Ancona by train), comes to about $ 35.00 (about a 4 hours’ ride); from ANCONA-AIRPORT there is a bus to ANCONA-Railway station available; then, from ANCONA, the bus to LORETO usual-ly makes a stop first at CASTELFIDARDO and arrives directly at LORETO’s City (a 50 minutes’ ride), proceeding onwards to RECANATI (comes to about $ 4.00). If instead a train is taken (a 20 minutes’ ride), you arrive at LORETO’s Railway station (about one mile from LORETO’s City) where there is a bus available otherwise by taxi.• CITY OF FAITH AND ART - What to see: The highlight of LORETO is the home of the Holy Family - The Holy House or «SANTA CASA», situated inside the Shrine’s Basilica (centre) and in Loreto since 1294. It is surround-ed by a marble casing and is a design by Bramante; also: the Treasury or Po marancio Hall; the Apostolic Palace (Palazzo Apo sto lico), which has a collection of ceramics

and famous paintings and is the former papal apartment (Loreto is under the administration of the Holy See); the Polish cemetery around the corner to the Shrine (the «Scala Santa»); SIDETRIPS to nearby cities: OSIMO - Shrine of St Joseph of Cu pertino; TOLENTINO - Shrine of St Nicholas of Tolentino; RECANATI - Home of the famous poet, Leopardi; the REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO; the Grottos of FRASASSI, etc.• WHILE IN LORETO: The Basilica of the Shrine opens daily at 6.00 a.m. and closes at 7.00 p.m. (8.00 p.m. during the summer). The Holy House closes at 12.30 p.m. and re-opens at 2.30 p.m. (it remains open during the pilgrimag-es of the sick - from May to October); Scheduled Masses are celebrated daily from 6.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m. (every hour and every half hour during the summer months).• FOR GROUP/INDIVIDUAL PILGRIMAGES TO LORETO: it is advisable to stay at least one night, at one of the many religious pensions or hotels of the City and reservations should be made in advance so as to be assured of a place, so as to enjoy a more fruitful and pleasant stay and for the utmost assistance possible. Guides for the Shrine are also available in the various languages upon request.• PLAN AHEAD WRITE TO: Universal Congrega tion of the Holy House - 60025 LORETO (Ancona, ITALY) - Tel. 071.970104, Fax 071.9747176.

Universal Congregation of the Holy House of Loreto

Universal Congregation of the Holy House - 60025 LORETO (Ancona, ITALY)Web site: www.santuarioloreto.it E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

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