Christmas time at Velehrad
Christmas time at Velehrad
Christmas time has an unrepeatable charm, thanks to the hope brought by the newborn Child in Bethlehem. This year, this hope was especially needed - after the tragic events in Prague close to Christmas. The team of the Centre Velehrad in Rome joined the prayers and the day of national mourning by making a penitential pilgrimage to Poggio Bustone, where St Francis experienced the forgiveness of his sins from his youth, and to Cascia to St Rita, the patroness in hopeless situations. Even over the "Valle santa" - the Sacred Valley around Rieti - the bell rang, commemorating the victims of the Prague shooting.
The Christmas season also brought with it many beautiful things: as every year, the Slovak carolers sang us some carols. They came not only to cheer their compatriots in Rome and to support the mission in Africa with the proceeds, but also to meet the Holy Father Francis at the New Year's Mass. On the last night of the old year, they also joined in a prayer of thanksgiving which the guests of the house were invited to. The traditional blessing of the house took place in the evening of the Three Kings' Day, with the powerful singing of carols, ending with a short prayer together in the chapel. Throughout, the atmosphere of the house was enhanced by the simple but eloquent Christmas decorations.
