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NUMBER 3 / 2020

APRIL 2020

Manalive! Newsletter for the Friends of the Scuola Libera G.K. Chesterton

NE Minneapolis Stronghold Fr. Spencer Howe is the initiator of our relationship and is the pastor of a lively Catholic community in North East Minneapolis! Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, a true disciple of Jesus.

Building Home For twenty-six years the community of the Tipi Loschi of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati have sought to live intentional, traditionally Catholic lives in a post - Christian world. They are perhaps one of the best examples of what Rod Dreher would call the “Benedict Option” - a community rooted in the faith, living in the world but not “of” the world. In this community every action is rooted in Catholic tradition, and everything is done for the greater glory of Jesus Christ. Marco Sermarini speaks about the community as if it were a family: “To grow a garden, one must have a seed. To grow, one needs a garden. To educate, one must have a teacher. And to build a family one

BUILDING HOME

AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

JOIN US IN PRAYER AND FELLOWSHIP

We hear from friends in Italy, America, and Australia

Even under a time of quarantine the American TIpi Loschi is going strong!

To grow one needs a garden, to have a family one needs a home...

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin (Italy) in 1901, the son of a distinguished Italian family. His father was Italian Senator and Ambassador, founder of a daily newspaper and his mother a painter with a strong attitude. His life was brief as a comet but just as sparkling. He left a very strong mark that has come down to us. His life was full of adamant faith and unending charity.

must have a house.” The community in Italy made the decision in 2012 to begin building their home. They pooled their money together and purchased a piece of land that overlooks the Adriatic sea, a little oasis on the mountainside above San Benedetto del Tronto. They have called it “La Contea”, a reference to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Shire in the Hobbit. It is a place for families in the community to meet, to spend time together, and to cultivate the land. The land is also known as Santa Lucia, named for a chapel that is located on the same hill. When the community first purchased the land it was wild and bare, covered in brambles and ruins. The transformative energy of the community completely changed the landscape of Santa Lucia from the moment the property was purchased. Now at the top of the hill stands a building that welcomes hundreds of members of the community, visitors, guests, and friends every year. The land now is home to many animals that are taken care of by various members of the community, and is the location of countless parties, meetings, summer camps, and festivals throughout the year. The community is growing now more than ever before - many people who first joined the community as teenagers are now raising their children together, and many families have since joined the ranks of the original Here is the link to watch the members, drawn by the challenge of living a simple life in video "Building Home" on Youtube! https:// community. The little house built in 2012 is overflowing with www.youtube.com/watch? people at all times: when weather is nice the school tries to teach v=6vuxciVo7DY all its lessons in the space, and tables are often set up outside to accommodate the students. On Wednesdays the whole community gathers to eat dinner and pray the Holy Rosary together, and on Saturdays they gather for an afternoon of work and fellowship, followed by mass and dinner. The house is filled with life every day of the week, but if it not big enough for everyone, nor does it have the capacity to house larger events that happen throughout the year. Even in this uncertain time in Italy the community is beginning the process of constructing another house in the Shire. They want to continue building their home, but they will need financial support, and above all they ask us to continue praying for them and rooting for them as they strive to live the Benedict Option in the world today. One of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s most famous quotes is simple: “Si può vivere così” or “You can live in this way!” We look to San Benedetto for a wholesome, simple, and

enduring example of community. Let us pray for our friends, support them with prayer and generosity, and learn from their dedication to each other and to their little Shire on the shores of the sea. ✠

News from Our Friends Around the World! We hear from several friends from around the world who describe their experiences in quarantine, and the graces that come with living even difficult situations to the fullest. Before COVID-19 reached the United States, Marco Sermarini joined the other 26 schools in the Chesterton Schools Network via a video conference call. The schools were just beginning preparations for moving their classes and learning online. Then, the only impact was the canceling of two Lenten pilgrimages to Italy, one of which would have visited the Scuola Libera Chesterton in San Benedetto del Tronto. Marco’s insight from ground zero of the pandemic bolstered school administration in seeing the good that can come from this crisis. He emphasized this as an opportunity to get parents more involved in their children’s education. With churches closing and the sacramental life becoming scarce, if not nonexistent, we are leaning more than ever on prayer and drawing closer to the foot of the Cross. This prayer life also unites us across homes and continents, looking forward to the Resurrection and end to this crisis. - Kendra Posch, MN ✠ Hi, dear friends, as you well know, the situation in Italy is quite critical. We must stay in quarantine and this means staying at home and not being able to go out - this situation has been going on for a month now and we don't know when it will end. In this situation I suffer a lot because I am a person who cannot usually stand to always be at home Fortunately my school has activated online lessons which even if they are sometimes difficult, they allow me to stay in touch with my classmates. Part of the afternoon is busy doing my homework, when am able I workout. I call my friends from America and San Benedetto and I rediscovered hobbies that I had abandoned - like playing the piano. In the evening at

20:30 Italian time and at 1:30 American time I say the rosary online with all my friends. I hope to see you there! After dinner I often play with my family or watch a movie. I hope this situation will end soon and to be able to see you all soon - who knows? Maybe next year. - Andrea Furlan Pavesi, Rovereto, Italy ✠ I’m Leticia, Daniel’s mum. This year we spent Christmas and New Year with the Tipi Loschi Community, it was one of the best experiences for us as a family. We planned to have Daniel spend a year with all of you, this couldn’t be better. I was a little sad in a certain sense to leave Daniel, but my heart was mostly happy and peaceful to know that he will be with a good company and excellent family. So, when Daniel’s brothers and I left him and returned to Australia was about when all this Coronavirus started getting worse. I was following every step of every changes in the lives of all of you. But at this time we were hoping the situation with the virus would be short-lived. Then I needed to go to Mexico to visit my mum, and in the time it took to arrive to Mexico the world changed! I wondered what was happening! Australia and other countries started to call all the residents to get back to the own countries and talked about closing borders. I was unsure what will happen with me, if I would be able to return to Australia, and then for how long this situation will be. I made the difficult decision to bring Daniel to Australia but always I had the support of Giusi and her family and all the community as well. Daniel took the last flight to leave Rome. He arrived safe and did his fourteen days “quarantine”. While I was in Mexico, I joined all the Italian and American friends for the Rosary online. This helped me to be strong and carry on. I can’t express myself enough to say how much admire you and thank you. But first of all thanks to God to put all and each of you in my way. You are strong people, strong community and that is thanks to that you have God always in your lives. A special thanks to Giusi, Giorgio, Giovanni, Carlo, Marta and Silvia to have Daniel as part of your family. I’m sure we will see you soon! Keep strong and God Bless you. - Leticia Martinez, Australia ✠ While my family is still trying to adapt to the new routine, the shutting down of my normal activities has prompted me to connect more with others. I am grateful for the various forms of technology that allow me to accomplish this, especially those present through Tipi Loschi. Whether meeting for Doposcoula or praying with the Italians, I enjoy the genuine friendships I'm able to have. Even though we're not able to visit with one another in person, I think being quarantined has made our connection as an entire group even stronger. It's incredible how much of a community we are despite being on opposite sides of the world. However, it's not only the friendships, but also how we all are able to build our faith together. I have felt even closer with Christ since joining Tipi Loschi and love how we're

praying with each other (virtually of course) every day. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by these people of integrity in my daily life. - Elizabeth Mitchell, USA âœ

JOIN US IN PRAYER AND FELLOWSHIP! To contact us please send an email to tipiloschi.usa@gmail.com DOPOSCUOLA

ITALIAN ROSARY

On Thursdays the young people of the American Tipi Loschi

Everyday at 1:30 pm CDT (Minnesota time!) we pray the rosary

meet on Zoom for Digital Doposcuola at 5pm (after school). We

together in Italian with our friends from San Benedetto. We

pray together, visit, and share about our current experiences in

encourage you to join us - simply download the WebEx

this time of social distancing. As soon as the quarantine is

application on desktop or on your phone. The code to join is

lifted we will begin meeting in person again. Let us know if

https://marcodemald.my.webex.com/meet/marco.demald

you'd like to be added to the groupchat. We look forward to seeing you!

AMERICAN TIPI LOSCHI If you'd like to stay in touch with the American Tipi Loschi, please let us know and we can add you to the WhatsApp groupchat. The community normally meets once a week on Sundays, and although currently we are all socially distancing, we stay in touch as possible and remain close in prayer.

Left: the Tipi Loschi flag and the bell tower of Giotto in Florence, December 2019, Tipi Loschi Winter Camp.

TO SUPPORT THE SCUOLA CHESTERTON TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS CAN BE MADE TO THE TIPI LOSCHI FOUNDATION: 1855 Noble Drive, Golden Valley, MN USA 55422 | tipiloschi.usa@gmail.com