The words of our founder, Mother Frances: “I recognized so clearly the Lord in the poor and suffering people, that it was as if I had seen him through the body’s eyes”, have always guided my ministry.
I lived in Senegal for 10 years, then I moved to Padua and Rome, where I served for 8 years at the Center “Raggi di Sole”, the Franciscan Sister of the Poor day center for homeless people.
Since September 2017 I have been living in Ramacca (province of Catania, Sicily), as part of the project “Migranti”, which belongs to the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), an organization comprised of women’s religious Congregations around the world that, after the migrant boat disaster off Lampedusa, Sicily, was willing respond to the question: what can consecrated women do to answer the urgent cry of migrants?
This question was promptly and fully reflected by the UISG Board of Directors, which was wondering about implementing a practical solidarity project.
After receiving the proposal, many Superiors General answered with enthusiasm, either inviting other Sisters to take part in the project, or offering financial resources.
The project began on December 14, 2015, exactly the day when we Franciscan Sisters of the Poor celebrate Mother Frances. I believe that the participation of SFP in such project was part of God’s plan.
To date, “Migranti” is formed by three communities in Sicily: one in Agrigento, one in Caltanissetta, and one in Ramacca, which is the one to which I belong. In Ramacca’s community, we are 4 Sisters of 4 different Congregations and nationalities. Such diversity is aimed at testifying that the “misfit” and the “stranger” can live together, cooperate, share and much more...
In early April 2017, while I was cycling to Vermicino, in Rome (where our center “Raggi di Sole” is located), I remember, other than thinking about avoiding cars, I was thinking that it was time for me to change ministries, and I prayed that Mother Frances and Mother Theresa would help me. I was about to open the door when the phone rang: it was Sister Licia, our Congregational Minister, who asked if we could meet. I answered that, after service, I was free. Just imagine how surprised I was when she proposed that I join an international project for the benefit of migrants. It is true that the gospel quotes “Ask and it will be given to you”, but I did not expect such a quick answer. After a few weeks spent pondering such a decision, I accepted this new adventure, even with some concern and fear. It was a change which implied separation.
This led me to trust in God, living the present and letting everything go, in order to be able to see the new opportunities that would be offered to me.
I remember that in June 2017, I wished I could find a Word of God to guide me until my relocation the following September. I found it during spiritual exercises, in Chapter 4 of the Book of Judges:
At that time the prophet Deborah was judging Israel. She had Barak summoned and said to him “The Lord, the God of Israel commands: Go, march against Mount Tabor. I will draw the general of Jabin’s army, out to you, together with his chariots and troops, and I will deliver them into your power”. Barak answered her, “If you come with me, I will go; if you do not come with me, I will not go”.
This has been my constant prayer to the Triune God, to the Bible’s women and to my great sisters: Sarah, Lea, Miriam, Deborah, Rut, Abigail, the hemorrhaging woman, the widow of Naim, Martha and Mary, the woman who anoints Jesus, the women at the tomb, Mother Frances, Mother Theresa, Chiara Lubich, Dora, Mariella, Laura: “If you come with me I’ll go, if you stay I’ll stay too”.
I enjoy the service I render now, and I like to summarize it with a sentence of Chiara Lubich: “Nothing, of the things made with love, is small”. And I strongly believe this. I work with young people of the Etty Hillesum cooperative; I laugh and joke with them; we bicycle together; I teach them Italian; and we go shopping. It’s a path of integration. I try to stimulate people’s generosity asking them little things for the migrants: cups, plates, high-visibility jackets for those who cycle to work and risk being hit. I go to the hospital to speak French with migrants who are hospitalized and are discouraged. In the afternoon, I meet other migrants and teach them Italian.
Small things, small numbers, small projects, faces, stories, relationships, infinite little occasions to love, smile, encourage, wait: this is what my days are made up of in this beautiful adventure I was called to join and watched with love.
Sr. Barbara Fiorentino
Published: February 22, 2018