Light the World 2018

I made a request of the our Public Relations Office at Sigonella for a “Light the World” service project for our branch and our missionaries to participate together. This was my reply:

I do have an exciting community service project that your group might support in December on a Saturday morning. As you probably heard, we are the only base in the world which organizes (besides the popular school projects) volunteer projects at historic sites which are unfortunately unkempt due to the lack of funding.  This afternoon I received a request for help from the Zelantea Library and Art Gallery located in Acireale. Founded in 1671 and located in a building built by the Town Council between 1910 and 1913, the Zelantea Library testifies the importance of culture in Acireale’s history. One of the most ancient and richest in Sicily, it contains about 100,000 books, 56,000 volumes including "incunabula," books purchased in Venice in the early sixteenth century, Florentine editions of "giuntine,"  over 1,000 manuscripts, a rich newspaper archive of utmost importance for the knowledge of Sicilian history. Annexed to the Library is the Art Gallery where, alongside the local school of painters, you can admire works attributed to the school of Rubens, Titian and Pietro Novelli. Of significant interest is the elegant Acireale’s ancient Senate Carriage, with gilded wood carvings and paintings.

The cultural volunteer association which supports the library is looking for volunteer help to move books to a new location. They would provide a truck where volunteers would load the book and have refreshments. Would you be interested in supporting this project with the big group?

The answer was YES absolutely! What a great way to launch our “Light the World” project in Italy. Twenty-five diligent souls appeared in Acireale on Saturday, December 1, 2018 ready to provide service at 10:00AM. This library had outgrown it shelves.  We boxed periodicals from the 1700s, books, classic wooden book and display cases and some amazing Italian original artwork that were moved to a government building to be accessed by people doing research on specific topics. We handled original Italian art work and artifacts that depicted the core of Southern Italian culture. 

Zelantea Biblioteca

 

Check out the card catalogues!

Cages of periodicals.

Beautiful original Italian art pieces.

 Twenty-five Sigonella Branch members and Catania Missionaries at the receiving location

Creative kids designed a empty box fort while the adults shelved the artifacts. 

Martinsens enjoying the uniform display.

Placing the display cases to be filled.

This piece was housed at the private residence of the professor!

This uniform display was at the professors home as well.

High on the hill overlooking the ocean from the home of the professor was beautiful, even on an overcast drizzly day!

Lunch was provided by the professor directing this project at his residence.  His wife cooked Sicilian food that was delicious, a complete seven course lunch! We were the lucky ones on this service project!

Our "Light the World" project made the local newspaper!