On Sunday 19 January, Bishop Manetti inaugurated the Jubilee Year in the shrine of Mary Theotokos in Loppiano with a solemn mass. in Loppiano. The Gospel of the Wedding at Cana ,was the occasion to contemplate the greatness of the Mother of God “in the sanctuary dedicated to her”. In the afternoon, the church hosted the theatrical play “Eeolo, breath of God”.
“Dear brothers and sisters, we begin this celebration, during the 60th anniversary of the founding of Loppiano, by placing in the intentions of the Mass the friends who have helped build this story, who have lived here and who are already in Heaven”. Thus began Bishop Stefano Manetti, on Sunday 19 January, at the beginning of the solemn celebration inaugurating the Jubilee Year in the Maria Theotokos shrine in Loppiano. He recalled, in particular, the young Vincenzo Folonari who, in 1964, donated the land where the little town now stands, and the Servant of God, Renata Borlone, who was co-responsible for it from 1967 to 1990. It was midday and the church was packed. There were the inhabitants of Loppiano, many faithful from the surrounding area, and civic and military authorities. Among them: Mayor Valerio Pianigiani, of Figline and Incisa Valdarno, and Piero Giunti, of Reggello; Captain Commander of the Figline Valdarno Carabinieri station, Deborah Senatore, and Marshal Marco Lillo, commander of the Incisa Valdarno station. The hymns of the liturgy were led by Gen Rosso and numerous priests from various countries concelebrated. The decree by which the bishop designated the shrine of Mary Theotokos, a diocesan Marian shrine, as a Jubilee church, was read out. There was much emotion in the air but also solemn recollection. “The Jubilee is a further occasion to become aware of our being Church,” explained Bishop Manetti, before sprinkling the assembly with holy water, as a reminder of Baptism.
The Gospel of the second Sunday of Ordinary Time, dedicated to the episode of the Wedding at Cana, gave the bishop the opportunity to give the participants at the celebration a moment of contemplation dedicated to Mary. “It is an honour and a moment full of emotion for me to speak of our Holy Mother,” he began, “who is the protagonist of today’s Gospel, in this shrine dedicated to her. By the way, the full name of Loppiano is “Mariapolis of Loppiano”, that is, city of Mary. So, we are right in her womb”. The homily went on to enlighten the assembly on the greatness of the Mother of God who, with her ‘Do whatever he tells you’, once again adheres to God’s will. “Ever since Mary espoused God’s will,” explained the bishop, “she was involved with the heavenly Father. Since the Father’s will is to give his son, Mary also gives her son. So here, she begins to offer her son, to hasten his hour. This is a great mystery which is beyond human comprehension.” Then, he added, describing the attitude of the servants at the banquet: “ Dear friends, who are these servants? There is no name, how many are there? I have them before my eyes: it is you, my friends, all of you! It is the Church of all times that has the task of making the Lord manifest himself to the world as at Cana, through faithfulness to the Word of God, faithfulness to our baptism. We too have said our “yes”. And the Jubilee will be a further moment of growth for the Church”.
At the conclusion of his homily, Bishop Manetti also spoke about the founder of the Focolare Movement: “The last reference is to Chiara Lubich. Among these servants there are heroes who have lived the faith radically, who have done things that are humanly impossible. These are the servants who allow the Lord to manifest His glory. This assembly this morning, in Loppiano, whose 60th anniversary we are celebrating, seems to me to be a sign of Cana. So, let us thank our saints and all of you, who allow this manifestation of the Lord’.
At the end of the celebration, a message was also read out from the President of the Region of Tuscany, Eugenio Giani, who could not there in person: ‘I find it really beautiful that the Jubilee 2025 has such a significant stage today in Loppiano, City of Mary. Since 1964, it has been the place of choice for the Focolare Movement, which honours the whole of Tuscany. The source of spirituality and social commitment that characterises Loppiano, in the example of Chiara Lubich, stimulates a Jubilee that is a testimony of commitment to peace, fraternity, and attention to the least, which is a call for the institutions and all the women and men who live the Tuscany of today and of the future.”
The celebrations for the inauguration of the Jubilee in the Maria Theotokos shrine continued in the afternoon with the theatrical performance ‘Eolo, soffio di Dio’ (Eolo, Breath of God), dedicated to Eolo Giovannelli, a young man from Lucca who, at the age of 12, became disabled due to an accident at work. The play was put on by the Archdiocese of Lucca with the Policardia Teatro and directed Andrea Elodie Moretti. Eolo’s story was reconstructed through his letters and the text “The Joy of the Cross” by writer Igino Giordani, co-founder of the Focolare Movement.
