Ragusa: the beauty of prayer, of meeting, and of fraternity

The popular mission of the parish of Maria Ss. Nunziata, photographed by Matteo Lo Magno, continues to be a grace-filled experience that is increasingly impacting the neighborhood, led by the parish priest, Father Filippo Bella, and animated by missionaries, families, and volunteers who are giving their time, listening, and hearts. After the days already experienced, characterized especially by Gospel listening groups in families, the community still carries in its heart the celebration of March 19, the solemnity of Saint Joseph, when the day began with the prayer of praise and, above all, when, in the evening, the Eucharistic celebration gathered many faithful for the blessing of all the fathers present and for a special prayer dedicated to the fathers whom the Lord has already called to Himself. It was a moment of great intensity, capable of uniting memory, gratitude, and affection in a single community voice.

The journey continued last night with the Stations of the Cross inside the church, a gesture of shared faith that involved the faithful, with the presence of missionaries and representatives from the parishes of San Pio X and the Precious Blood.

Today, Saturday, March 21, the Mission enters one of its busiest and most participated days. The community will gather at 8:30 for the prayer of praise, while from 9:30 to 12 the parish opens its doors for confessions. In the afternoon, starting at 4:30 PM, the missionaries will meet with families, catechism students, and scouts, in an atmosphere of listening and fraternity that is the very heart of the mission. At 6 PM, the Eucharistic celebration with all the children and their families will be a moment of joy and blessing for all present. Immediately afterward, the “Maria Donna Missionaria” drawing and poetry contest will be inaugurated, and the evening will conclude with a community aperitif in the parish premises, carefully prepared by catechists and scout leaders.

Tomorrow, Sunday, March 22, the parish will experience a day dedicated to family and community life. The first Eucharistic celebration will be at 9, followed by one at 11, during which the children baptized in the last five years will be blessed. In the afternoon, from 4 PM to 6:45 PM, the parish will again offer availability for confessions, while at 7 PM the Eucharistic celebration will be dedicated to couples who in 2026 will be celebrating their first, twenty-fifth, or fiftieth wedding anniversary. The day will culminate at 8:30 PM with the concert-meditation “Here I Am: the Yes that Changed History”, prepared by the parish choirs, a moment of art and spirituality that will accompany the community into the heart of the Annunciation.

Monday, March 23 the Mission will also enter the schools: from 9 AM to 11 AM the missionaries will meet with the students of the technical vocational institute “G. Ferraris”, bringing them a message of hope and dialogue. The day will be characterized by the prayer of praise at 8:30 AM, the Eucharistic celebration at 7 PM followed by the Vespers prayer, and finally at 8 PM the gathering of the Gospel Listening Groups in the different areas of the neighborhood, which will converge in procession towards the church, a gesture that symbolically and concretely unites all the families involved.

The parish priest, Father Filippo Bella, expressed his deep gratitude towards missionaries, host families, volunteers, choirs, scouts, altar servers and all those who are contributing to the success of the mission, recalling in the official document: “The Lord reward you and grant you His peace. Mary Most Holy Annunciation, pray for us”. The Popular Mission continues to be a shared journey that is touching the hearts of many, an experience that unites generations and renews faith through the beauty of encounter, prayer, and fraternity.