The Sicilian-Neapolitan Province of the Camillians offers young people the opportunity to participate in the ‘New Year of Solidarity’ (Capodanno di solidarietà) this year. It is an initiative in continuity with the summer service camp held annually on the days of St. Camillus. Therefore, these days from December 29, 2023, to January 2, 2024, organized in the festive atmosphere of the Christmas season, will allow participants to experience, through a series of encounters, visits to the sick, the poor, and people in difficulty in our Camillian facilities.

There will be the opportunity to serve: a) at the “Casa Sollievo San Camillo” in Acireale on a particular day of the year when everyone aspires to be with their loved ones or friends. In this place, one becomes family and friends for these people; b) at the “Casa della Carità,” where AIDS patients await someone to brighten their festive days, even with just a visit and a smile; c) At “Giovanni XXIII,” a psycho-pedagogical institute for young people excluded from society due to their disabilities, to reengage and rediscover their preciousness. Rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes in the area, with the charism of St. Camillus, enhance the beauty of their existence.

These works predominantly survive on Providence, so these days will also be an offering to all participants, allowing them to experience the beauty of generosity not only in food and accommodation but also in hospitality for a greater opening of their hearts.

The goal of these days will be to leave a mark on the participants so that, upon returning to ordinary life, they can feel strengthened and enriched by words and faces that will enable them to reach the depths and meaning of many aspects of their lives. And to all participants in the ‘New Year of Solidarity’, the wish of St. Camillus is to be “like a strong perfume that wherever it settles, leaves its trail.”

Fr. Salvatore Giuseppe Camillo Pontillo
(In-charge of the Provincial Secretariat for Formation)