In recent days, representatives from the Section for the City of Lamezia Terme of the Calabria Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George made a donation of clothing to the diocesan Caritas at the San Benedetto Interparochial Complex in Lamezia Terme, Italy.
Among the principal features of the Complex, in addition to the church and the auditorium that can host up to 800 people, are spaces dedicated to religious and charitable activities, both parochial and diocesan, such as the Vincentian Volunteers and the diocesan Caritas. These operate in a spirit of sharing with the city, with the aim of serving the least and the most disadvantaged, doing so with generosity and service, but also with the intention of giving dignity to the human person, beginning with the facilities that include a dining hall, kitchens, offices, and a listening center.
The donated clothing will be destined for families in difficulty who, daily and unfortunately in large numbers, turn to the diocesan Caritas and the parish not only for material support, but also and above all for spiritual comfort.
The Director of the diocesan Caritas, Father Fabio Stanizzo, thanked the Constantinian Order, which—through the Section for the City of Lamezia Terme of the Calabria Delegation—once again demonstrated its closeness to the most needy.
The Constantinian delegation was led by the Representative for the City of Lamezia Terme, Raffaele Mazza, Knight of Merit, accompanied by Eng. Salvatore Medici, Knight of Office.
The Delegate for Calabria ad interim, Count Don Gianluigi Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona dei Duchi di Laurenzana (of the Dukes of Laurenzana), Neapolitan Patrician, Knight of Justice, informed of the charitable activity of the Section for the City of Lamezia Terme, declared:
“Closeness to the least among us and the destitute is our primary mission, the putting into practice of the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ, especially as the principal feasts of Christianity approach, when the burden of daily life is greater for those who must face absences and lacks that are not only material.”
The San Benedetto Interparochial Complex
The San Benedetto Interparochial Complex in Lamezia Terme stands in a commanding position, with the precise objective of giving spiritual meaning to the fusion of the three municipalities—Sambiase, Nicastro, and Sant’Eufemia—which in 1968 led to the establishment of Lamezia Terme.
“To fulfill this task of spiritual unification,” explained Architect Paolo Portoghesi, who designed the complex, “it was necessary that the church possess very specific characteristics: a territorial prominence that would make it clearly visible from the surrounding area, a welcoming openness toward the city, and the capacity to express the communal nature of the new liturgy. The territorial prominence suggested the choice of tall bell towers as a visual reference and the analogy of the nave’s volume with a ship, an image frequently present in Christian literature, made even more evocative by the proximity of the sea.”
PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE: two volunteers of the diocesan Caritas of Lamezia Terme, Cav. Salvatore Medici, and Cav. Raffaele Mazza, both of whom are knights of the Order.
