On 20 December 2025, Saturday of the Third Week of Advent, the customary year-end gathering of the Marche and Romagna Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George took place. The Delegation is led by the Delegate, Count Carlo Cicconi Massi, Knight Grand Cross of Jure Sanguinis with Gold Star. The event was held at the Cistercian abbey complex of Santa Maria, located in the town of Chiaravalle—virtually founded around and thanks to this very site—in the Province of Ancona.
The meeting, organized by the Delegation for Knights, Dames, Postulants, family members, friends, and guests, took the form of a pre-Christmas spiritual retreat. Its purpose was to share the values of the Constantinian Order and to strengthen bonds of friendship.
The gathering began with a guided tour led by the Parish Collaborator, Don Giancarlo Giuliani, who illustrated the architectural features of the 12th-century abbey complex and the numerous works of art preserved within it.
This was followed by a Lectio magistralis with meditative reflections on Holy Christmas, delivered by the Delegation Chaplain, Monsignor Umberto Gasparini, Chaplain of Merit, after which the Eucharistic Celebration took place.
At the conclusion of the meeting, participants gathered at a local restaurant for a convivial agape.
The celebration of Holy Mass, at 12:00 noon in a small chapel dedicated to the Mother of God, was presided over by Monsignor Umberto Gasparini, with concelebrant Father Giorgio Martelli, a priest of the Diocese of Ascoli Piceno, currently serving as a Military Chaplain at the Italian Army’s CAPAR Parachuting Training Center in Pisa. They were assisted by Giuseppe Golia, a permanent deacon of the Cathedral of Ascoli Piceno. The Prayer of the Constantinian Knight was recited by the Vice Delegate and Secretary General, Count Piergiovanni Cicconi Massi, Knight of Jure Sanguinis.
A convivial gathering then followed at a local restaurant, allowing participants to further strengthen their bonds of friendship and to raise a substantial sum, donated by the Delegate to the Abbey of Chiaravalle for works of mercy. Greetings from the Delegate and exchanges of Christmas wishes were also shared among those present, including Rear Admiral Andrea Vitali, Knight of Merit, and Major Elpidio Balsamo, Commander of the Jesi Carabinieri Company.
