The Community of the Sons and Daughters of God in Florence has recently enjoyed the company of Sandhurst visitors. In early September, the Sons and Daughters of God welcomed Bishop Shane to their community, where he immersed himself in community life. Then at the end of the month, they welcomed Fr Jackson Saunders.  Br Massimo, who usually lives in community in Dookie, shares their news ... 

 

We were delighted to have Bishop Shane visit us in Florence for a few days. It was a beautiful time of friendship and sharing. We appreciated, most of all, Bishop Shane’s friendliness, down-to-earth character, his sensitivity and understanding of our spirituality, and of religious communities in general. 

 

Bishop Shane was able to visit three of our monasteries (or “houses of common life”): Casa San Sergio, which is our motherhouse; Our Lady of Sasso, which is a beautiful Marian Shrine in the hills of Tuscany, built during the Renaissance; and Casa Trasfigurazione, which is the home of our Sisters. 

 

The first day of Bishop Shane’s visit, he and our superior general, Fr Agostino, engaged in an enlightening conversation about our Father Founder and the charism of our community, which Bishop Shane understood perfectly in spite of the fact that Fr Agostino spoke only in Italian! 

 

Later that evening, Br Daniele accompanied Bishop Shane for some sightseeing in Florence. The main attraction was the Church of San Miniato al Monte, probably one of the most beautiful churches in all of Florence. San Miniato al Monte is a romanesque Church, located near Piazzale Michelangelo, a large piazza where there is a breathtaking view of Florence.

 

The next day, Fr Bernardo, the superior of Our Lady of Sasso, gave Bishop Shane a tour of the Church, monastery and grounds, explaining the history and the Marian apparitions that took place. For lunch, an Italian lay member of our community, Carmela, prepared a five-star meal: pasta with bolognese sauce made with wild boar meat. Spectacular!

 

The final night, we had dinner together at Casa Trasfigurazione. Towards the end of the dinner, the Sisters asked Bishop Shane if he had any words of encouragement for our Community. He replied saying that a strong point of our community is our relationship with the laity and encouraged us to continue along those lines. We are grateful to him for his reassuring words.

Unfortunately, Fr Doroteo was not in Florence at the time of Bishop Shane’s visit.