DNA hope

We are in the early 1970s. A lady highlights a characteristic of the Sermig. Ernesto Olivero brings it to the attention of Pope John Paul II: "For some years Italy had been shaken by youth protest and terrorism [...]. We felt that we were a firm presence against violence, but serene towards the people, and not in the seclusion of our churches, but in the squares, in places of meeting, protest, and demand. We had chosen silence. Simply gathering in the square turned it into an open-air church and thus brought prayer among the people. It was a sign that many people had picked up. After one of these great vigils in the largest square in Turin, a woman came to find me and thanked us: Thank you because you give us hope. Confirmation of this "charism" came precisely from the Pope in a meeting on January 24, 1979: he had given us the mandate to bring out the hope dormant in the heart of man".

Hope to face despair, anguish, fear that invariably characterize times of crisis, like the one we are experiencing here today. The Sermig had chosen not to denounce social and global injustices by involving people in noisy and violent demonstrations, but to meet people with calmness, with dialogue, with the practicality of proposals to help those living in poverty, with the witness of a life that has put God and the poor at the base of its choices. Squares, theaters, sports halls are used to meet people with exhibitions, with the participation of "teachers". A significant meeting took place at the crowded sports hall in Turin on May 13, 1973: Afternoon of hope, prayer, listening.

It was the first time Ernesto spoke in public. He began his speech like this: "An undeniable reality is that contemporary society is going through a crisis of values. Welfare, for many, is the ultimate goal to be achieved by passing over everything and everyone. The individual places himself at the center of every interest. Powerful minorities impose themselves on the multitude of men. In this context, Christ's message is inserted, which is a message of liberation because it is a message of Love...". These were also the years of terrorism, both black and red. Not to mention the serious oil crisis that had triggered the virus of fear. A second note. The title of the meeting had attracted a desperate person, who later became a pillar of Sermig, who had just lost his wife and the child he was carrying. The next day he wanted to meet Ernesto.

As Sermig went through that period, it was not with the desire to convert or to condemn actions but to help those who committed them understand their mistakes. Over the years, this approach, which excluded closing the mind, allowed Sermig to involve some inmates in a work cooperative. Sermig has learned and tried to live by using that key that opens the heart, mind, eyes, ears to the world and introduces to hope. Which becomes concreteness of choices and of life. Hope is a door that opens and never closes. The door of Sermig is always open.

Redazione Sermig
NP Marzo 2024