Person first

Translating into words the gestures, emotions, and glances of this time at the Arsenale della Speranza is not easy. The risk is that of taking something important for granted or overlooking it.

Here, at every moment of the day, the presence of a wounded humanity is clearly evident, in different forms and ways, finding a home. Even when you retire to your room in the evening, the voices of guests reach you from the windows and mark the hours of the night.

This is a home that welcomes and extends a hand to those seeking a way out of a difficult situation and longing for a change. A home that certainly offers a bed, a shower, hearty meals, and the opportunity for professional development courses, but the most important thing that the Arsenale della Speranza offers is dignity. Each guest is recognized for their face, for the importance of being human.

At the Arsenal of Hope, the person comes first, and then all their needs. It's beautiful to see how this is possible because it is a house inhabited by fraternity, by people who have chosen to serve vulnerable humanity with their entire lives, offering their time, presence, and prayer. This is what makes the atmosphere here feel like home, as in the Arsenal of Peace, the Arsenal of Encounter, the Arsenal of Harmony, and in all the houses in which fraternity inhabits.

It is a house that gives much, but which, to the extent possible, has the courage to ask those welcomed to give back. Giving back time, service, and skills: two mornings a week, for many years now, the Growing Forest group has met.

These moments help build healthy relationships and foster the possibility of encounters between those who share the same situation, but aren't always able to take the first step toward one another.

Among the many moments I've experienced here, I was particularly struck by the joy of some guests, no longer very young, who attended a theater performance with some of us. As we walked to the theater, some of them were a little worried because they'd never been there before and weren't sure what to expect. What does a theater look like? Will it be beautiful? Will we have fun? Hearing them ask all these questions reminded me of the questions a child asks when faced with a new situation and isn't sure whether to be excited or afraid. I think it was precisely this childlike spirit that allowed our guests to fully engage with the images the performance sought to evoke: memories of childhood, family, and dreams. With the desires and dreams of long ago reawakened, it was easy to accept the invitation and take the stage alongside the actors and other children in the audience. Bringing hope into people's lives also means, above all, this: allowing them to rediscover the dimension of dreams in the times they live in, with all their difficulties. It is the dream that guides our steps, the dream of a better life, of a better society and world. The dream of a world where Love is truly for everyone.


The Fraternity of Sermig in Brazil
NP April 2025