April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
NORCIA, ITALY
Local priests visited Italian basilica then destroyed by quake
Local priests visited Italian basilica then destroyed by quake
The earthquake destroyed the Basilica of St. Benedict, which was cared for by the Benedictine monks of Norcia. The monastery where the monks live was also destroyed.
The quake struck just days after two priests from the Albany Diocese -- Rev. Steven Scarmozzino, administrator of Sacred Heart parish in Margaretville, and Rev. Paul Catena, pastor of Annunciation parish in Ilion and Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Frankfort -- returned from an Oct. 5-20 pilgrimage to the historic town and surrounding area. The theme of their trip was, "In the Footsteps of St. Benedict."
"The monks are dear friends of mine," Father Scarmozzino told The Evangelist. "I'm very much in solidarity with the monks."
Father Scarmozzino has had a devotion to St. Benedict for years. The Rule of St. Benedict, a book of guidelines initially intended for monks living in community, is one of the priest's inspirations. He said it "contains a practical wisdom that not only inspired monks and clergy and men and women religious of all orders, but also all of the faithful. It's a rule that's quite universal."
Reduced to rubble
Remembering the massive basilica and beautiful artwork in Norcia, the priest told The Evangelist that he was saddened to realize the sites he had just visited were now in ruins.
After the quake, the Benedictine monks gathered local residents in the town square and led them in prayer. They also assisted in relief work.
"How can I even begin to describe the scene we witnessed yesterday in Norcia? It was like those photographs of bombed-out churches from the Second World War," remarked the monks' subprior, Father Benedict, on the monks' blog (http://en.nursia.org).
Father Catena can relate to the stress the monks are feeling. Back in 2011, when he was assigned to Sacred Heart parish in Margaretville, there was massive flooding in the area from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee that left him and the parish uprooted. Sacred Heart suffered at least $1 million in damage, with the parish hall, rectory and garage left unusable for months.
Life upside down
"It was horribly upsetting," the priest recalled. "It throws your life upside down. People don't realize that. They expect you to go on with life, but you have to go on and rebuild. The monks are going through that, too.
"It's really hard to know how something feels unless you've gone through it. You try to empathize, but it's hard. I really feel for the people and for the monks and for the civil authorities," he said.
The monks were absent from Norcia for many years, only coming back to the area in 2000. Since their return, they have been working on restoring the basilica and monastery, making the earthquake damage all the more devastating. The monks also have a brewery on site, though there have not been any reports of damage to it.
"The one disaster that cameras don't easily capture is the shattering of people's resolve and the collapse of courage when everything they have is gone," noted a Nov. 3 Catholic News Service article on the quake.
While the local priests were in Italy, they said they felt tremors every so often -- aftershocks from the earthquakes that hit the area months ago.
Because of the continuing tremors and damage from the earlier quakes, the basilica was closed to the public. However, the priests were able to get a special tour of the basilica during their stay with the monks, making them some of the last people to see it before it collapsed.
"It was a real blessing to see it," Father Catena said. "Now it's all gone. It is a weird feeling. I was just there."
Still Church
Father Catena stressed that the physical building, though historic, does not encompass the religious community: The Church, he said, is a living monument, physical or not.
The monks apparently agree: On their blog, they wrote about welcoming a new member the very night of the earthquake. The disaster "binds the monks to the very ground that shakes," the subprior observed.
Father Scarmozzino told The Evangelist that he is "confident that the monks will perservere in their vocation with the same commitment that has brought them past successes and growth."
Both priests feel blessed to have been seen the basilica and monastery. Although they are saddened by the disaster, they find comfort in the fact that all of their friends in the monastery and in Norcia were uninjured.[[In-content Ad]]
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