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Reaching out on the Italian beaches:
Backed by volunteers wearing red Baywatch-style T-shirts and calling themselves the Lifeguards of Jesus, Father Vito and another priest were on hand to offer penance and absolution from 10 at night until one in the morning.
"Some people were a bit mistrustful and others were sarcastic. But in general the reaction was very positive," he said.
Some 30 Lifeguards of Jesus – drawn from a Catholic lay association, the Movimento pro Sanctitate – fanned out from the nearby Church of St Peter to fish for souls among the resort’s night-time revellers. Their outpost on the sands was made up of a crucifix, a host in a monstrance and a lifebelt.
The Adriatic coast is a dance culture mecca in which even the Almighty would at times struggle to be heard over the riffs and breaks.
"But," said the priest at St Peter’s, Monsignor Vincenzo Amadio, "we have to get in touch with people in the places where they are. We are changing from a church that called people in – ringing bells and the like – to one that goes after them."
I think this is the Movement’s page
posted July 25, 2006 at 9:59 am
This sounds like a wonderful ministry. There’s always a tension when “the Church” goes out into “the world.” At times what happens is that the Church assumes the priorities of the world and the mission gets twisted to fit those priorities (think the Worker Priests of France, Liberation Theology, and so many “social justice” priests and nuns in the US in the 60′s and 70′s). When it’s successful, such evangelical ministries are firmly rooted in the Church and do not lose sight of that mission (think of the Dominicans and Franciscans in the 13th century, the priests associated with the labor movement in the early part of the 20th century or the temperance movement in the 19th, Mother Teresa’s sisters today).
“Beach ministry” may seem like something worthy of a good joke, but things like this have the potential of truly transforming the culture and bringing greater life to the Church. I hope that Monsignor Amadio and his group don’t “go out to where the people are” so much that they themselves can no longer hear the ringing of the church bells.
posted July 25, 2006 at 10:44 am
At first I winced at the description of the “volunteers wearing red Baywatch-style T-shirts and calling themselves the Lifeguards of Jesus”. But then I clicked on the link at the top of the post and saw the picture of the priest taking confession on the beach. Powerful! I highly recommend taking a look at that.
posted July 25, 2006 at 11:20 am
The photo of the priest hearing confessions on the beach is very moving.
posted July 25, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Whew! Some people have the really rough ministries, you know?
posted November 21, 2012 at 9:31 pm
Lovely post!