Don Franco Monterubbianesi with Don Vinicio Albanesi a few years ago.
A national fund “to help young people in situations of fragility to concretely pursue their life project, through the provision of scholarships and job placement”: Lo he established the Community of Capodarco to remember his founder Don Franco Monterubbianesi, He died on May 27 on the 94 -year -old threshold: in fact he was born on May 30, 1931. «Whoever knew him know that young people, their dreams and their future were particularly at heart. In his memory and to give continuity to his commitment we decided to establish a fund managed by the Council of the Community, which will be used to support projects for autonomy and realization of the life projects of young people in situations of fragility. Each initiative that will be supported with the funds raised, because it is considered consistent with the objectives and memory of Don Franco, will be discussed and approved by the Council and promptly and publicly reported on the site “, highlights Don Vinicio Albanesi, President of the Community of Capodarco di Fermo Ets. That in recent days he wanted to recapitulate the load -bearing lines of the charisma of Don Monterubbianesi. “The almost 94 years of his life can be summarized in five characteristics that have guided his action”, “the foundations of his proposal”. First of all, trust, “a rare and difficult virtue, towards anyone who met, regardless of the physical and state condition. It was a student, seminarian, disabled, teacher, volunteer. An attitude that led him to imagine what was not yet. Hence the charm of dreams to be realized. The imprint of trust suggested hope ». Secondly, “freedom: a feature that frees schemes, prejudices, errors. Each has the right to create their own history towards happiness, even if it is necessary to overcome prejudices, habits and traditions ».
Then “the community: Don Franco was always a proponent convinced that only together can problems and difficulties, prejudices and impediments be overcome. The memory and merit also go to Marisa Galli, the girl with founding disabilities with him of the Capodarco community “in Christmas 1966. In that semi-abandoned villa in the province of Ascoli Piceno they went to live together with the priest 13 disabled people pulled out of the assistance institutes, and four years later there will be over a hundred. Disappeared at 91 on January 21, 2022, suffering from a very serious form of spastic paralysis, Marisa was defined by Don Albanesi «Exceptional woman, with serious physical limits that did not prevent her from dreaming full life. He had a very strong inner ability, he was humble and of unshakable faith. Together they gave birth to this revolutionary utopia, a dream that has become concrete history ».
The two had met during the pilgrimages organized by Unitalsi in Loreto and Lourdes in the 1960s: «They elaborate a different perspective for the thousands of people, then closed in structures that are not rehabilitative but simple and arid containers. Marisa is a woman with serious physical limits who do not prevent her from dreaming of full life. He has his emotional, working, social and religious dreams. Don Franco is a young priest who in Rome, late vocation, studied theology and philosophy. They speak of the future: they mean it as redemption, freedom, commitment, work. In the evangelical spirit that animates them they understand the key to reading the “resurrection”: a redemption that removes the lacccioli that prevent movements, but offers the perspective of family, full work and social life. It is a great idea and a great revolution. Ivando in the group it is possible to break the walls of prejudices and marginality ». The beginnings of their dream “are poor and improvised, at the limits of unconsciousness. The idea is attractive for the many disabled people in Italy, but also for young people, looking for commitment, alternative to politics. The first developments are exciting: weddings will be celebrated, workshops will be activated that will become cooperative over time, the horizons of commitment (return to the earth, projects for the third world, conscientious objection, civil service) will be widening, the first children will be born. The movement will expand in the regions of Italy and abroad “.
In fact, the fourth cornerstone of the charisma of Don Monterubbianesi was «World Championship: problems in the world are interconnected and very similar. Don Franco has not placed boundaries or materials or spiritual to his action. He has always tried to grasp opportunities to improve life », Punctualize Don Albanesi. Finally “his spirituality, together Orthodox and courageous. An essential religiosity that respects God, the creation, the gifts granted to live a single and collective life in harmony, realizing the dream of happiness. Don Franco conceived the world as a whole created by God so that every creature was happy ». In fact, with his life and his work Don Monterubbianesi “has broken the taboos of Pietismo: if there are laws and rights also for people with disabilities, we owe it to people like him, tenacious, with a broad vision, with a spasmodic attention to young people”.
You can give a donation through the crowdfunding platform at the link https://gofund.me/c7a05b37 or by bank transfer to the IBAN IT96T084916660000018282441 registered to the National Community of Capodarco, causal: Fondo Don Franco Monterubbianesi. For more information on fundraising: info@comunitadicapodarco.it
(Top photo: Don Franco Monterubbianesi)
