An unsparing commitment to evangelisation and human promotion, to the protection of the intangible dignity of every human being, in the countries to which the call of Christ and the mission of the Church have sent them: “The mission is to go and proclaim the Gospel. Everything we do is to make this possible”.
“It is the Gospel that guides us and the task of the Pontifical Missionary Societies is to raise awareness for the mission and at the same time to collect the spiritual fruits and financial sacrifices and then redistribute them according to the needs of the local Churches”, explains Archbishop Nappa, President of the Pontifical Missionary Societies.
This is also the common denominator of the three people who received the Cuore Amico 2024 Award in Brescia on 19 October, with their special focus on the poorest and most fragile children and young people.
Among them was Sister Elvira Tutolo, Sister of Charity. With her, the prize went to Father Giovanni Gentilin, a Canossian missionary who, since 1989 among the shacks on the outskirts of Manila, has helped thousands of children and young people to break the chains of poverty through education and culture. And never alone, but by promoting the instrument of distance support.
The third award-winner was Marilena Valvano, a laywoman, who has been a campesina among the campesinos in Venezuela since 1993, where she has not only worked on literacy and health and agricultural assistance, but to give new hope to children in rural areas, she has created a music school that is now recognised nationwide.
Bishop Pierantonio Tremolada of Brescia also spoke at the award ceremony: “Cuore amico should be counted among the most significant realities of our diocese and territory”, he said. “We find here a true expression of that missionary vocation that the Church is called to witness”.
