- Community of Sant'Egidio
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The church of Sant'Egidio, seat of the community of Sant'Egidio
The Community of Sant'Egidio is a Christian community that is officially recognized by the Catholic Church as a "Church public lay association". It claims 50,000 members in more than 70 countries. Its main activities are:
- Prayer, centered around a reading of the Bible
- Spreading the Gospel to help people who are looking for a sense to their life.
- Service to the poor, which is free and unpaid
- Commitment to ecumenism (the Community of Sant'Egidio is also ecumenical, though being rooted in the Catholic Church)
- Dialogue with members of other religions and non-believers.
The Community of Sant'Egidio was founded in Rome in 1968 by a group of Roman high school students led by Andrea Riccardi. It is named after the Roman Church of Sant'Egidio (Italian for Saint Giles) in Trastevere, its first permanent meeting place. Since 1968, the community has gathered each night to pray and read from the Bible, reflecting on the Gospel, eventually spreading throughout the world with a mission of helping those in need. Their activities include setting up refuges for the old, hospices for AIDS patients, and printing a handbook titled "Where to Eat, Sleep, and Wash in Rome" as gifts to the homeless.
The charitable efforts of Sant'Egidio also led it to be a well-regarded mediator of peace negotiations. In the late 1980s, the Community came to the realization that their humanitarian efforts in Mozambique, then torn by the Mozambican Civil War, could not succeed without peace. In 1990, the Community was accepted by the ruling FRELIMO and rebel Mozambican National Resistance as a mediator, playing a key role in the Rome General Peace Accords signed in 1992. They continue peace initiatives in Algeria (notably the 1995 Sant'Egidio Platform), the Balkans, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other areas, in the belief that war is the "mother of every poverty”.
The community of Sant'Egidio shows its commitment against the Death penalty by maintaining penpalships with many Death convicts, collecting signatures for a moratorium of executions and inviting cities around the world to take part in the Cities for Life Day.
Contents
Churches and places of worship in Rome
The Community of Sant' Egidio has its center in the Church of Sant'Egidio and the annexed convent (also called Monastery of our Lady of Carmel) which are used for daily prayers and meetings. Furthermore, it has in use several other churches in Rome, some of major historical significance, such as Santa Maria in Trastevere. In this basilica - beside the daily parish schedule - every evening is hold the Community prayer, at h.20.30 (GMT +1). The prayer is open to everybody and simultaneous translation in provided upon request. The prayer is broadcasted live on internet at http://mediaserver.glauco.it/RecCMS/InBluDiretta.jsp For further information on other events are or activities, see www.santegidio.org. In the parish of Santa Maria is included also the small and ancient church of S.Calisto, which hosts prayers and masses according to the parish timetable.
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- San Bartolomeo all' Isola (noted for being the resting place of St. Bartholomew the Apostle) hosts also the memorial of the martyrs and witnesses of the faith of the XX and XXI century. The church is open to public every day and guided visits are provided upon request.
Every evening the prayer of the Community of Sant'Egidio takes place there at 20.30. For further info, see http://www.sanbartolomeo.org/index.aspx?ln=en In Rome several groups of the Community gather for regular meetings of prayer also in other churches or places of worship (such as Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini and many others, mainly located in the outskirts of the city).
Awards
The Community of Sant'Egidio has received numerous honors and recognitions.[1] These include:
- 1997: World Methodist Peace Award from the World Methodist Council
- 1999: Niwano Peace Prize from the Niwano Peace Foundation
- 1999: Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize from UNESCO
- 2000: Formal recognition from the New York City Council for commitment to human rights, in particular efforts to stop the death penalty
- 2002: Nominated by the Parliament of Italy for the Nobel Peace Prize
- 2004: International Peacemaking Award from Common Ground[2]
- 2004: Balzan Prize for humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples.[3]
- 2009: International Charlemagne Prize recognizing Andrea Riccardi, the Society's founder, as a "great European" whose life has been at the service of his neighbor.[4]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Premi e riconoscimenti, santegidio.org (Italian)
- ^ "Scaling the Middle Ground" (DOC format), The Washington Post, March 6, 2004; Page B09 (copy hosted by sfcg.org)
- ^ Balzan award 2004 - International Balzan Foundation
- ^ Sant'Egidio Founder Awarded as Peacemaker
- Pierre Anouilh, "Des pauvres a la paix. Aspects de l'action pacificatrice de Sant'Egidio au Mozambique", _ LFM. Sciences sociales et missions _, No.17, Dec. 2005, pp. 11–40
- Eric Morier-Genoud, "Sant’ Egidio et la paix. Interviews de Don Matteo Zuppi & Ricardo Cannelli", _ LFM. Sciences sociales et missions _, Oct 2003, pp. 119–145
Books
- Sant 'Egidio, Rome and the World - by Andrea Riccardi, Peter Heinegg, ISBN 0-85439-559-8 / ISBN 978-0-85439-559-0, Saint Paul Publications
- The Sant'Egidio Book of Prayer - by Andrea Riccardi and the Community of Sant'Egidio, ISBN 1-59471-206-9 / ISBN 978-1-59471-206-7, Ave Maria Press
External links
- The Community of Sant'Egidio homepage
- DREAM (Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and malnutrition) programm - The Community of Sant'Egidio
- BBC Profile: The Community of Sant'Egidio
- UNESCO Courier, "Sant'Egidio's Diplomacy of Friendship
- Time Magazine profile of Andrea Riccardi, 3 April 2008
- "Sant'Egidio at 40: Linking friendship and service in world-changing ways," National Catholic Reporter, 16 May 2008
- Austen Ivereigh, "Changing the World Via the Crucified: The Community of Sant'Egidio", 22 December 2005
- Oomoto participates in Sant’Egidio conference Dialogue among religions and cultures On divided island nation of Cyprus November 2008, taken from Oomoto Website
- Creating Peace In War Zones: The Roman Catholic Community Of Sant'Egidio, The Huffington Post, Oct. 16, 2010
Niwano Peace Prize laureates Hélder Câmara (1983) · Homer A. Jack (1984) · Zhao Puchu (1985) · Philip A. Potter (1986) · World Muslim Congress (1987) · Etai Yamada (1989) · Norman Cousins (1990) · Hildegard Goss-Mayr (1991) · A. T. Ariyaratne (1992) · Neve Shalom ~ Wahat as-Salam (1993) · Paulo Evaristo Arns (1994) · M. Aram (1995) · Marii Hasegawa (1996) · Corrymeela Community (1997) · Maha Ghosananda (1998) · Community of Sant'Egidio (1999) · Kang Won Yong (2000) · Elias Chacour (2001) · Samuel Ruiz García (2002) · Scilla Elworthy (2003) · Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (2004) · Hans Küng (2005) · Rabbis for Human Rights (2006) · Cheng Yen (2007) · Prince Hassan bin Talal (2008) · Gideon Byamugisha (2009) · Ela Bhatt (2010) · Sulak Sivaraksa (2011)
Categories:- Catholic lay societies
- Peace organizations
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