The presentation of Giuseppe Firenze’s volume entitled: “For a faithful expression of popular piety” will be held in the Martorana – Fumagalli room of Villa Butera on Sunday 3 November, at 5pm.
At the event, sponsored by the municipality of Bagheria, the mayor Filippo Maria Tripoli, the councilor for Public Education Antonella Insinga and the councilor Sergio Cannizzaro will be present for institutional greetings. Following, the speeches of Biagio Sciortino, councilor for Legality, Confiscated Assets, pathological addictions of the municipality of Bagheria, deputy director of the “Casa dei Giovani” therapeutic center of Bagheria and member of the table of national experts on alcohol addiction at the Ministry of Health, Giovanni Tesè, cassation lawyer, full professor of legal and economic disciplines, writer and essayist, Rocco Gumina, professor of Catholic religion. To enrich the event, moments of poems dedicated to the victims of the mafia by Michelangelo Balistreri. Deacon Pino Grasso moderated the meeting.
The author: Motivated by the renewal of lay associations, thus in the correct management and purification of devotions, religious festivals, processions and respect for sacred images, in total humility and service rendered to the Church, I have the joy of sharing the publication of book, entitled: “For a faithful expression of popular piety – suggestions to devout people”. In 2018 I published the first book entitled “Growing in faith and mercy within the confraternal family” (29 June 2018, Euno Edizioni, Leonforte, Enna), a sign of a strong sensitivity and deep love that I have for this topic of the brotherhoods, of the devotions, of the faith lived in these areas. The first publication was accompanied by the letter that the Secretary of State of His Holiness and of the Holy See, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent me following the publication of the aforementioned book. So in this new publication I wanted to re-propose the cardinal’s letter so that, once again, through his words of encouragement, of true testimony and closeness towards this particular world, it can bear fruit of change and conversion. This new publication was born after the presentation of the thesis presented in Rome, also the result of my personal, musical experience gained over the years and therefore following the courses promoted by the international Pontifical Marian Academy, in the Department of analysis, study and monitoring of criminal and mafia phenomena ” Free Maria from the mafias and criminal power.” It should be noted that this Compendium is also dedicated to all the ecclesiastical authorities who care about the evangelization of the people and consequently to the civil and military authorities. So when we come across some procession in which the participation of the people, the clergy or prayer is missing, but there are only sounds of drums and musical bands, it does not reflect the true meaning of a procession. In fact, religiosity needs to be purified from what is foreign to the evangelical message. Otherwise it can generate questions without answers, gestures without content, memories linked to emotion, a personal and sentimental way of living faith, based exclusively on external forms. Every celebration is of the Church which prolongs the Easter joy. The book, in addition to talking about the theme of brotherhoods, religious celebrations, the business of celebrations, devotions, bows, the religiosity of the mafiosi, legality, references to exhortations from the Popes and Bishops, in particular from our Archbishop of Palermo, His Exc. Rev. Monsignor Corrado Lorefice, I also wanted to give space to the problem of drugs, a scourge of our society that must always be paid attention to by all political forces, in civil and ecclesiastical institutions. Finally, I wanted to recall many passages regarding the victims and martyrs of justice who, with their example, offered their lives and through their commitment left us and delivered a testimony for all of us, examples to imitate for the new generations.