God’s Bricklayer, recently published by the FSPs of Italy, was presented to the public at a book launch organized by the Pauline International Multimedia Center, Rome. A good-sized crowd gathered to learn about the book’s humble and genial protagonist,
Fr. Pietro Lavini, who spent his life rebuilding the ancient hermitage of San Leonardo, a 1100-meter (3700-ft.) tall building located in the Sibylline mountains in the province of Fermo. Fr. Lavini’s life story was recounted to the participants by Vincenzo Varagona, the book’s author, and enriched by commentaries by journalist Fabio Colagrande (Vatican Radio) and Ignacio Ingrao (Vatican reporter for TG1, Italy’s leading TV station). The figure that emerged was that of a person with great trust in divine Providence, who led a very simple life in symbiosis with nature, rejoicing in his work and putting the Gospel into practice without fanfare.
Cardinal Edoardo Menichelli, Archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, praised God’s creativity in the life of this very original Franciscan monk and said he hoped the story of his life would prove to be a “pulpit” from which to discover the beauty of a moderate style of life, learn listen to one’s inner self, and rediscover the importance of silence in a world flooded by words, noise and messages.
