In St. Benedict Parish, Scorzè (a major industrial center located in the Treviso diocese), at the end of every Sunday Mass, the pastor provides his parishioners with information for the week and also warmly invites them to visit a small book-nook run by the FSPs of Treviso each Sunday. Because Scorzè does not have a book shop, our sisters came up with an apostolic initiative they call Cultivating a Hunger for Reading–a project intended to help non-readers or those who only pick up a book occasionally become more familiar with the written word.
The initiative is also designed to appeal to book-lovers, who can find in the display of titles an abundance of spiritual reading, as well as classics and modern novels that stimulate deeper reflection. Information about the book-nook and its reading material is published in the weekly parish bulletin by the pastor, who agrees with our sisters that faith and culture need to be well integrated.
When asked how things were going, he said that the feedback was very positive. “We are convinced that faith and culture have a lot to say to each other,” he underscored.
“In this time in which e-books are becoming more and more popular and widespread, we want to reinforce the importance of the printed word and introduce young people in particular to some challenging reading. I think one of the duties of a parish is to help people cultivate both the cultural and spiritual dimensions of their lives.”