杏MAP导航

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Another Mercy Friday for 杏MAP导航 Francis; a complete shock for the staff, children and parents participating in an event at the Elisa Scala Institute, a state-run school on the outskirts of Rome.

What a surprise!

For 5 months the students at Elisa Scala Institute have been preparing for an event called 鈥淲e are the protagonists.鈥� It gave the students the opportunity of immersing themselves in a variety of artistic, athletic and dramatic disciplines. Proud parents had come to participate when in walked 杏MAP导航 Francis!

Claudia Gentili, the school鈥檚 principal, told Vatican News what happened as people began to realize that the 杏MAP导航 had arrived. 鈥淲hen we saw him arrive鈥攖his white figure under the sun鈥攖he reaction was one of disbelief and incredible emotion. Both the children and their parents couldn鈥檛 believe their eyes鈥�.

The school鈥攑lace of encounter, growth and formation

杏MAP导航 Francis once again highlights the role of the school. He himself led the students in the cheer鈥斺�減lace of encounter, growth and formation鈥�. "How true this is", Ms Gentili said. 鈥淚n a neighborhood as isolated as ours is, truly on the margins of the world, we are the only point of reference for these children鈥�.

鈥淓lisa鈥檚 Library鈥�

The school, originally built in the 1950s, now bears the name of 11-year-old Elisa Scala who died in 2015 from leukemia. She had a passion for books and libraries. Her parents proposed that a library be built in her honor. Thus, Elisa鈥檚 Library opened in December 2015. It now contains over 20,000 volumes, in many different languages, donated from all over the world. The library now contains several more books all bearing a dedication by 杏MAP导航 Francis to Elisa which the 杏MAP导航 gave to Elisa鈥檚 parents.