The celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Istituto San Carpoforo, our Assumption school in Como (Italy) came to an end with the Mass of Thanksgiving on 2 June. Once again, a joyful athmosphere of the celebration filled the place as we marked this milestone with various events.
An important milestone, which in addition to being an opportunity to remember the great things experienced during these years, it has also become an opportunity to dream and look to the future.This is why the ‘Inclusion Fund’ was created and a fundraising campaign was launched. This will allow the school to be even more of a welcoming place for children with disabilities and learning difficulties. Like all public schools in Italy, we receive little funding from the State, which is insufficient to pay for and support specific projects and special needs teachers, for all of these the Assumption is responsible currently.
A first event was the ‘Solidarity Dinner at the Sheraton Lake Como’, attended by two hundred people, mainly families, alumni and friends. It was a joyful event, spent in a friendly family-like atmosphere. There was also time for discussion and sharing of testimonies by those who live with disability and its challenges on a daily basis.
On 20th April we held a festive afternoon in our park for the whole school and families, with games, workshops, various stands and food stalls… It was so much fun to get together!
Two concerts were held on 11th and 25th May in the fourth-century Romanesque basilica (it was the first basilica of the diocese of Como and its first cathedral), which is part of the San Carpoforo school complex. It brought together a good number of people and both concerts contributed to the ‘Inclusion Fund’.
The all-female Siyaya Choir delighted us with a brilliant performance of sacred and secular pieces drawn from musical traditions from all over the world. The second concert was that of the ‘Celtic Harp Orchestra’. The magic of this instrument and the voices of the choir made us travel and dream. And here we are, arrived to the closing day of this centenary year, with a packed church for the Thanksgiving Mass followed by a festive evening celebration.
We cherish in our hearts the joy of so many encounters with the families and teachers who spent years of their lives in this school with passion, with former pupils young and old who remember with gratitude what they received.
There is a certain nostalgia, of course, at the end of what is also the closing of an exciting school year. We are also very grateful for the charism that is always alive and can always be renewed. Heartfelt thanks to all those who have made this celebration possible, and to those who have participated, believing in the values which the school wants to continue to pass on to future generations.
Sister Anna Pagani
