Diocese: Pitigliano
To talk or write about the Carmel of Cerreto, in the province of Grosseto, could be just a hypothetical discourse or a deduction, because it is a seed which is in bud; tomorrow it will grow into a plant, as Jesus says in the Gospel about the mustard seed. It is more exact to talk of the Carmel of Cerreto than of a monastery, because the traditional wall of a monastery does not exist. The small canonical house where for more than six years the Carmelite nuns have lived had its origins with the apparition of Our Lady of Sorrows on 19 May 1853. Veronica, a pious lady, was asked to pray and to weep for sinners, to go to the Bishop so that he might build a chapel. And now in that chapel lies her body full of prayerful presence and tears of uninterrupted prayers.
The place today is still quiet, forgotten, unknown and not easily accessible; and, once reached, it is a place which isolates you. That is Cerreto. A field which welcomes you in its genuineness, which points to something on high, which speaks to you with its silence, with its green, with its inexorable wind.
On 19 May 1992, three solemnly professed nuns from the Carmel of Carpineto Romano (Italy) went there and now there are seven nuns with the juridical approval as "initial foundation". The small community, however, has a Prioress, a Council, an open noviciate to welcome and accompany new vocations. Several young girls are in contact discerning their vocation. Many of them have already made an exploratory experience in the community.
What do the nuns do? The journey has been thorny and it has been difficult to establish a proper and true work. The nuns do not have the necessary space. When it will be possible to face the expense, the nuns will acquire the machinery to make hosts. They were initially asked by priests and catechists to provide a service to the people: to explain the Word of God, that of the Sunday liturgy.…….. and thus the leaflets "Briciole" for adults and "Il Vangelo dei piccoli" for children were published. These leaflets go from the Carmel to the parishes in the area (about fifteen) wherever the Christian community wishes to receive them. Some are sent by post. They also do some computer work producing booklets for distribution requested by priests as well as making rosaries. They also make cards and copperplate engravings on request.
Every last Saturday of the month the nuns meet with young people for an hour of prayer: "Betel" (here the Lord spoke to me). And on the last Sunday they meet with good lay Christians who are sympathisers of Carmel for a meditation with the community and for sung Vespers (Carmelite Lay Order). The nuns have a good relationship with the people. Many come to the house for personal dialogue and spiritual guidance. Many interior conversions have taken place. "It is the Sanctuary of men" - say the nuns because men are often seen in the silence of the church which is open all day praying for long periods, alone with God. The parish priest avers that many locals have returned to the faith during these last six years. People who, for more than 40 years had not stepped into a church, now go to Sunday Eucharist (very well attended) and to the sacraments of confession and communion.
In the land of Maremma amara (bitter Maremma) the sweetness of a Star has come to shine. The fiery spirit of Elijah will gradually dry the swamp of man's life, and an oasis of messianic peace, which is prayer, will leave ever deeper traces of spiritual rebirth in souls. After years of "dryness", the Sanctuary has once more found its voice.……… the sound of Gregorian chant vibrates with the tears of Mary shed on that rainy day like a biblical cloud on a humble and unknown land: the land of the prophetic event of "Janua Coeli".
Address: Santuario dell'Addolorata
58010 Cerreto di Sorano (Grosseto)
Italy.
Tel. 0564 633 298
website: http://www.januacoeli.it/
