The new church has finally been built and consecrated after so much work. We are happy to present it after so much effort and the help of many people, and to be able to use it to draw closer to God, for the celebration of Holy Mass and for moments of reflection and spiritual meditation. Read the article about the participation of the Italian Consul at the inaugural Mass of the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Barbacena. Read Article

In the words of Marco Roberto:

“I had recently bought the farm where we would build the mission “Saint Michael the Archangel”, and during those days, my father’s health had deteriorated greatly. I managed to get to Italy and be with him for a few hours before God called him to his home. I told him everything I imagined building for the future of our children, our city of children! Perhaps few know that his last words before falling into a coma were: ‘After building what you told me, do one thing for your father, build a church!’”  

“Seventeen years later, I am fulfilling the commitment I made to the Heavenly Father through my earthly father: on September 29, 2017, we consecrated the Church of “Saint Michael the Archangel”. The idea of reproducing a thousand-year-old Romanesque church (the abbey of Fontanella in Sotto il Monte – Bergamo, Italy) in Brazil, where no one has ever seen stones worked, was born from the love I have always had for this temple, where light only enters to illuminate the crucifix and you always find yourself in the penumbra, as in life, always in the dark until you understand that only Jesus can be your light.”

“I believe that God expressed through the words of a dying man his dream, a dream that goes beyond the walls of the mission, a dream of redeeming faith through a holy place built on the pillars that found our mission: Love and Sacrifice.”

On September 29th, the Consul attended the inaugural Mass of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Barbacena, within the “Sociedade S. Miguel Arcanjo” (“Mission of Saint Michael the Archangel”), a creation of the Italian lay missionary Marco Roberto Bertoli. It is a perfect replica of the Abbey of “Sant’Egidio in Fontanella di Sotto il Monte” (Bergamo, IT).

In other words, Bertoli, who for almost 20 years with the mission has welcomed 450 children and adolescents removed from their families for various reasons related to degradation and social abandonment, has rebuilt a Romanesque-style church, which has been open to the public since last Friday.

For the inaugural mass, officiated by the Archbishop of Mariana Geraldo Lyrio Rocha, were present, at the invitation of the Consul, the Secretary of State for Culture of Minas Gerais Angelo Oswaldo de Araujo Santos representing the Governor and the Federal Deputy Eros Biondini, in addition to the former Senator and Deputy, as well as former Minister of Communications and two-time candidate for the Government of Minas Gerais Helio Costa. The entire municipal structure of Barbacena was also present, with the Mayor, Vice Mayor, and several Secretaries.

Furthermore, all the honorary consular representatives of the region were present (in particular, Juiz de Fora, Barbacena, and S. João del Rei) and representatives of Italian institutions in Minas Gerais: the President of the Chamber of Commerce Valentino Rizzioli, the Vice President of the Chamber and founder of ACIBRA Mario Araldi, the councilor of the CGIE Silvia Alciati, and several members of the Italian community of Barbacena. All those present agreed on the uniqueness of the Church, the event, and Bertoli’s structure, which also has a large following in Italy (https://www.ilpadrepellegrino.org/missione). Without a doubt, it is one of the most extraordinary stories of Italian solidarity in Brazil.

In the photo below, the Consul, Roberto Bertoli, and the Secretary of State for Culture Angelo Oswaldo de Araujo Santos.