On January 27 and 28, the Adventist church in Roma Appia hosted a large group of young Adventists from the Rome district, from Oriolo, and also from Gaeta.
On Friday, January 27, more than 50 girls and boys gathered in the church to share moments of praise and worship, and personal faith experiences.
On Sabbath, the Appia community hosted over 100 people. Some youth leaders delivered the sermon on the theme of the Shoah, on the occasion of Remembrance Day. The reflections started from some ideas suggested by Past. Luca Faedda who, besides being responsible for the Appia community and the coordinator of the Youth and Pathfinders in central Italy, also leads the youth activities in the Roman district.
The stumbling stones
Some presented reflections on the topic, while others deepened their knowledge of the stories of several concentration camp survivors and produced a short, very moving play. They also told the stories of various people remembered by the stumbling stones. In Rome, there are several of these brass plaques among the 'sanpietrini' of the capital, placed in front of the doors of the houses where victims of Nazi-Fascism lived or where they were taken prisoner. They bear the name of the person, the year of birth, the place of deportation, if any, and the date of death, if known. A plaque is placed in front of the place where the Filipino Adventist community in Rome meets and commemorates Don Pietro Pappagallo, an anti-fascist priest, known for providing help to victims of Nazi-Fascism.
Interestingly, the expression 'stumbling stone' comes from the Bible. "Behold, I place in Zion a stumbling stone and a stone of scandal, but he who believes in him will not be disappointed" (Romans 9:33).
In the afternoon, after the agape, the whole community and the young guests came together to watch a film on the subject. This was followed by an interesting debate that brought young people and adults together to discuss the harsh events that are commemorated every year on 27 January.
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