Now, the city of Florence has Ellen Gould White Street. The ceremony for the renaming of the street took place on Friday, December 10, when—to the sound of trumpeters in their characteristic costumes and accompanied by the city's banner—the councilor for toponymy, Alessandro Martini, and the president of the Italian Union, Stefano Paris, unveiled the stone plaque bearing the words "Via Ellen Gould White, 1827 - 1915, Christian writer," and then the old name "Viuzzo del Pergolino”.
It was the confusion caused by the previous name of the alley, very similar to Via del Pergolino, that led to the decision to change the nomenclature. Thus, the Adventist Institute "Villa Aurora" of Florence presented a request to the relevant authorities to rename the street that the new campus buildings face, as do the Adventist publishing house and CasAurora, a structure dedicated to the reception of family members of patients hospitalized in the nearby hospital.
Some interventions
"She was a great woman who fought for the good and the rights of people through helping with health, education, and the growth of new generations,” said Councillor Martini. “Who better than [sic] her name can seal the bond between the Adventist community and the city of Florence," concluded Councillor Martini.
"Ellen White paved the way for what it means to work together," President Paris echoed him, "This way of doing mission is important to us."
After thanking the city authorities for their words about "a woman who has given incredible strength to the Adventist movement in its 70 years of work," Past. Paris explained that "Adventism is not born by chance and out of nothing, but is a vocational, prophetic, providential phenomenon, springing from God's vision, of which Ellen G. White was the chief instrument."
Among the various speakers, one voice enriched the ceremony by bringing a woman's perspective to the narrative.
"Ellen G. White interpreted for us the feminine prophecy," said Dora Bognandi, director emerita of the Italian Union's Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department and former president of the Federation of Evangelical Women in Italy.
"The word prophecy has several meanings," she added, "including that of reading and understanding the present to open the future. The last years of her life were the most fruitful. She wrote the most Christocentric books, [and] founded seminaries and hospitals."
She then highlighted the connection between the new naming and the reality in which the street is located. "Having this Ellen Gould White Street next to a university recognized by ministerial decree from the state, and in front of a state-of-the-art hospital, is for us a fitting way to recognize what [this woman] was," Bognandi concluded.
Opening of the Study and Documentation Center
Following the street naming ceremony was the opening of the "Ellen G. White" Center for Studies and Documentation, which opened at the Adventist campus library.
"On this campus, there is a college for education and training. And there is also a publishing house," said Davide Romano, director of the Villa Aurora Institute. "These are two areas," he continued, "that were very dear to Ellen G. White, [into] which she invested a lot of energy precisely because she believed in the importance of education."
The Study and Documentation Center is recognized by the U.S.-based E. G. White Estate, which promotes the Adventist author's writings around the world.
"It is especially appropriate that the road bears the name of Ellen Gould White, for it was she who charted the course for our Bible-based philosophy of education," wrote Merlin D. Burt, director of the E. G. White Estate, in his congratulatory message. "Her inspired advice provided guidance to those who founded this institution and continues to guide students and faculty on their educational journey. It is always important when you are headed to a destination to be on the right track. In this world, there are many opportunities to take the wrong path. Ellen White's writings continually exhort us to keep our eyes centered on Jesus Christ,” continued Burt, “and he will lead us safely into his kingdom. We pray that all who travel this road will enjoy the blessings that come from following him completely. We are also thankful that the name of this road will draw people's attention to Ellen White's name and may encourage them to learn more about her and even start reading some of her writings and thus be blessed in an ever-closer walk with God and by an ever-deepening appreciation and love for the Bible. I wish you rich blessings from God,” concluded Burt.
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