MILITARY AERONAUTICS CELEBRATES THE MADONNA OF LORETO ON THE CENTENARY OF HER PROCLAMATION AS THE PATRON SAINT OF AERONAUTICS

It took place this morning, at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the Eucharistic ceremony to celebrate the feast of Blessed Virgin of Loretoa, the patron saint of all pilots.

The religious function was officiated by’Ordinary Military Archbishop for Italy, His Eminence Monsignor Santo Marcianò, assisted by Episcopal Vicar for the AM Don Antonio Coppola, and saw the participation of Undersecretary of State for Defense, Mr. Angelo Tofalo, of Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Force Alberto Rosso, and the top leadership of the Armed Forces. The Basilica welcomed a small delegation of military and civilian personnel of the Armed Forces in compliance with the health restrictions to contain the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. The celebration was broadcasted live on the Air Force YouTube channel.

During the homily, Mons. Marcianò highlighted how the Air Force responded without delay to the “call,” as Mary teaches us, to cope with the health emergency that hit the country. “There are answers that our people, our country, have been waiting for and are only waiting for from you. I am thinking of the many answers that are marking the difficult journey of the pandemic, the aid, the distribution of medicines, the transport of the sick.”

He then continued by saying: “[…] the speed of adhesion is not enough; what is needed is loyalty“. Bishop Marcianò wanted to highlight two particular words: “faith and joy: I like to imagine that the Virgin of Loreto wants to entrust them to us today, so that they may accompany the special Jubilee that we are celebrating”. “Don’t forget this joy; our people need it today.” – he added –, In a dramatic chapter of history, which makes it perhaps clearer that true joy does not consist in those individual satisfactions that have no effect against the poverty and loneliness of the pandemic, but can only be found together, as brothers and children of the one Father“Referring to all the personnel of the Air Force, he emphasized how important it is “the value of your contribution, genuine and authentic, to the building of a more fraternal world, which you are once again demonstrating and for which we are grateful”.

At the end of the celebration, General Rosso, during his speech, expressed “A heartfelt thanks to His Eminence Mons. Marcianò for his words that are an expression of the closeness and service he provides every day with enthusiasm, generosity, and closeness to all the personnel of the Air Force”.

He then continued by saying: “Today there are only a few of us, in a way that we would not have wanted to celebrate this important anniversary […]. If we are physically distant, we are not distant with our hearts, we are not distant with our feelings, and we are not distant with the spirit of service. And that is perhaps the most important strength that we draw from this moment. In times of difficulty, we realize more about what is superfluous and what are instead the important values, the things that make sense in life[…]. He then concluded “Bringing a warm, grateful, and grateful greeting to all the men and women of the Air Force. Now, as at any time of the day, they operate, serve with generosity, with their hearts in Italy and abroad, alongside the other Armed Forces, enhancing our environment, the air environment together, and alongside all those who love flight, those who practice it for work, for service, or even just for passion. It is a way to be united, all of us, under the protective wing.tricks of our Patroness.”

In addition to the Holy Mass at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, ceremonies were held at all the bases and agencies of the Italian Air Force, both in Italy and abroad, to celebrate the Patron Saint of all Aviators, from operational, logistical and training departments to those employed outside the national borders at diplomatic offices abroad, such as at the Italian Embassy in Seoul where the officer in charge presented a gift to the Franciscan Catholic Church. Hannam-Dong of a statue of the Madonna of Loreto.

The’Jubilee Year for the Centenary of the Madonna of Loreto has been extended until December 10, 2021. The restrictions imposed by the pandemic have prevented the holding of a series of events with which the Air Force would have wanted to emphasize its devotion to the Blessed Patron. With deep gratitude and appreciation for Holy Father, Since the Jubilee Year was extended, the Armed Forces are confident that they can meet some of the commitments they had planned for 2020.

Watch the TV2000 program “Bel tempo si spera” dedicated to the Madonna of Loreto