At the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, the traditional Eucharistic celebration for the Virgin of Loreto, presided by His Eminence Monsignor Santo Marcianò, Military Ordinary for Italy
It was held on the morning of Tuesday, December 10, at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli and Martyrs, the traditional Eucharistic celebration of the Air Force in homage to the Our Lady of Loreto, Holy Patroness of Aviators.
The celebration, presided over by His Excellency Monsignor Santo Marcianò, Military Ordinary for Italy and concelebrated by Monsignor Antonio Coppola, Episcopal Vicar for the Air Force, featured the participation of Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti.
A large representation of Officers, Sub-Officers, Graduates and Military Personnel from the Aeronautica Militare, civil personnel from the Defence, the Military Chaplains of the Aeronautica Militare and the pastoral area of Lazio, numerous military and civil authorities as well as representatives of the air components of all the Armed Forces and Armies of the State also took part in the celebration.
The religious ceremony was opened by Monsignor Antonio Coppola who, in thanking all those present, especially the Ordinary Military Archbishop, emphasized the profound ecclesial moment and the full communion with the Shrine of the Holy House in living this moment: “Today we live in communion of spirit this moment of profound faith and this day of profound ecclesiality.. A celebration is only a celebration if it is lived in the community dimension and in our being today the Church; and the most beautiful thing about being the Church today is to be gathered around our legitimate Pastor, the Military Ordinary for Italy.”. Monsignor Coppola then wanted to greet the boys and girls of the School of NCOs, Viterbo to try their hand at performing the liturgical pieces that accompanied the religious service: “Their commitment – he/she said – it is a full expression of a family celebration”Finally, regarding a particular fresco in the military base of Vigna di Valle depicting the Virgin Mary, he concluded: “Protect our flight, not just the one with the planes, but above all the flight of our entire lives”.
Following this, in the homily, the’Ordinary Military S.E. Mons. Santo Marcianò He immediately recalled that today’s ceremony commemorates an important date: the one in which Pope Benedict XV, in 1920 – following the legend that the Holy House in which Mary was born in Nazareth had been transferred, by the hands of the Angels, to Loreto on the night between December 9 and 10, 1294 – wished that the Madonna of Loreto be chosen as the Patroness of Aviators.“The Pope could not have made a better choice. Often it is you military personnel of the Air Force – he continued – You are compared to angels, and there is no more beautiful image that could represent you, especially given the unique role of flight that is entrusted to you. A flight that sees you reach different places to help different people in ordinary but sometimes dramatic situations, bringing closeness, support, and help. All of this is possible thanks to your competence and dedication, because the first one alone is not enough.
Your mission – he continued again Monsignor Marcianò – It's like a vocation, And in every vocation there is a beginning. And that is how I invite you to continue to live the task entrusted to you, as a vocation, a call that does not separate personal life from professional life, that does not separate the spiritual dimension from the operational one. Your presence here today demonstrates how choosing and venerating the Patroness does not mean only asking for help and assistance, but recognizing that man invokes an absolute that becomes the origin, measure, and goal of our actions and of our very being.”.
With reference then to all those places of crisis, of political clashes, of the search for difficult international balances, Monsignor Marcianò He expressed his gratitude to the women and men of the Air Force: “Gather and face these difficult realities with a unique service, a service to peace, I wouldn’t know how to describe it any other way. A service to peace that wants you to be angels in those remote places. And my thoughts go to the active contribution you make in international missions where, together with all the Italian military, you play a delicate role of protection, rescue, training, and closeness, in the effort to stimulate paths of dialogue and reconciliation. Your work of peace, silent and not always noted, is carried out with extraordinary sacrifice and with the patience of small steps.
Furthermore, along with the peripheries of war, other peripheries are always open to you to reach, especially in situations of natural disasters, or in health emergencies when the speed of flight can be decisive, as in the case of a timely intervention to transfer wounded people, or the transport of essential supplies to those peripheries of marginalization and tragedies to which you arrive and bring salvation.
But your task is not only expressed in the extraordinary; there is also the ordinary. The sacredness lies precisely in the everyday. The dailyness of your commitment is no less important than your special missions, because the center of everything is the defense, the protection, the safeguarding of human life. Defending life at every stage, in every situation, is truly the heart of the mission of the Armed Forces. Your example, the spirit of service that drove your initial ‘yes’ to the mission, indeed to the vocation, is a sign of hope. Brothers and sisters of the Air Force, entrusted to you, Virgin Lauretan, entrust your life and your mission to Mary so that she may make you ever more Angels of hope, of justice and peace, not only for our country but for the entire world.”.
Finally, S.E. Mons. Santo Marcianò, who today celebrated one of his last religious functions with the Air Force before ending, next April, after almost 12 years, his journey as a Military Chaplain, expressed himself as follows: ”You have helped me grow and improve. With your full humanity, an intrinsic characteristic of being a military person, you have touched me deeply. You are experts in humanity and have helped me grow, because the radical gift of yourself, wherever you are, is a concrete fact. Thank you Air Force, I will always carry you in my heart. Thank you for all the good you have done to me and for wanting to do so”.
Then spoke the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, who in his speech of greeting at the end of the religious service immediately wanted to remember the Fallen and all the relatives of those who lost their lives “for the good of our homeland, for our freedom and for our people”Following this, the Chief of the General Staff thanked all the personnel of the Air Force who work silently 24 hours a day, “Always ready to provide aid, support, defense, and training, opening the way for works of justice, solidarity, and fraternity, often through dialogue with different cultures and religions, to build peace together. I am truly proud of you and your commanders because through you we represent a key element, a symbol of security and certainty not only for our country but also on the international stage.”At the end of his speech, the General Goretti He invited the present to give a standing ovation to the pastoral work of His Eminence Mons. Santo Marcianò: “You were a guide and a safe haven for all of us. Thank you”.
As is tradition, the celebrations in honor of the Holy Patroness were also held concurrently at the Santuario della Santa Casa in Loreto. Organized by Aviation English Training Centre with the command of the Colonel Marco Attanasio, in the presence of a representative of the students of the’Aeronautical Academy of Pozzuoli (NA) accompanied by their Commander, Air Marshal Luigi Casali, At the commemoration, the students of the EOLO VI Course took part in the prayer vigil held by The Most Reverend Archbishop Fabio Dal Cin, Archbishop Prelate of Loreto and Pontifical Delegate for the Holy House, followed by the traditional procession. In the morning of December 10, instead, the usual Eucharistic service presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Historical notes
The Marian solemnity is linked to the tradition according to which the shrine venerated at Loreto is the room in which Mary was born in Nazareth, in Galilee, where she was raised and where she received the Angelic announcement. The House of Nazareth had been transformed into a church since the apostolic times. Composed of only three walls, it was located at the opening of a cave carved into the rock, which is today preserved in the Basilica of the Annunciation of the homonymous city in Galilee.
Legend has it that the “Holy House” in which Mary was born in Nazareth, preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Loreto, was transported by sea on crusader ships “by the hand of angels”. This small biblical shrine, which fell into the hands of the Muslims, was saved and first transported to Trsat in present-day Croatia in 1291, then to Ancona in 1293, where it remained for nine months, after which the angels lifted it up to place it near Recanati and finally to Loreto on the night between December 9 and 10, 1294.
In 1920, the phenomenon of aviation, which had remained for a long time limited and reserved to a relatively small number of enthusiasts, captivated by the daring aspect of human flight, had experienced a great increase, especially during the tragic period of the First World War. Concrete initiatives were taken to ensure that this new form of mobility had a celestial patron. The devout Loreto tradition seemed particularly suitable, and it guided the choice towards the Madonna of Loreto.
The conviction of this miraculous “flying” transfer prompted Pope Benedict XV, in response to the wishes of the pilots of the First World War, to appoint the Blessed Virgin of Loreto as “Patroness of Aviators” with the Pontifical Brief of March 24, 1920. Therefore, Mary’s protection is not limited to air transport operated by the Armed Forces, but extends to every person who travels and to those who, in the aircraft themselves or in ground services, are responsible for the safety and tranquility of those who are transported.
