The High Command and subordinate bodies celebrated the anniversary on Tuesday, 10 December. The School of Foreign Languages (SLEAM) participated in the celebrations organised by the Pontifical Delegation and the Municipal Administration of Loreto on 9 and 10 December 2013, the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, patron saint of aviators since 1920. At the Sanctuary of the Holy House, on the evening of 9 December, the Commander of the Air Force Schools/3rd Air Region (Bari), Air Marshal Franco Girardi, along with a delegation comprising the Pegaso V Academy Course and permanent staff from the School of Foreign Languages of Loreto, participated in the vigil and procession with the Holy Image of the Blessed Virgin of Loreto, carried on the shoulders by personnel of the Italian Air Force.
On the morning of December 10th, at the Basilica of Loreto, took place
The Solemn Eucharistic Celebration, presided over by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello and concelebrated by the Archbishop-Prelate of Loreto and Papal Delegate, Monsignor Giovanni Tonucci, and also attended by the Chief of the Air Force Staff, Air Force General Pasquale Preziosa, accompanied by Major Luca Parmitano, an ESA astronaut and test pilot for the Italian Air Force, and by the President of the Italian Space Agency, Enrico Saggese. In Bari, in the Multipurpose Hall at the Headquarters of the Air Force Schools Command/3rd Air Region in Bari Palese, in the presence of Air Division General Vitantonio Cormio, civil and military authorities and all personnel, Holy Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Sabino Scarcelli, Military Chaplain. At the 70th Wing in Latina, in the chapel of “Comani” Airport, Holy Mass was celebrated by the military chaplain, Don Raimondo Salvaggio, in the presence of Colonel Salvatore Romeo, Commander of the 70th “Giulio Cesare Graziani” Wing. The service was attended by the men and women of the “Graziani” Air Force Wing and the civilian staff attached to the unit. The 72nd Wing in Frosinone celebrated Our Lady of Loreto with a Corps Flag-Raising Ceremony presided over by the Commander of the 72nd Wing, Colonel Leonardo Barone, attended by all Wing personnel and cadets. A message from the Chief of the Air Force General Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pasquale Preziosa, was then read out, followed by Colonel Barone’s personal best wishes to all the men and women at “G. Moscardini” Airbase. Later in the morning, a Holy Mass was celebrated in honour of Our Lady of Loreto at the Church of the Madonna della Neve in Frosinone. In Viterbo, the anniversary was marked with a Holy Mass, officiated at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo by His Excellency Monsignor Lino Fumagalli, Bishop of Viterbo.
The celebrations, as is tradition, took place jointly with the Italian Army Aviation Departments stationed in Viterbo, in testimony to the spirit of collaboration and the strong synergy that characterises the relationships between the two important military entities present in the area.
The Marescialli School/Viterbo Airport Command participated with the Commander, Colonel Rovazzani, and a large representation of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, Enlisted Personnel, and Cadets, including the Institute's choir.
The AM Institute in Viterbo also participated with a representation of students and the fifteen pennants of the Marshal Courses in the celebrations held in the evening in Rome, where, at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, Holy Mass was celebrated by the Military Ordinary. In Florence, on the occasion of the feast of the Holy Patroness of the Air Force, the Virgin of Loreto, numerous military and civilian authorities were welcomed into the majestic and evocative Florentine setting of the Basilica of Santa Croce, accompanied by melodies performed by the band of the 3rd Air Region and the Douhet Military School choir.
During the sermon, Bishop Emeritus of Prato, Monsignor Simoni, wished all the men and women in blue the best for their future and that of their families. At the end of the celebrations, the Commander of ISMA, Air Division General Gian Franco Camperi, thanked all the authorities present and the Institute's personnel for the work they do daily for the Armed Forces. On Thursday, 12th December, as part of the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, a Holy Mass was celebrated in Pozzuoli, officiated on this occasion by the new Military Ordinary for Italy, His Excellency Monsignor Santo Marcianò. The Military Ordinary, on his first visit to Pozzuoli, was welcomed upon arrival by the Commander of the Air Force Academy, Air Division General Fernando Giancotti. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, which was attended by a large representation of Cadets and Permanent Staff, Monsignor Marcianò signed the Visitors“ Book and, in keeping with the traditions of the Institute, instead of the ”tie-cutting“ ceremony, he donated his skullcap, which will be displayed in a special case at the Officers” Mess.
