The Day of Coexistence at Sant’Ignazio College

On October 18, 2023, the boys and girls of the lower secondary school of the Collegio Sant’Ignazio participated in a day dedicated to sharing.

The students were accompanied by the Sector Coordinator Caterina Zappia and the teachers Giacomo Sorrenti, Ambra Crisafulli, Nicoletta Ristagno, Noemi Florio, Katia Mirabile, Elena Napoli, Marilena Bruno, and Gabriele Papalia. Enthusiastic and curious, the students were led to a place of peace and serenity not far from the walls of their classrooms: the Sanctuary of Madonna della Guardia in Faro Superiore.

Here they actively participated in the Day of Coexistence, an educational initiative traditionally proposed by the Institutes of the Society of Jesus with the aim of promoting socialization among students and their inner growth. The theme of coexistence was “Encounter” with themselves, with others, with literature, with nature, with art, and with God. The students were engaged in various activities related to the disciplines that were most suited to the mentioned theme.

The day began with a friendly but also very significant welcome moment, which helped them fully enter the atmosphere and guided them to the discovery of the theme: the encounter precisely. The topic was presented in a literary context by Professor Nicoletta Ristagno with the help of colleagues Ambra Crisafulli and Noemi Florio. Through the reading of the opening of the novel “Two of Two” by Andrea De Carlo, in fact, the teachers introduced the theme of friendship that binds two boys in various stages of their growth, from adolescence to adulthood. After the reading, the boys and girls were invited to reflect on the topic discussed, also thanks to guided comprehension that led them to write a narrative text.

The second activity was proposed by Elena Napoli, Physical Education teacher, who invited the students to decorate some chairs, which later became memories of the day. The students let their imagination run wild and chose to imprint their colored hands on the backs and seats, metaphors for the richness of diversity and the importance of unity.

“Let’s meet the friend tree” was instead a very profound and liberating experience, proposed by the Science teacher Marilena Bruno, who took the students to the beautiful pine forest and narrated the story of some trees in the form of a novel. After the story, the teacher invited the young students to hug a tree, to feel its words, beats, and feelings through a heart-to-heart exchange. The hug was also a stimulus for the students to write down what they felt, heard, and experienced during their encounter with nature.

After the convivial moment marked by lunch break, the students had the honor of meeting Carmelo Monastra, a man in the service of the poorest and most needy in the community of Sant’Egidio in Messina. The sharing of Carmelo’s experiences created a moment of deep reflection, which put the students face to face with a reality that is widespread, although often invisible.

At the end of the day, Professor Ristagno presented from a historical point of view the struggle between Israel and Palestine, from its origins to the present day, emphasizing the importance of encounters between peoples of different cultures, the foundation of peace and aggregation, in contrast with the dramatic historical moment that still holds the world in suspense today.

The day was marked by music and songs accompanied by Professor Katia Mirabile and ended with a moment of prayer and reflection in the chapel of the Sanctuary, a moment guided by Professor Giacomo Sorrenti.

Professor Ambra Crisafulli
Collegio Sant’Ignazio