A few days after Mother’s Day in prison, the volunteers of Prison Fellowship Italia gave life to another moment of profound humanity and reconciliation: the Jubilee of Families , celebrated on May 31, 2025 in the Ivrea District Prison .
At 2:00 p.m., welcomed by songs and smiles, prisoners and families gathered together to celebrate the value of family ties, too often wounded by the distance and suffering of detention.
The beating heart of the event was the initial embrace between fathers, partners and children: a powerful gesture, symbol of the desire for unity and healing.
After the spiritual introduction of the diocesan coordinator of the Renewal in the Holy Spirit (RnS) , Pier, who explained the profound meaning of the Jubilee, Veronica spoke about the value of this celebration experienced in prison, recalling the opening of the Holy Door in Rebibbia by Pope Francis, and presenting the symbol of the lamp , an emblem of light and hope.
The creative activity involved the families in making a cardboard lantern : two for each family, one to take to the cell, the other home, to never turn off the light of hope, as the Holy Father reminds us:
“God always gives a light to face a pain, especially in the relationship with children”.
Colors, glue and decorations have transformed pain into creativity, distance into presence. The lantern has thus become a symbol of a love that resists walls and bars.
After a prayer written by the volunteers , the Holy Mass celebrated by Don Fabrizio touched hearts. In his homily, the chaplain recalled childhood as a sacred time, recalling the moving image of the embrace between a prisoner and his daughter, compared to the Ascension of Jesus who returns to the Father.
The final farewell was another touching moment. Little Marco , in tears, kept calling his dad with all the love he could. That long-awaited hug filled the room more than any words.