{"id":62018,"date":"2025-07-13T10:40:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T10:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/62018\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T10:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T10:40:17","slug":"parish-of-castel-gandolfo-joyful-ahead-of-pope-leos-mass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/62018\/","title":{"rendered":"Parish of Castel Gandolfo joyful ahead of Pope Leo\u2019s Mass"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahead of Pope Leo XIV\u2019s visit and celebration of Mass on Sunday, the parish priest of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo shares the excitement and faith of his parishioners.<\/p>\n

By Sebasti\u00e1n Sans\u00f3n Ferrari \u2013 Castel Gandolfo<\/b><\/p>\n

In the heart of Castel Gandolfo, the papal parish of St. Thomas of Villanova has in recent days become a center of gathering, faith, and service.<\/p>\n

The community is eagerly preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV, who will preside over Mass on Sunday, July 13.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Vatican News, Fr. Tadeusz Rozmus, the Salesian parish priest, said the faithful, religious communities, and volunteers of Castel Gandolfo have redoubled their efforts in both logistical and spiritual preparations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time the Pope comes, the town changes its face: it turns into a celebration,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

St. Thomas of Villanova parish church is an architectural gem designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, commissioned by Pope Alexander VII.<\/p>\n

The building, which passed from the Augustinian Fathers to the Salesians on August 7, 1926, remains, as the priest noted, a \u201cbeautiful shared inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like when you prepare to receive a guest at home,\u201d said the Polish-born priest. \u201cYou clean, you organize, you attend to every detail.\u201d<\/p>\n

The physical improvements to the church include the restoration of the papal coat of arms, technical adjustments to the church\u2019s structure, and new lighting.<\/p>\n

Measures have also been taken to keep the surroundings clean and to deter birds, with the support of Vatican offices.<\/p>\n

Beyond the renovations, the driving force behind these preparations has been the community itself.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The facade of St. Thomas of Villanova parish\n <\/p>\n

\u201cI was pleasantly surprised by how willing so many were to help,\u201d said Fr. Rozmus. \u201cFor example, a group of Opus Dei women came from different places just to lend a hand. These are gestures that build up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young people have also played an essential role, he added. \u201cWe finished the summer oratory last week and they immediately offered to help with liturgical services and crowd control. It\u2019s wonderful to see them so involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the community, the Pope\u2019s arrival is not merely an event but a sign of unity as the Church seeks to implement the Synod on Synodality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are experiencing an enormous gift,\u201d he said. \u201cThe synodal journey reminds us that we are a Church on the way, united despite a world so divided.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, Pope Leo made an unexpected visit. \u201cHe stopped the car and got out to greet people. It was a spontaneous gesture, full of tenderness. His smile, his closeness\u2026 that gives hope,\u201d said Fr. Rozmus.<\/p>\n

In Castel Gandolfo, where faith and nature are closely joined, the parish of St. Thomas prepares to welcome the Successor of Peter with a spirit of family, hospitality, and gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want every detail to be an expression of our faith and our love for the Pope and the Church,\u201d concluded Fr. Rozmus.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The interior of St. Thomas of Villanova parish\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ahead of Pope Leo XIV\u2019s visit and celebration of Mass on Sunday, the parish priest of St. Thomas…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":62019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[44513,1815,15704,50,3417,21611,103],"class_list":{"0":"post-62018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-castel-gandolfo","9":"tag-interview","10":"tag-mass","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pope-leo-xiv","13":"tag-priests","14":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114845504543950566","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}