Summerstep has become an unmissable event in the heart of summer: young women from various parts of Italy gather at Casetta Nova in Frascati to take part in an experience of sharing, growth, and prayer. The path of this year’s journey was moved along by some keywords that gave rhythm and depth to the days spent together.
Freedom: the first step of authentic love
True love allows us to make choices freely and invites us to embrace life in this freedom. A visit to the Catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome illuminated the memory of those who lived their personal freedom in a profound relationship with God.
Generosity: giving without expecting anything in return
Welcoming others through acts of caring can happen through a walk together, a hand massage, kind words, or serving those in need by preparing and distributing dinner to our homeless friends. “Sometimes you think it’s nothing, but it’s only giving freely!”
Radicality: love that challenges each day
Living radically requires commitment, courage, and trust in God’s initiative and care. Radicality is not comfortable but it is a daily journey that invites us to look beyond ourselves.
Creativity: love that reinvents itself
The examples of St. Francis and Mother Frances show a love without scripts: each person can offer what she is and what she has, making it available to God in unique and imaginative ways.
This journey bore fruit in each participant’s life. We will now hear from two young women who participated in Summerstep.
“This experience was a gift for me, lived through joy, prayer, daily life, fun, silence, beauty, giving of myself, receiving, and breaking free from the chains that make us stop and render us slaves. It was a time and place for all of us to rediscover that we are daughters of God, loved and precious in God’s eyes. My traveling companions with whom I shared and discovered the beauty of being together were important for me: they reminded me of the grace of an outstretched hand, ready to help when needed.” – G.
“The Step by Step journey and Summerstep gave me the opportunity to dedicate time to myself, in the company of girls I did not know initially, but with whom I created a strong bond, and in the company of the Lord, whom I rediscovered to be very close. I challenged myself, trusting and entrusting myself. I learned to name some aspects of my life I had sometimes left by the wayside. I experienced a continuous and mutual sense of care and respect among all of us.” – B.
A few months have passed since this experience, which deeply impacted everyone, and the challenge that remains is to love and to be loved with greater awareness and creativity.
Sr Roberta Mauro
