Chiesa di San Pier Damiani

Through the memory of memories, the history and life of the Parish is retraced from its first day of life. The parish was erected on October 18, 1989 by decree of the Cardinal Vicar Ugo Poletti and was entrusted to the diocesan clergy. The parish territory, by decree of the Cardinal Vicar Camillo Ruini of July 3, 1993, was determined within the following boundaries: Via Cristoforo Colombo - Via di Decima up to the Tiber - Tiber - Via Valchetta Rocchi - Via Oceano Pacifico right side - Via Cristoforo Colombo. The parish was populated by just 150 families (in 1993) until reaching the number of 1300 (in 1996) with a population of about 2500 inhabitants. In a small prefabricated chapel made available, located at the end of Viale Città d'Europa (entering from Viale Oceano Pacifico towards the Shopping Center, immediately on the right), and marked by a white statue of the Madonna, Holy Mass was celebrated for the first time on Christmas night at 11:30 p.m. (December 24, 1993). After three years, on Sunday September 29, 1996 at 7:00 p.m., on the occasion of the Parish feast, His Excellency Monsignor Clemente Riva inaugurated the building of the temporary headquarters of the Parish, which would later become the diocesan headquarters of the GAM movement (Gioventù Ardente Mariana). The CARITAS GROUP was born and at the end of 2003 the news arrived that, during 2004, the construction work of the church and the new parish complex would begin (300 seats, 50 in the chapel, fields for sports activities, several classrooms for catechism, the oratory and a multipurpose room). Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the Church on December 10, 2006, with the large participation of the entire parish community and the citizens of the area. In his homily, there are two moments in which he reminds us that .... the word of God is not just words ... and ... the Church exists because in it we meet Christ the Son of the living God.... These words want, and must, help us understand that in the journey that the Community takes, even in moments of disorientation, it never loses sight of the real purpose for which it is at the service of others, always with a spirit of welcoming people and diversity of thought. The heavenly mother Star of Evangelization has never moved from the horizon, often due to distraction we lose sight of her. The Parish must be a welcoming place with doors open to all, to those who approach for the first time and to those who return to their community to continue the journey of encounter with Christ, together. The new complex contributed to welcoming the presence of many children who, as they grew up, were the breeding ground for the presence of young animators of the various parish activities. The knowledge of the history of the Parish continues its journey in which the Community finds itself having, for the first time, a new experience of maturation through changes compared to the past. Some activities, in addition to the charitable ones of the Parish Caritas, have continued their work of Christian initiation and formation, from children's catechism, in preparation for the sacraments, to the preparation of baptisms, for which two initiatives have been launched: permanent Eucharistic Adoration and the growth of the Catholic Action movement for Children. The changes in every parish, even if they create disorientation for people, are the evidence of God that every Christian must grasp to grow in discernment and in the awareness of always being welcoming, knowing how to accept the diversity of others and to remind ourselves, and never forget, the purpose for which each one is called, in his Church, to serve others in the name of God. The history of the Parish, which has lasted for over two decades during which the Community has continued its journey of knowledge of God and communion among the people who live it, arrives to the present day to continue writing new pages.