Santa Rita da Cascia a Monte Mario

The parish of Santa Rita da Cascia in Monte Mario is located in Via Antonino Parato, which is in the Suburbio della Vittoria, XI suburb of Rome (S. XI), 19th Municipality. The parish is number 281 of the Diocese of Rome and is part of the West Sector - Prefecture XXXIV. The territory where the parish of Santa Rita is located was divided into lots in 1948. The owner Mrs. Luisa Ghezzi donated 500mq of land to the Diocese of Rome to build a church. Once the bureaucratic problems were resolved, construction began in 1955, thanks to the collaboration of local workers and was completed at the beginning of 1956. On May 19 of the same year, the first mass was celebrated there by S.E. mons. Mario Francesco Pompedda and Don Paolo Canale, then parish priest of N.S. di Guadalupe. The original building was very simple with an eternit roof and two small access doors. In those years, only Sunday mass was celebrated there and it remained closed the rest of the week. In the landscape of that time, only construction sites and dirt roads could be seen. Many were the young couples who, having emerged from the Second World War, worked tirelessly to build a house and a future. Many were also the boys who played in the middle of the road and who gathered in the area in front of the chapel. It was then that four priest friends, Monsignor Renato Ausiello, Don Paolo Canale, Don Camillo Paliani and Monsignor Mario Francesco Pompedda, observing that landscape, joined forces to keep the church open during the week. In 1960, two priests arrived from the Pontifical Belgian College, Father Albert Schleiper (Father Alberto) and Father Jozef De Fchepper (Father Giuseppe), who, together with some scout leaders from the parish of Santa Paola, founded a scout group with many local boys. The two priests, in addition to spending a lot of time with the children, worked to complete the construction of the chapel, becoming bricklayers or carpenters when necessary. Father Albert also contacted the Dutch nuns of via Achille Mauri, so that they could teach the girls sewing and knitting. In 1965, Father Alberto and Father Giuseppe returned to their hometown and the church unfortunately returned to its original state of abandonment (open only on Sundays, only for the time to celebrate mass). This time, Father Paolo Canale asked for help from Monsignor Renato Ausiello, head of the Pious Association of Priests Gesù Divino Operaio, who did his best to send priests to celebrate Sunday mass. Then in 1969 the church was entrusted to Father Michele Orsenigo, who, with the help of three young priests, Father Franco Piva, Father Paolo Bargellini and Father Carlo Quadracci, ensured that the church remained open on weekdays as well. On September 30, 1973, the church was entrusted to Don Carlo Quadracci, who worked to transform it into what it has become today. From the beginning, he loved that little church and the people in the surrounding area. The church thus became a point of prayer and meeting. He began the restoration work that continued for years, which led to the remaking of the roof and external facades and the construction of two new buildings, designed to house the parish office and the sacristy in one, and the catechism room in the other. He organized the first celebrations in honor of the patron saint, religious events, games for children and parish trips. At the same time, he also began the process of transforming it into a parish. On October 1, 1978, he became vice-curator and on December 7, 1981, it was elevated to a parish by Cardinal Vicar Ugo Poletti and entrusted to the Pious Priestly Association Gesù Divino Operaio. Don Carlo became the first parish priest and continued to work for its constant improvement. He was loved and respected by all until the day he died. In 2010, the new parish priest Don Stefano Gaddini took office, who with his culture and desire to live, is showing great attention to young people, involving them in parish activities. The beloved little parish emanates feelings in the people, because it is so intimate and suggestive for its limited space. Always ready to welcome those who need a place to pray or a word of comfort.