An Italian couple celebrating their 25th anniversary of marriage by volunteering at the Rimini Meeting, a major Catholic event, aimed to reflect the beauty of their faith and to thank God for their love. “I decided with my husband and my children to come here to the Communion and Liberation annual meeting in Rimini to celebrate my 25th anniversary because we want to live this experience of beauty and happiness which we have been through all of our life,” Mrs. Daniela Burgio shared with CNA Aug. 25. The Burgio family hails from Catania, Sicily. Mrs. and Mr. Burgio have five children. Two of them are now studying and living in Milan. “My husband and I met 33 years ago, at a birthday party. I wasn’t even a believer, but I was surprised to see that all the people taking part in that party were very happy. I found out it was because of their common path, and I joined that path,” Daniela Burgio said. All of the couple’s children are part of Communion and Liberation, but they have not precisely followed their parents’ footsteps. Luca Burgio, 24, confessed that he “never joined Communion and Liberation while he was living with his parents in Catania,” but he did when he moved to Milan. “I found there the kind of friendship I was looking for. I remember that, when I was six and I used to go on vacation with my family and family friends, I was surprised by the way my father got along with his friends, and I thought I wanted the same friendship. This friendship I found in Communion and Liberation,” Luca explained. Mrs. Burgio said that volunteering with all of her children is “a really nice feeling.” “They have not been forced to be part of this experience, they have been free to make their own experience. I never wanted to force my children to do anything, as I haven’t been forced.” “It was fascinating how all of them took our footsteps,” she added. The Burgio family is among the 2,940 volunteers at the meeting in Rimini. They collaborate in several activities: building and preparing the areas for gatherings; entertaining kids; and creating and leading team activities. “Each of us is serving according to his peculiar skills,” said Mrs. Burgio. The 35th edition of Communion and Liberation’s “Meeting of Friendship among People” is taking place in Rimini Aug. 24-30. The main theme of the meeting was, “Toward the peripheries of the world and existence: Destiny has not left man alone.” The meeting included more than 200 speakers, including ministers of the Italian government and entrepreneurs as well as bishops and Vatican diplomats. Mrs. Burgio focuses on the people and the spirit of the meeting, more than the speakers. “When you take part in this experience, sharing the same experience with many people, you really feel like part of a people,” she commented.
