The parish of Jesus of Nazareth celebrates Christ the King

It was difficult to enter the church at 11am on Sunday 24 November in Gesù Nazareno for the solemn mass of the patronal feast in honour of Christ the King.
An appointment for families, from the youngest to the elderly, to celebrate the holiday that this year also commemorated the 120th anniversary of the beginning of the construction of the church. In 1904, Father Giacobbe with two fellow Doctrinaries managed to build the building in a few years, thanks to the generosity of the people who at the beginning of the twentieth century populated that small neighborhood that was rising on the edge of the city center.
Father Sergio La Pegna, Superior General of the Doctrinaries, who presided over the concelebration – with the parish priest Father Andrea Marchini, the brothers Father Battaglio, Father Mpitabavuma, Father Perizzolo, Father Chiavero, the deacon De Santis and the rector of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Marist Lorenzo Curti – recalled during the homily the foundation of the church, erected as a parish already in 1905, recalling to the memory of the older ones and telling the young people why the church, the only parish in Italy, is dedicated to Jesus of Nazareth.
«You see above the high altar the painting depicting Jesus tied with his head covered with a crown of thorns. It reproduces the miraculous painting that is in the church of Santa Maria Monticelli in Rome, the general house of the Doctrinal Fathers. In 1854 the portrait of Jesus had repeatedly opened its eyes and the people of Rome flocked to attend and gather in prayer. So Father Giacobbe, the first parish priest here in Turin, chose to dedicate the church to Jesus of Nazareth»
Strange king Jesus, continued Father La Pegna, “with a crown of thorns, tried and crucified, without anyone defending him. Jesus is king of a particular kingdom, the Kingdom of love. Jesus asks each of us: “Do you want to be happy?”. The answer is in the love for Jesus and for brothers and sisters, a great love that makes life beautiful; this is the secret of happiness.”
At the end of the celebration – well attended by the many present – the parish priest Father Marchini officially presented the new members elected to the Parish Pastoral Council, investing them with the service they will provide to the community and thanking them.
The aperitif in the courtyard after the mass, the free afternoon screening of the film “The Neverending Story” in the Esedra parish cinema and the hot chocolate prepared by the youth groups concluded the celebrations.