Pride in past, looking to future
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ROME, ITALY
To say the gospel of Jesus Christ enjoyed an auspicious beginning in Italy would be a monumental understatement. It was the apostles Peter and Paul who performed missionary work here in their biblical dispensation — perhaps signaling the region's future importance to the Church.
Members here are proud of that past. They know about the Italian missionary efforts of Peter's and Paul's latter-day apostolic colleague, Elder Lorenzo Snow, and his companions, who arrived in Italy in 1850 in the country's Piedmont Valley.
And, finally, they point to their own, more recent "latter-day" history, when missionary work returned in full in the mid-1960s. Italy's first congregation was organized a short time later. Formal legal status in the country was realized in 1993, allowing the Church to own property and have other privileges essential to its growth here.
Now members in this nation's historic capital say they are keeping one appreciative eye on the Church's past and the other squarely focused on the years ahead. Such focus is easy to maintain, thanks to the spiritual landmark that is the future Rome Italy Temple.
"The temple will be Rome's best missionary," said Michele Calabrese, patriarch of the Rome Italy Stake. "Many people will come to visit the temple and they will be inspired."
Brother Calabrese knows well the power of a temple. In 1983, he was a seasoned marine living in southern Italy when he met the missionaries. "I felt like something pushed me to the missionaries," he told the Church News.
He and his wife listened to the discussions and were baptized. A year later they were sealed in the Swiss temple. "It took 25 hours to reach the temple from Sicily … we will reach [the future temple] in 15 minutes."
Rome Italy Stake President Massimo De Feo speaks of the miracles he has witnessed in Italy, culminating in the commencement of the building of the temple — an eternal edifice in the world's "Eternal City." The Church has enjoyed unprecedented growth throughout Italy in recent years, he said. New stakes have been organized, local priesthood and Relief Society leaders are becoming veteran leaders and families are coming together.
"The children have prayed. … Now we can tell them, 'There will be a temple for you,' " said President De Feo.
Roman member Sami Cantafio said the faithful in his city are ready for a temple — they are a proven temple-going people. Many make frequent trips to serve and worship in the Bern Switzerland Temple.
"It's difficult, but our stake organizes [temple] trips about three times a year," he said.
Lourdes Perez Quimi's roots are not in Italy. She's an immigrant to Rome from Ecuador who now serves in the Young Women presidency in the Rome 2nd Ward. But the Church in Italy, she said, "has given me so much."
She is eager, she added, to do her part to help Italy prepare for its first temple.
In the days leading up to the Oct. 23 temple groundbreaking ceremony, Church convert Vincenzo Modugno seemed to be everywhere, doing whatever was needed to make the event a success. Now he looks forward to the temple open house where he can show his friends and neighbors what he is so excited about.
"So many people will start to know more about the Church," said Brother Modugno.
