Another Italian Paradox
It was Sunday. Mary and I climbed the steep, arduous hill to Panzano Alto. The Church of Santa Maria sits atop this high point of the village. Since we were there and Mass was being said, we stopped in.
About two dozen people were sprinkled along the portable wooden pews placed in slightly uneven rows on the worn stone floor. Based on their attire, we decided at least half were tourists. So, at the one weekly Mass in this village of roughly 1100, maybe a dozen attend Mass? The climb up the hill is a killer so there may be more, faithful, elderly parishioners who can no longer navigate the climb. Even so, if attendance at Sunday Mass is any measure of observance, Panzano has a dearth of worshippers.
This confirmed my sense that Italy today is very much a secular country despite its strong ties to Catholicism. I am told it is not uncommon for young couples to completely skip marriage. And I know from personal acquaintances, neither are long term relationships between married men and their mistresses uncommon. Though there may be religious schools, I haven’t seen any in the towns and villages I’ve visited.
For a culture that seems to eschew formal connection to the Church, the pull of devotion to saints and Mary remains strong. Streets, towns and venues throughout Italy carry the names of holy people. I have dozens of photos of shrines built into alcoves of homes or in niches along highway walls. Walk or ride down any back road and you will inevitably come upon a carefully tended grotta honoring Mary or a patron saint.
I am touched and humbled by this devotion. Surely, many of the shrines have been part of a family’s legacy for generations. But now younger families assume responsibility for their upkeep. It makes me wonder what it’s like to be part of a place with such longevity of connection. And it just adds to my appreciation of this culture. I marvel at the easy way Italians embrace this duality of being secular with unabashed integration of Catholic traditions. Viva Italia!
A roadside shrine
A perpetual light honors Mary in this niche across from my bedroom wondow