On the 27th January 2024, at the International College of Saint Anthony, the memory of Blessed Gabriele Allegra was celebrated with a Eucharist presided over by Br. Vjekoslav Milićević.
At the beginning of the celebration, the rector Br. Angel Montoya read the greetings sent by the Minister General Br. Massimo Fusarelli. In his message he told the friars: “I wish to remind you of the gentle and unshakable strength of this humble friar minor, who crossed the world starting from his small village, to become an echo and presence of the word of salvation of the Gospel”. He concluded his greeting by saying: “With these sentiments I wish you a great celebration and enjoyable fraternal moments, so that the example of Blessed Gabriele Maria continues to inspire the time you spend in Rome for studies, without digressing from the evangelical life of the friars minor, which is our vocation and the source of our true joy, which should be returned to many when you return home to your Entities”.
Br. Vjekoslav said in the homily that there are men, like Blessed Gabriel Allegra, who with their lives direct our gaze towards God: “If we look at any photograph of Blessed Gabriel one thing becomes very evident: his shining smile and the joyful light of his eyes; but the light in the hearts and eyes of men, even of holy men, is a reflection of the true Light, of that Light that gives light.”
At the end, he invited us to follow this testimony with words and deeds, so that we too can be a reflection of God’s light.
