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The mystery of Mary is a mystery of “spoliation and annihilation, of hiddenness and littleness, of humility and service”, said Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, presiding over day 7 of the Immaculate Conception Novena, on Thursday evening, 5 December, in Rome’s Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles. A Eucharistic Concelebration was celebrated in the Basilica cared for by the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, prior to the recital of the Rosary and the litanies.
On Friday morning, 21 February, Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, presided at Holy Mass for the employees of the Directorate for Infrastructures and Services. He made two promises: “I will carry you in my heart” and “I will remember you in my prayers and in the daily sacrifice of Mass”.
Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and H.E. Ms. María Isabel Celaá Diéguez, Ambassador of Spain to the Holy See, will inaugurate an exhibition titled, “Bernini’s Souls” at the Pinacoteca of the Vatican Museums on Tuesday, 19 November.
An outpouring of warmth, faith and popular tradition surrounds the great Christmas tree placed at the center of the Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo. Hand-modeled terracotta figures recall the birth of Jesus. It is a Mexican nativity scene, with an essential number of characters: the Child, Mary, Joseph, the three Magi, a shepherd, and an angel. They have simple yet highly expressive forms: faces absorbed in contemplation of the mystery, all leaning toward the manger surrounded by the ox and the donkey.
“To care first of all for the fragility of human beings, to recognize the centrality of the human person, to nurture the gifts of every man and woman, to invest in people, and to create environments -including economic organizations and workplaces- in which their talents can be nurtured and truly flourish” are the tasks that leaders must carry out to promote a leadership of care.
Twenty fully electric Fiat Topolino vehicles were officially delivered to the Governorate of Vatican City State on the morning of Tuesday, 30 June.
The ceremony took place in the square in front of the Governorate Palace and was attended, among others, by Archbishop Emilio Nappa and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Secretaries General of the Governorate, together with Olivier François, CEO of the Fiat company and Chief Marketing Officer of Stellantis.
The traditional inauguration of the Nativity Scene and the lighting of the Christmas tree will take place in St. Peter’s Square on Monday, 15 December, at 5:00 p.m. The ceremony will be presided over by Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, in the presence of Archbishop Emilio Nappa and Attorney Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Secretaries General of the same Governorate.
Work has begun on the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles in the Vatican car park (Petriano). Ten charging stations with 20 ports will be available for “fast” charging, while an additional charging station with two ports for “ultra-fast” charging, will be installed beside the entrance to the Paul VI Hall. The installation of the charging stations is expected to be completed within three months, and be operational by the beginning of the Jubilee year.
The "Ecological Conversion 2035" program, launched in 2022 and aimed at reducing CO2 emissions to zero, has accomplished another important goal: Starting June 16, charging stations for electric vehicles owned by the State and private ones belonging to employees of the Governorate and the Holy See will be available at the Petriano parking lot by the Sant’Uffizio (20 "fast" charging points on 10 columns and two "ultra-fast" charging points on an additional column).
The Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto, together with the Associazione Amici del Presepe di Atessa [Association of Friends for the Creche of the town of Atessa, Italy] the Libera Confraternita degli Artisti, and the Santi Pietro e Paolo Prison Education Centre of Vasto, Italy, will create the traditional Nativity scene in St Peter’s Square for Christmas 2026.
On the morning of Thursday, 21 November, a 29-metre tall red fir tree from the Municipality of Ledro in Trento Region, was delivered to Saint Peter’s Square by special transport organized by the Santoni firm.
It will be raised on Friday, 22 November, and will be decorated with ornaments and lights by the Directorate for Infrastructures and Services of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
At the conclusion of the Christmas Season, wood from the tree will be used to make an art piece that will be displayed at “Ledro Land Art”, which showcases installations made with natural materials, in the heart of Pur’s pine forest in Val di Ledro.
A new quarter has successfully concluded with the internship program involving Villanova University, which featured three students from the American university, once again confirming the strength and value of the collaboration between the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems and the U.S. institution for higher learning.
The Postal and Philately Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems of the Governorate has issued a commemorative envelope, a special postal cancellation, and a presentation folder to mark the first anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV.
Forty years of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the United States of America are not only a milestone, but a significant step on the journey of friendship and collaboration. To commemorate the anniversary, the Postal and Philately Service of the Governorate of the Vatican City State issued a postage stamp, which was officially unveiled on Monday morning, September 16, in the conference room of the Vatican Museums. A special postmark with the date of issue [die emissionis ] was prepared for the occasion, reproducing the coats of arms of the Holy See and the United States of America. The postmark reads “40th of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the United States of America”, “Poste Vaticane” and “die emissionis 16.09.2024”.
Twenty days from the entry into force of the Decree of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State on Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence, the Governorate is offering computer skills training courses.
The courses were organized thanks to the professional contribution of technicians from the Information Systems Service and the Internet Service Provider of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems. They are aimed at employees of the Governorate and are structured with exams and assessments.
On the feast of Saint Michael Archangel, Patron of the Gendarmerie, Sunday 29 September at 17:00, and as part of the "Music to the Museums 2024" exhibition, at the Polo Museale of Castel Gandolfo, in the Pontifical Palace, will be held a concert "Ensemble di ottoni" of the Band of the Corps of the Gendarmerie of the Vatican City State.
On the evening of Monday, July 7, in the stunning setting of Piazza del Duomo of Spoleto, in front of a large and enthusiastic audience, the Musical Band of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps performed a concert dedicated to peace—aimed at “bringing together different cultures and traditions” and “building bridges between distant yet kindred worlds.”
A few thousand flames illuminated the evening of Saturday, May 31, in the Vatican Gardens. As per tradition at the end of the Marian month, hundreds of faithful participated in the recitation of the Rosary.
Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, highlighted the “precious contribution” of the Canadian Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, to the mission of the Vatican Museums, “an essential cornerstone of the Governorate”, during an address read aloud on his behalf, by Msgr. Terence Hogan, Coordinator of the Office for Relations with Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museum, on Thursday afternoon, 31 October. Msgr. Hogan read the Cardinal’s words after celebrating Holy Mass in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, to mark the conclusion of the annual visit of the Canadian Chapter to the Vatican.
The Commemorative Year dedicated to Father Francesco Denza concluded with a solemn symposium in Moncalieri (province of Turin) that cast new light on the extraordinary legacy of a man able to embody a perfect synthesis of priesthood, education, and cutting-edge scientific research.
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