Trent and the Wave of Peace

The history of Trent – birthplace of Chiara Lubich – does not forget that devastating bombardment of 13 May 1944, which destroyed lives, houses and ideals. On the same day, 70 years later, the city sees a “bombardment of acts of love”. This is what many of the children present say.

It’s always held during May. The square in front of the Cathedral of Trent, like an enormous sitting room lined with frescoes, once more this year welcomes over 2,500 children, coming from 23 educational institutes in the city. Together with them are also students from middle and high schools, teachers, parents, grandparents, representatives of different institutions, the Lord Mayor and several town councillors.

It is an annual appointment that has become part of the history of the city over the past eleven years. The schools come together to share in many different ways how they have tried to live out the phrases from the Cube of Love, and how they have tried to be ‘builders of peace’. The programme developed around the theme of ‘conflict’: how to live with it, how to face it and how to resolve it. The moment of the Time Out was very touching, a minute of silence and prayer to remember the countries overcome by conflicts, with a special thought for the 300 girls kidnapped in Nigeria. A lengthy minute which, with the tolling of the bells of the Cathedral at midday, gathered in silence the very lively square.

A celebration on a beautiful sunny day. The city was invaded by a wave of peace, with thousands of messages and stories of “acts of love” written and distributed to passer-bys, shopkeepers and tourists. There were hundreds of paintings colouring the main streets in the historic centre. The children were the main protagonists again this year, enthusiastic and convinced that “peace begins with me”.

The headline on the front page of the L’Adige newspaper read ‘The Square invaded by builders of peace’. And the daily local newspaper Trentino: “What a beautiful injection of hope to see thousands of children with their colourful hats and tee shirts, giving the impression of a living rainbow and shouting together ‘peace’.” Also the Italian National broadcaster RAI and other regional television and radio stations spoke of this hope.

The “Trent – city of peace” celebration concludes the annual course of education for values carried out in the schools of the city and shared by over a hundred teachers, from different types of schools, at the monthly meetings of “Tavolo Tuttopace”.

The initiative started 11 years ago, with a third grade Elementary class of children, their teacher and that Cube of peace which they threw every morning to live one of the phrases on its six faces. And then with that small magazine Giornalino Tuttopace, which communicated and shared with other children their acts of peace, drawings, poems, songs, and which today, as an insert in the local council’s newspaper, is delivered to all the families in Trent. And, still more, the creation together with the Lord Mayor of that time Alberto Pacher that “Flowerbed of Peace”, with the Cube at the centre, so that passers-by could “observe and learn”.

Today, a new project has been developed as well called ‘”Trent, a city that educates”, which involves the seven educational institutes of the city, with nursery schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, private schools, higher institutes and schools of the Province to which schools from other cities are linked. Together with the teachers and children, also the families follow their own formation course. And with them the whole area, the town council and provincial administration and other institutions and associations.