THE AUGUSTINE NUNS OF MODIGLIANA CONVENT
Modigliana, Forlì-Cesena

Thanks for the affection shown to us

Modigliana, 14 January 2010

Dear Sirs,
Peace and good from the nuns of the Augustinian monastery of Modigliana. I and my sisters are happy, but above all grateful to you all, and especially to Senator Andreotti whom we esteem greatly, for sending 30Giorni free to our convent.
We can only join in the chorus of praise that you receive from the various monasteries and thank you sincerely for the affection that you have shown us.
We wanted to tell you how illuminating issue n.10/11 of 2009 of your magazine was because of the key issues dealt with and we also wish that our fellow sisters of the Tabalong convent branch, in Dauis in the Philippines, could share the opinions of your editors.
We discovered with joy that you also publish an edition in English, so we would be very grateful if you could send them a copy in that language.
Trusting in your generosity, please receive the most sincere good wishes for every material and spiritual good and our warmest thanks.
Sincerely,

Mother Nazarena Linari, Prioress


BENEDICTINE FATHERS OF THE ABBEY OF SAN MARTINO DELLE SCALE
San Martino delle Scale, Palermo

Chi prega si salva for the youth of the parish

San Martino delle Scale, 5 February 2010

Dear Senator Giulio Andreotti,
Peace and joy in the Lord.
I am Don Bernardo Maria Velardi, a Benedictine monk of the abbey of San Martino delle Scale in Palermo.
I read with pleasure the magazine 30Giorni and saw extremely interesting articles. Thanks for this fine service you render to the Church and the world.
Would it be possible to receive some copies of Chi prega si salva to distribute to my youth of San Martino? Unfortunately, they have few resources and little work to live on. These copies would serve me to bring them closer to God and the Church through prayer, a fundamental element of our lives. I would be very grateful for this, esteemed senator.
This group of young people would like to go to Madrid with Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 for the World Youth Day: we hope to be able to.
Thank you very much, Mr Giulio. We will always remember you to the Lord in our prayers: we will pray for you, for your health and for the good you have done to Italy and the world.
A devout greeting of peace in the name of Saint Benedict and all the holy monks to whom you are very attached.
Peace and joy in the Lord. Yours faithfully,

Don Bernardo Maria Velardi, OSB


THE POOR CLARES OF COCHABAMBA CONVENT
Cochabamba, Bolivia

The little book Quien reza se salva, to help young people who come to visit us

Cochabamba, 16 February

Dear Senator Giulio Andreotti,
Peace and good!
We look forward to the magazine with joy.
Every time we receive the magazine, we say: “We must write” to thank you for the great generosity in sending it to us, since we await reading it with enthusiasm.
We express our sincere thanks, asking the Lord that your generous heart be filled with divine love and imploring the protection of the Most Blessed Virgin.
The magazine offers us quality articles for our contemplative life and adequate information, useful and current, on the Church and the world. We would be very grateful if you could kindly send us some copies of the booklet Quien reza se salva, to help young people who come to visit us and want to know more about God.
May the Lord bless you always. Count on our prayers.
Fraternally

Poor Clare Nuns


DISCALCED CARMELITE NUNS OF CULIACáN
Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico

We thank you late, but from the heart

Culiacán, 26 February 2010

Mr Director Giulio Andreotti,
We thank God in Jesus Christ our Lord and in the Holy Spirit, for the grace of being able to write to thank you infinitely for the magazine you send us free of charge. We apologize for not having done so before, but we wanted to do so with the permission of the mother superior. A late thank you, then, but from the heart. On behalf of the mother superior and my fellow sisters, we send you a warm and affectionate greeting with prayers for you and for all your collaborators.
We are aware of our responsibility in the Church and in today’s world. This responsibility is a gift from God for us and for you. Receive then our humble prayer, our work and sacrifices: may God reward you.
We ask you to pray for our community of Culiacán. And again we apologize for the delay.
Fraternally, from our Caramel, we pray. Many thanks,

Sister María Magdalena de la Madre de Dios, OCD


DISCALCED CARMELITE NUNS OF LUGO
Lugo, Spain

Our founder has followed the little way of St Theresa

Lugo, 8 March 2010

Dear Director Giulio Andreotti,
First of all we would like to thank you for sending your interesting magazine which we like greatly, and even more because of the fact that we can not subscribe: we have indeed started the cause of beatification of the founder, Mother Margarita María, and the publicity costs us a lot, even though we do it very economically.
We would ask you to make known Mother Margarita María through your magazine and for this purpose, we send a booklet containing a summary of her life so that you can extract what seems appropriate. She followed the little way of St Theresa. Through her “intimate” poems we became aware of her great sufferings, that no one could suspect, seeing her, always sweet and smiling, cheering up every party.
We would also be happy to know the Storia di un pagliaccio [The story of a clown].
Hoping that you will excuse us, please also receive our thanks. May the Lord in His infinite mercy fill you with grace and blessings.
Very united in the hearts of Jesus and Mary

The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Lugo


POOR CLARE NUNS OF NÎMES CONVENT
Nîmes, France

Prayer, a most powerful and wonderful companion in every situation

Nîmes, 13 March 2010

Dear Mr Andreotti,
Many thanks for the parcel of booklets Qui prie sauve son âme. It just happened that one of our friends was going to the hospital for an operation and Mother Abbess suggested to give her one. When she saw the title, she said: “This is exactly what I wanted...”. We were very much surprised by this comment and we realized that there is only one thing that can give a person such intimate and profound comfort and support: prayer, a most powerful and wonderful companion in whatever situation we might be in. For this; we once again thank you so much. May our good Lord the giver of all these wonderful graces, be with you and all your collaborators.
Wishing you a very blessed Lenten season. May we remember each other on this journey of preparation for Easter, when we shall be singing “Alleluia, He is Risen..!”.
May our good Lord reward you always.
Your sisters of Nîmes,

Sister Ancilla

We publish as spiritual reading a passage from De Paenitentia 1, 7, 30-32 in which St Ambrose evokes the Gospel parable of the wedding invitation made to the maimed, the blind and the lame standing on street corners because not included among the officially invited guests (Lk 14, 16-24 and Mt 22, 1-14), and the episode of the woman with a hemorrhage who touches the fringe of Jesus’ garment to be healed (Mt 9, 20-22).
It is the Holy Church of the Lord that St Ambrose sees depicted in the maimed, the blind and the lame who certainly don’t decline to attend the wedding, unlike the officially invited guests, and clothe themselves in the wedding garment of grace and charity; as well as in the sick woman who certainly doesn’t presume one can do without a doctor, but in fact wants to reach Jesus in whatever way.
During the flight to Malta, the goal of his recent apostolic trip on 17 and 18 April, Pope Benedict XVI said: “I know that Malta loves Christ and loves His Church which is His Body and knows that, even if this Body is wounded by our sins, the Lord loves this Church nevertheless and His Gospel is the true purifying and healing force”.
Like St Ambrose in the characters of the Gospel, so the Pope perceives the meaning of the journey/shipwreck of Paul in Malta in faith working through love. “Malta is celebrating the 1,950th anniversary of the shipwreck of [Paul]... Out of the shipwreck came Malta’s good fortune in acquiring the faith, so we may likewise believe that the shipwrecks of life… can serve as new beginnings in our own lives... I think the essential core of his journey may be summed up in the words that he himself used at the end of his Letter to the Galatians: faith working through love”.


«Haec ergo ecclesia confitetur vulnera sua, haec curari cupit»
“This church confesses its wounds, it wants to be cured”

«Mitte ergo ad exitus viarum et collige bonos et malos
‘Send therefore to the corners of the streets, collect the good and the bad,

et debiles et caecos et clodos introduc in ecclesiam tuam [cfr. Lc 14, 21-23].
have the maimed, blind and lame enter your church.

Iube inpleatur domus tua,
Order that your house be filled

introduc omnes ad cenam tuam,
have all come to your dinner

quia, quem tu vocaveris, dignum facies, si sequatur.
because, you will make him whom you invite worthy, if he follows you.

Ille sane reicitur, qui non habuerit vestem nuptialem [cfr. Mt 22, 11-14], hoc est amictum caritatis, velamen gratiae.
Those without the wedding garment, that is the dress of charity, the mantle of grace, are rightly rejected.

Mitte, inquam, ad universos. Non excusat ecclesia tua a cena tua [...].
Send out, I repeat, an invitation to everyone. Your church does not decline the invitation to your dinner ... .

Non dicit familia tua: “Sana sum, medicum non quaero”,
Your family does not say: “I’m healthy, I don’t need the doctor”,

sed dicit: “Sana me, Domine, et sanabor, salva me et salvabor” [Ger 17, 14].
but says, “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, save me, and I shall be saved”.

Denique ecclesiae tuae species est in illa,
So the figure of your Church is in that woman

quae accessit retro et tetigit fimbriam vestimenti tui,
who came up behind You and touched the fringe of Your garment,

“dicens intra se, quia, si tetigero vestimentum eius, salva ero” [Mt 9, 20-21].
“saying to herself: If I can touch His garment, I shall be saved”.

Haec ergo ecclesia confitetur vulnera sua, haec curari cupit.
This church confesses its wounds, it wants to be cured.

Et tu quidem, Domine, omnes cupis sanare, sed non omnes curari volunt.
You also, Lord, want to heal all, but not everyone wants to be treated.

[...] Tu, Domine, aegrum te esse dicis
... You, Lord, say you are sick

et in minimo nostram sentis infirmitatem, dicens: “Et aeger eram et visitastis me” [Mt 25, 36]».
and in the smallest of things you experience our infirmities, saying: “I was sick, and you visited me” ‘.

CATHOLIC MISSION OF SAINT PETER IN KURADA
Alotau, Papua New Guinea

Who prays is saved is a valid instrument of prayer

Kurada, 5 April 2010

Dear Senator Giulio Andreotti,
Greetings from the faraway land of Papua New Guinea. I hope this message finds you and all your collaborators in good health.
We are writing to express our gratitude for your generosity and faithfulness in sending us a magazine so beautiful and rich in content: 30Days in the Church and in the world. Our parish is cut off from all means of communication: television, internet, etc. So your magazine is the means by which we missionaries can be informed about the Church and the world. We feel united with all those who write to you to express their gratitude.
Also, thank you very much for the prayer book Who prays is saved. It has proved a valid instrument of prayer for the children of our parish who use it regularly for confession and catechism. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who work with me are happy to learn the prayers in Latin and I’m happy to teach them.
Thanks again for your generous service in sending us the booklets. We remember you to Jesus in our daily prayers.
With the rich blessings of God,

Father Lino Pedercini, PIME


DIOCESE OF SALTILLO
Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

30Días is a very useful tool in the education of the young

Saltillo, 22 February 2010

Dearest in Christ, Mr Giulio Andreotti,
An affectionate greeting and my warmest congratulations to you and all your collaborators at 30Días, for your extraordinary apostolate of a good press: your magazine in fact does so much good in many parts of the world.
Some years ago I received 30Días: it was distributed by Raúl de la Garza, who unfortunately died. To my knowledge, it was no longer distributed to the various fellow priests of this diocese of Saltillo, the state capital of Coahuila, Mexico.
But, with great joy, I learned from a priest friend, a subscriber, that the magazine, thank God, still exists, something that I had doubted.
Because of this, I ask if you can send it to me by regular mail. But, as you well know, people don’t become priests to earn money, and what you receive is very little. So I propose an exchange: I will apply ten mass intentions for you, so that you, in turn, can apply them for the intentions you want.
I am clerical assistant emeritus of a youth pastoral and work with the current diocesan assistant of the CCS (Círculo de Estudiantes Católicos, Circle of Catholic Students); the journal is for me a very useful tool in the integral education (especially ecclesial and spiritual) of the young, of which they have such need.
Awaiting your response, count on my prayers for you and all your staff.
Your servant in Christ the Lord and Mary,

Don Luis Rodríguez del Río


URSULINE SISTERS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS IN AGONY
Mkiwa, Tanzania

30Giorni was an interesting and pleasant surprise

Mkiwa, 13 March 2010

Dear Director,
On the way from Mkiwa, in the Diocese of Singida, Tanzania, at the mission of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony, where I remained for two months, I found your magazine that I picked up more to pass the time than for anything else. I didn’t even know of it, maybe I had only heard the name.
It was an interesting and pleasant surprise, both for the depth of the articles and the variety of topics treated.
The superior who introduced me to it, because she already liked it, had in turn received it through a friend, to whom she feels very grateful.
God bless your work that does so much to increase the faith and to provide news that in Tanzania is so difficult to receive,

Sister Rita Fiorillo


SISTERS OF CHARITY OF SAINTE JEANNE ANTIDE THOURET
N’Djamena, Chad

Grateful for the valuable service to the Church and for the Church

N’Djamena, 16 March 2010

Dear 30Giorni editorial department,
We thank you sincerely for your faithfulness in sending the magazine. I ask the courtesy to provide a change of address, because now I am in the capital of Chad, in the house of the community that also fulfils the role, for us Sisters of Charity, of provincial house for the three central African countries: Chad, Central African Republic and Cameroon.
I want to inform you that your magazine, with its wealth of content, will be available not only to the local community but also to all the sisters who will undergo training with our community. Not only that, the magazine is also read by the sick and the young always “thirsty” for reading.
Heartfelt thanks also on behalf of the sisters for your work in the world, which helps to clarify the truth and helps to love the Church of Jesus Christ and His vicar on earth even more.
With the greetings of all the sisters we wish you a lovely feast of St Joseph and a holy journey towards the Easter of Resurrection.
Fraternally,

Sister Giovanna Francesca

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS UNIVERSITY
Junín, Buenos Aires, Argentina

In 30Días documents precious for the faith can be read

Junín, 4 January 2010

Dear Director Andreotti,
My name is Franco da Silva, from the city of Junín, in the province of Buenos Aires. Some time ago, visiting a religious institute, I came to know your magazine. In fact, not just simple articles, but precious documents for the faith can be read in it. It is very important that, beginning with the centrality in the mystery of Christ, the various articles refer constantly to different topics that involve all of reality. Now that’s a great Christian and literary virtue.
I study for the licentiate in philosophy at the Saint Thomas Aquinas University, thanks be to God with a scholarship. I give learning support classes to twenty-three students from different schools who come to my house throughout the year. If I tell you this personal news, it’s simply because I want you to know that the request I am about to make doesn’t have the sole objective of enriching my library.
I ask to have a subscription to your magazine, for this year, even though I lack the money necessary for that purpose. Only if you can, I ask you to make this exception and can assure you that the magazine will be used to the utmost in my various tasks.
If this were not possible, and that would be understandable, having put myself in contact with you is already a step forward.
An embrace, happy new year,

Franco da Silva


LOMÉ ARCHBISHOPRIC
Lomé, Togo

Qui prie sauve son âme for daily prayer

Lomé, 25 January 2010

All good to you and praised be Jesus Christ.
I am writing to inform you of and to express my deep gratitude for the booklets Qui prie sauve son âme which I received and now share with great joy. They are very useful for daily prayer and help me to assist the little ones or newly converted Christians to pray... They are a treasure! I hope to receive the next issue of your magazine soon.
May the Lord bless you and always grant you the resources for your mission.
In union of prayer,

Moïse Agbégnon Koumondji, seminarian


XAVERIAN SEMINARY
Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

30Giorni in Portuguese for our seminarians

Londrina, 24 February 2010

Dearest editorial staff,
We are six Xaverian missionary fathers working in the seminary where we train future Brazilian missionaries. The magazine, most welcome, comes to us in Italian but the seminarians do not know this language. So, if possible, we would like to receive the magazine 30Giorni in Portuguese.
Thank you and may God bless you,

The Xaverian Missionaries of Londrina