Mont Argentario - Tuscan Community

MONT Argentario would be an island if it were not for three narrow strips of land anchoring it to the mainland. It's surrounded by clear azure seas and is covered in trees all the way to the skyline where there stands a tall metal cross which is illuminated by night. There's something special about this part of Tuscany, called the Maremma. It's a quiet area, forgotten by foreign tourists and left to the Italians themselves. And St Paul of the Cross liked it here too, for its in this picturesque corner of Italy that he chose to found the Passionist Order.

But it wasn't all easy going for Paul, born in Ovada, near Genoa in 1694. Because of economic problems, his family were frequently on the move, which meant that he missed out on an education. But Paul grew up to be an intelligent, cultured and caring young man. At the age of 20, while listening to. a sermon being given by a priest in public, he knelt at his feet, made his confession and promised to devote himself to a lifetime of holiness and penitence. Two years later, he joined the Crusades against the Turks but decided that was not his true vocation. It was in a vision he had of the Blessed Virgin, that Paul came to recognise the habit - a black cowl made of rough and heavy cloth - which was given to him by the Bishop of Alessandria.

Paul then spent the next 40 days in the sacristy of a church near his home town where he wrote the rules of the order dedicated to the preaching of the passion and death of Christ. He decided to go to Rome to seek permission for his order but his ship was becalmed at Mont Argentario. He climbed the 1,100 feet to pray and knew that this was where he must start his new order.

His first visit to the capital was unsuccessful but he went back, was ordained and returned to Mont Argentario to set up his foundation. But he was told that there was already someone there building a monastery and didn't want anyone to join him. So Paul decided to go and climbed aboard a boat - but the wind wouldn't allow it to sail. Back on dry land, the boat sailed off without him, leaving him convinced this was where he was meant to be.

Maremma, an area reclaimed from the sea and originally inhabited by the poor from the Veneto region, was where Paul carried out his work among the fishermen, shepherds and those sick with malaria. Today, the Mother House of the Passionist Order, the Retreat of the Presentation, stands high on the mountain overlooking the sea. It's an imposing building with a surprisingly small church. A little further up the hill stands the Novitiate, the Retreat of St Joseph. As I drove up with my guide, the huge wrought iron gates were opened by a grey-haired man in jeans. He greeted me

warmly and said his English was not very good
so he would ask a younger man who spoke good English to translate. We were then joined by a man in a boiler suit and wellies and the four of us and a dog started on a tour
of the gardens.

It was then I learnt that it was the former Superior General of the Passionists, Fr Jose Agustin Orbegoza C.P., who had opened the gate. He is a Basque from northern Spain and spoke perfectly good English, Italian and Spanish. My translator was another multilinguist, Fr Nazario Plaza C.P., from the Philippines. And apart from Sabrina, a lay worker whom I met later and who makes the most marvellous limoncello, they were the only occupants of this massive building.
But they are here with a purpose. Fr Jose has come here to start up a Centre Forum and bring new life to the retreat. "We are hoping to start a congregation in a sense - to revitalise and make the community live again," explained Fr Nazario.

The Centre Forum is made up of 10 members, a mix of priests, brothers, sisters and lay people, and is a new experiment. Research groups, workshops and seminars all centred on the theology of the Cross are planned for the future. "It will be an open community, continually renewed and consist of lay people and religious within a family experience." In the meantime, there is a lot of work to be done in restoring the huge gardens to their former glory and, in the year that he has already spent on Mont Argentario, Fr Jose has worked wonders.

"He was alone here for three months. Everything was in a mess but he dug up and planted the garden. He was delighted to get a load of manure as a birthday present," laughed Fr Nazario who is enjoying the daily fresh vegetables extracted from the garden.
The views from the garden, which includes an 18th century windmill, are stunning. And strolling around in the warm sunshine, with glorious views of mountain and sea, I couldn't help believing the novices had it made.

Inside the building, which was completed in 1761, it's cool but not dark, and steeped in history. Fr Jose showed me the original monks' cells, including that used by St Paul himself which includes a fragment of his habit and the embroidered heart emblem worn by him. It was an indescribable feeling to be standing in the cell of a saint.

Downstairs, we visited the church which was small but beautiful, and I recognised the 18th century altarpiece painting of St Joseph from pictures I had as a child. We visited the library with its 15th century books which look as if they'd fall part if you touched them and ended up in the refectory to sample Sabrina's lemon liqueur. Sabrina cooks and cleans and generally looks after the two priests. "Once it was unthinkable that a lay person would be part of the community. But we are all equal here. Sabrina is not a worker, she belongs to the community," said Fr Jose. And what a happy community it is too. I felt sorry to leave but at the same time privileged to be invited.

Certainly the Retreat of St. Joseph seems the ideal place for reflection and retreat and I truly hope that Fr Jose's dream of a new community comes true. After all, someone's got to eat all the vegetables and fruit he has worked so hard to produce.