To be a Family in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre: an everyday life story
The witness of Giuseppe and Angela Casamassima, Knight and Dame of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Central Italy Lieutenancy, on the spousal values that are part of their membership.
Although we have always nourished strong bonds with the Holy Land, our history with the Order begins in 2015, with the Investiture on December 19 in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, a day we will always treasure. From the very first meeting, we were welcomed into what has seemed like a big family, where the values of the Christian community are fused with the principles inherent to membership in the Equestrian Order.
We are from Naples and Palermo, and we share the same profession as members of the Italian Police Force, but with different roles. We were married on August 3, 2013 and on that day our journey through life together and our spiritual journey as a Family, in its broadest sense, began. This is why we decided together to join the Order, to enhance our practice of Christian life and to support charitable and social works in the Holy Land.
We believe that the family, understood in the unity of a couple, represents the primary and original cell in which one experiences human sociability and makes a unique and irreplaceable contribution to the good of society. With this in mind our bond with the Order has strengthened the foundation of our married life, providing us with a new vision of the social subjectivity of the family, which must be expressed through works of service and demonstrations of solidarity. The Order also involves us in first person in many charitable works, reminding us of one of the most important lessons that the Lord has left us: the importance of loving our neighbor.
This also propels us to turn our thoughts and prayers to the Holy Land, discovering the importance of the role entrusted to Knights not only as a peace bearer but also as a tangible supporter of works. Beyond that, we are tied to the Order by its bond with Blessed Bartolo Longo, founder of the Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, a place we have made pilgrimage to for years with great devotion. The image of the Blessed, wrapped in his white cape, has allowed us to approach the Order and to discover the values that are its foundation. This is why we strongly believe that our participation in the Order represents a blessing for our family, that will accompany us in this wonderful journey that we have undertaken together.
Giuseppe e Angela Casamassima
(November 28, 2016)