Witnesses
There are so many people and a lot of memories linked to the tempio itself. There are people who saw it being created and who saw it during their walks in the mountain, working or coming there to visit with associations.
In 50+ years of the tempio’s history there are loads of spectacular stories told by the locals about it. Here there are some of them.
Everyone can help adding their testimony to this section, sending it to tempiodonatore@gmail.com
Antonio Menin, born in 1938
I grew up in these places and, even though I’m not a blood donor, I am fond of them. I met Cecchella, the Dall’Armis, Dalla Longa, don Gomiero… I witnessed the birth of the Tempio and, before that, the one of the street that takes you to Pianezze. I have lots of memories about this place, such as the time when the artist Pozzolo used to paint. I came by every now and then to peek his work, fascinated by this huge painting that day by day was coming to life. I remember the snow, that used to be heavy back then. Not very far from there, you could ski. I remember the people, lots of people who came from abroad to visit and who, during spring and summer, came by bus, by bike, on foot. I remember the events, the donors that gathered here. The Tempio closing left me speechless, I personally found it to be exaggerated. I hurt just seeing the barriers around it. I come by to see the works as often as I can. I really hope everything goes well and that, once the building reopens, the visitors come back to fill it inside and out. Faith, nowadays, is what it is, and there are lots of cultural, natural, art activities as alternatives… but a richness like this can’t be found elsewhere. And it deserves to get its role back!
Don Bruno Faggion, Rector of the Tempio
I’ve been here at the Tempio for almost 18 years. This is a peculiar place, to which both the inhabitants and other visitors are attached. Here everything reminds you of generosity and donation, inside and outside of the Tempio. Here there is a special spirit, you live the moments together, the celebrations, the donors events with a strong intensity. The closing in 2017 got us really worried. Our first thought was where we could continue celebrating, not only the Sunday Mass (to which around 100 people participated), but also the festive ones. The Midnight Mass is a strong tradition both for the inhabitants and visitors, and during these years we worked hard not to lose those people. The start of the construction works gets us closer to the moment in which we will finally be able to get inside the Tempio. I really hope that it will become a symbolic and gathering place not only for Catholics, but also for all the other religions. Donation is universal, it is the highest expression of respect towards others.
Fabio Baratto, son of Ruggero Baratto, one of the Tempio’s founders
I was ten when, in 1962, the construction works for the Tempio began. It’s a place we’re all very fond of, because we saw it and helped it grow. Everything was different around here sixty years ago, all the trees that now protect this palce weren’t there. The one that now is the Tempio’s sacristy used to be a small shop located upon the hill. And it was in that very shop that you could buy a souvenir from the Tempio. Because the Church that we are renovating today was built thanks to the selling of those small objects that talked about a place that wasn’t even there at the time, but that was already in everyone’s heart. A Tempio built thanks to the sacrifices of an entire community. The most beautiful memory I have about this surely is the huge celebrations that used to be held on Sundays to collect money for the Tempio. We were all together, we had fun and we actually helped in a concrete way. The renovation and reopening of the Tempio mean that an important tradition can start again. I hope this place can go back to being a beloved destination for all donors and not donors.