On May 31, 2025, the Monastery of Santa Veronica Giuliani in Città di Castello hosted an event to celebrate the first year of activity of Fondazione Santa Veronica Giuliani E.T.S., established on May 31, 2024.

It was a valuable opportunity to delve into the mission and goals of the Foundation, created to preserve and promote the spiritual and cultural legacy of the Capuchin Saint, while fostering a living dialogue with the local territory and the broader challenges of the Third Sector.

Starting at 3:30 PM, representatives from both civil and ecclesiastical institutions shared their reflections, highlighting the religious and social importance of this initiative.

Following institutional greetings by the Foundation’s President, Sister Chiara Veronica Sebastiano, Monsignor Luciano Paolucci Bedini, Bishop of Città di Castello, and Mayor Luca Secondi, the event continued with key contributions explaining the reasons behind the Foundation’s creation and its future activities.

Sister Chiara Veronica Sebastiano, Abbess of the Capuchin Poor Clares Monastery and President of the Foundation, emphasized how this initiative was born out of the community’s desire to safeguard and renew the historical memory and the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Monastery and the Order, with the aim of sharing it with the local social fabric and all pilgrims – believers and non-believers – wishing to discover it.

Lawyer Nuccia Colosimo, expert in ecclesiastical, non-profit, and Third Sector law, presented the journey taken by the Monastery, which courageously embraced a complex and groundbreaking decision for a cloistered community: the creation of a Foundation (ETS) governed by a Board composed of three cloistered nuns – President Sister Chiara Veronica and her fellow sisters Sister Serafina and Sister Letizia – and two lay members, Dr. Antonio Chiappani (Vice President) and Lawyer Alessandro Corsi, all present at the event, along with the Foundation’s Sole Statutory Auditor, Dr. Stefano Capponi.

Don Andrea Czortek, historian and diocesan vicar, explored the deep connection between the Capuchin community and the territory, offering a fascinating historical overview that highlighted the close intertwining of the city’s life and the Monastery’s life.

To close the event, Professor Luigino Bruni, economist and essayist, shared a profound reflection on the beauty and significance of the monastic charism – particularly the female one – as a vibrant source of life still relevant to today’s civil society.

The meeting was skillfully moderated by Francesco Ognibene, journalist for Avvenire, who guided the discussions with professionalism and warmth throughout an intense and well-attended afternoon, joined by the city’s community, many friends of the Capuchin Poor Clares Monastery of Città di Castello, and devoted followers of Saint Veronica Giuliani.