Antillone

It was way back in 1958 when Monsignor Lupo, parish priest of our community from 1957 to 1970, sent a group of girls ahead to scout for a place where young people could come together in communion with nature and, at the same time, experience their faith.

Our adventurous girls arrived in Val Formazza and, at an altitude of 1,249 metres, found a mountain pasture at the end of a path in a place called Antillone. Thus, in 1959, under the guidance of Monsignor Lupo and Sister Primina, a Sister of the Immaculate Queen of Peace, the first so-called ‘School Camp’ began: a formative experience combining recreation, prayer and community life.

At first, only two mountain huts were used, known today as Edelweiss and Nido. In that remote spot, practically everything was lacking: not only electricity and gas, but also running water and toilet facilities. Yet, within those huts, within the walls of the little church, amidst shouts of joy and moments of silence, dozens of boys and girls grew into men and women, mums and dads.

Over the years, new huts were added to the original ones. Towards the end of the 1980s, the kitchen was built, whilst in the early 1990s the parish decided to begin work on refurbishing the huts and connecting them to the electricity supply. The first to be refurbished was the hut called Baker, which was in greatest need of major work; in the meantime, the other huts were also refurbished. Much of this work was carried out with the help of the young youth leaders from the oratory.

To mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the community’s presence, a large cross was erected in the small square by the church. Antillone thus became a true second home for the Santagabiese community, for so many young people, youth leaders and families.

And the story continues. Over these many years, generations of young people have come and gone; some of the early pioneers have already gone to be with the Father, but what remains unchanged is the Santagabiese people’s attachment to this place: the games, the laughter, the walks, the moments of prayer and life shared together.

On our parish website, we have deliberately chosen not to publish the names of any volunteers associated with the various parish groups. On this page, however, we could not fail to remember Monsignor Lupo and Sister Primina, without whom the Sant’Agabio community would not have been able to offer so many young people such an important and formative experience as the School Camps.