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Birth of the San Daniele Comboni Community Centre in Castel Volturno – A Time to “Go Beyond”
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
On 14th November, the San Daniele Comboni Community Centre in Castel Volturno was inaugurated in the presence of a dozen Comboni Missionaries – among them, the Provincial Superior for Italy, Father Fabio Baldan – as well as municipal authorities, representatives of the diocesan Church, and various local organisations. All expressed their sincere appreciation for the missionaries’ style of presence and for their work in the area. It marks the fulfilment of a long-awaited dream: to provide a centre for gatherings, educational initiatives, art, sport, and culture in one of the most deprived areas of southern Italy. Through sweat, effort, and boldness, a new chapter of redemption opens with and for those who have long lived on the margins.
Birth of the San Daniele Comboni Community Centre
in Castel Volturno
A Time to “Go Beyond”
Without generous dose of unstoppable madness for God, for the Gospel and for the poorest and most abandoned, Daniele Comboni – prophet of Africa – would never have put himself on the line in the mid-19th century. Nor would his companions, who gave their lives in the tormented Sudan of then and now, and in so many peripheries of the world. Today, that same courage reaches the outskirts of Castel Volturno, where time, dignity and justice sometimes seem to stand still.
Along the Domitian Coast, between Naples and Caserta, on the frontier between Destra Volturno and Pescopagano – straddling two municipalities and two dioceses – lies a small yet significant enclave of migrants and Italians facing severe economic, social, and cultural hardship. A social and inhuman ‘dump’ of problems, challenges, and vulnerable people who feed the industries of labour exploitation, drug dealing, illegal waste disposal, and prostitution. All this under the control of a camorra that changes its face but never its appetite for profit. Yet, amid so much suffering, there also lives a humble people, thirsty for dignity and change.
It is precisely here that we Comboni Missionaries – present in the area for thirty years – together with the Black&White Association, felt the force of Pope Francis’ invitation, repeated no fewer than eight times in his address to the participants of the 19th General Chapter on 18th June 2022: “You missionaries must go beyond!”
Even before this call, we had felt the urgency of finding a piece of land to return to the community: a place where the after-school children could read a book, where young people could play basketball or five-a-side football, and where Italian and migrant adults could share a coffee, their struggles, and their hopes.
The driving force behind it all was people coming together. Along this journey, we recognised the presence of a God who does not surrender to degradation and despair, but who sets people, energies, and resources in motion. Friends offered their free time and professional skills; extraordinary individuals ‘threw their hearts over the obstacle’. Children drew their dream of the Centre; adults, individually or through associations, contributed what they could: some with a few euros, some with more; some with an inheritance or the proceeds of a birthday party or other celebration. One person even chose to reduce his salary to donate a fixed monthly amount to the project.
Then came the Foundations (Grimaldi, Vismara, San Zeno, Decathlon, Munus), which supported and accompanied us. In countless ways, we witnessed Providence at work. Everyone played their part: schools, with teachers and pupils, who for years supported us through fundraising and participation in our exhibitions on peace, ecology, and universal fraternity; the Black&White members, engaged in mission encounters, Mare Mostrum theatre performances on migration, and other local initiatives; friendly associations, both local and not (Medici di Strada, Castelvolturno Solidale, Missione Possibile, Gruppo Mission, and many others); prayer groups and parishes that never ceased to encourage us.
Finally, the municipal administration – after many delays and obstacles – granted the necessary planning exemption, recognising the project as a “secondary neighbourhood sports facility”.
And so, on Friday 14th November 2025, we were able to celebrate together and give thanks to the God of life for a milestone that had once seemed unattainable. The festivities included the school band and majorettes, a theatre performance by the friends of Bertold Brecht of Formia, civil and ecclesial authorities, representatives of the Black&White Association, benefactors, and Foundations.
In a festive atmosphere, the sun managed to break through the clouds, almost as if recalling Daniele Comboni’s tenacity in the face of missionary challenges. A friendly match between the Comboni Missionaries and members of the municipal administration – ending in a draw – enlivened the day, alongside numerous basketball and five-a-side football games played by the children and young people.
In the sky over Castel Volturno four gospel-flavoured moments will remain unforgettable:
● the reading by little Mirco of the after-school children’s message inviting everyone to take care of the Centre;
● the inscription on the wall beneath the portrait of Daniele Comboni: “The missionaries have never stopped defending justice and the poor. They have always stood with the last.”
● the Comboni Missionaries’ full-voiced singing of Nigrizia o Morte;
● and, finally, among the many messages received on our phones, that of a dear friend at the end of the day: “With you, I feel God closer!”
The Comboni community of Castel Volturno:
Fathers Daniele Moschetti, Daniel Gbedenya Kodzo Selom, Filippo Ivardi,
and Comboni Lay Missionary Simone Parimbelli.