Work Underway at Due Pini

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The general house is currently in the midst of being turned upside down. This is because, at the last meeting of the Plenary General Council in December, it was decided that the annex of the house (known at times as the « Archives Building ») will be renovated as a Rome campus to welcome students from Assumption College in Worcester.

The first reason, to be sure, is to open our house to the world of young people. However, that does mean we’re turning the house into a youth hostel; still, the project will put us into more frequent contact with young people. Moreover, the College has been recognized by the congregation as a mobilizing work and for several years the College’s president, Dr. Francesco Cesareo, has been asking if such a campus might be possible. 
 
Welcoming students here will be a plus for the College because it will strengthen their academic reputation and afford them an advantage over their competition within the orbit of Catholic colleges in New England. In this way we would be able to help them in this effort.
 
Finally, the general house, which like every other community must face a situation of insufficient operating funds, hopes to make considerable income by renting out the building six months of the year (two three-month semesters). In all honesty it must be said that this building, which can accommodate quite a few people, is hardly used most of the year.
 
The students will enjoy significant autonomy (classroom, kitchen, TV room, laundry room, meeting room, recreation area, etc.) and will be welcome to join us for prayer. The building, totally renovated and upgraded, will remain at the disposal of the Assumptionists the other six months. The students will be accompanied each semester by two professors from the College and a full-time live-in director. In addition, two students will be hired as resident assistants.
 
Once a decision is taken, it has to be put into action and that’s where things can get complicated. The so-called “Archives Building” must be completely emptied to allow for the renovation work. That means the relocation of the archives and part of the old library from the Tor di Nona community. We’re talking about a humongous project which demands lots of patience and time. We have found a solution but it hasn’t been easy.
 
The archives will be brought to the main house where two rooms will be freed to allow for the installation of compact shelving (on rails). Space for the archives and documents of all kinds will in fact be increased beyond the current capacity because we must think of the future. Fr. Julio Navarro has been weeding out the Tor di Nona library for some years now and has been careful to set aside the most precious works. Already an important segment of the library has been sent to Bucharest. Others will be shipped to Africa. Finally, some will be offered to various universities here in Rome or proposed to book-sellers.
 
There was still one other facility in the Archives Building that needed attention , namely, Fr. d’Alzon’s library. A lovely room has been set aside in the main house and will be renovated for the books and artifacts currently there; those interested will be able to visit it on demand.
 
The Due Pini house has been the headquarters of the general community since 1958. There is a lot of work to be done since very little has taken place since the construction of the two annexes: the Archives Building and the convent. The current « renovations » have forced us to do some spring-cleaning and to sort through closets and closets of items that have accumulated for eons. Religious have a way of saving things and not just archives useful for historical purposes.
 
Benoît Grière, a.a.
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