Vittoria, Piazza San Cesare de Bus
returned to the city

On May 22nd, the City of Vittoria, under Mayor Francesco Aiello, returned Piazza San Cesare de Bus to the public. The square is located between the two parishes entrusted to the Doctrinaries, Madonna Assunta and Madonna delle Lacrime. The area, completely redeveloped, has been transformed into a modern and functional urban space with a playground and a new road system.
During the ceremony, the mayor stated: “Today we are presenting to the city the blueprint for a new community vision. Piazza San Cesare de Bus will be a harmonious urban space, better able to respond to the needs of its residents and enhance the neighborhood’s social, ethical, and functional value.”
The choir of the “Portella della Ginestra” Comprehensive School was present at the event, performing the Italian National Anthem and the city’s anthem, “Sorgi Vittoria.” Numerous faithful from the two parishes, lay doctrinaries, and members of the Angelo Campanella Study Center attended. Also in attendance were Father Giaquinta, Father Prosper Ntabangana, Father Libére Mjavenayo, and Father Giuseppe Giunta.
The latter, in his speech followed by the blessing of the square, emphasized the profound spiritual significance of the place: “It is no coincidence that this square, dedicated to Saint Caesar de Bus, unites the two parish communities led by the Doctrinaries and both dedicated to Mary. Saint Caesar was deeply devoted to the Virgin and wrote that the second grace he received after Baptism was a special devotion to Our Lady.”
Father Giunta then recalled the relevance of the message left by the founder of the Doctrinaries, who invited every Christian to become a “living catechism”, capable of bearing witness to the Gospel through words and above all through daily life.
The figure of Saint Cesar de Bus continues to illuminate the path of the Church and of the communities that, through the charism of the Doctrinaries Fathers, preserve and spread his spiritual legacy.
Founder of the Congregation, a great educator in the faith and a tireless apostle of catechesis, Cesare De Bus was canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022, in St. Peter’s Square. Present at the celebration were Brother Enzo Arcadipane and several lay doctrinalists from Vittoria and members of the Angelo Campanella Study Center, led by Superior General Father Sergio La Pegna.
The city of Vittoria had already paid homage to this extraordinary figure on 19 September 1993, on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the foundation of the Congregation of Doctrinaries (1592-1992), by naming the town square after the then blessed Cesare de Bus.
The ceremony was attended by the Superior General, Father Rinaldo Terzo Gasparotto, Father Lodovico Santoro, Father Dario Liscio, along with Msgr. Giuseppe Calì, the Bishop of Ragusa, Msgr. Angelo Rizzo, and the city authorities—Mayor Francesco Lucifora, Deputy Mayor Paolo Monello, and the city councilors—as well as the lay doctrinaries of the Madonna Assunta parish, Angelo Campanella and Salvina Dieli.
Vittoria owes much to the Doctrinaries who, over the years, have supported the spiritual, cultural, and social growth of the city community. Through their testimony, they have brought to light the figure of Saint Cesare De Bus, described as the “Giant of Catechesis,” a “fascinating educator,” a “prophet of the Gospel,” and a “man of peace and father of the poor.”
His legacy has lived on in the work of his spiritual sons who have served the city since 1967: Father Carmelo La Bella, Father Lodovico Santoro, Father Attilio Garrone with his cubes that he invented for catechism, Father Santino Mollica, Father Dario Liscio, Father Ernesto Ferrero, Brother Vincenzo Arcadipane, Father Ottorino Vanzaghi, Father Giuseppe Giunta, Father Andrea Marchini, up to the present day, with Father Giuseppe Giunta, Father Prosper Ntabangana, and Father Libére Mjawenayo.
The Doctrinaries are a vital presence in the Vittoria area. They are entrusted with the guidance of the Madonna Assunta, led by Father Giuseppe Giunta who, with dedication and pastoral sensitivity, accompanies the faithful of the historic center and the Maritaggi neighborhood, and of the Madonna delle Lacrime, where Father Prosper Ntabangana, a young priest from Burundi, serves, where the Doctrinaries are present.
“He will not be shaken forever; the righteous will always be remembered” (Ps 112:6); this is our wish for the city of Vittoria, for the doctrinaries lay faithful, and for the faithful of the communities of the Madonna Assunta and the Madonna delle Lacrime. May everyone experience this renewed space as a place of encounter, fraternity, integration, culture, and serenity. A square that will continue to host moments of faith, such as the blessing of the Palm Sunday, Marian processions, and the Stations of the Cross, but which will also be a place of gathering and human growth for the new generations. May Saint Cesare De Bus continue to watch over Vittoria and its families, accompanying them on their journey of faith and hope.

Giovanna Ragusa