English

Casa Emmaus is run by the omonymous non-profit Associazione Emmaus. The aims of the Association are:

• Evangelization and spirituality - Cultural promotion oriented in a Christian way according to the project of the Italian Bishop's Conference (C.E.I.)
• The forming of the person
• Solidarity

Associazione Emmaus was established in June 1994 and it carries out its activity mainly in Casa Emmaus, wich accomodates groups of people mostly coming from the parishes of the Milan Diocese. His Lordship Mgr. Marco Ferrari inaugurated Casa Emmaus and in March 1997 His Eminence Card. Archbishop Carlo Maria Martini visited the House and the members of the Association during a pastoral visitation nearby. Don Ennio Campoleoni, parish priest in Pino on Maggiore Lake, was appointed Spiritual Assistant. Associazione and Casa Emmaus are members of the Italian Federation for Spiritual Exercises (F.I.E.S.) and are included by C.E.I. in the list of the national catholic Cultural Centres (C.C.C.). Casa Emmaus is a modern building full of biblical symbols, wich contribute to evangelization and meditation. In anticipation of the Jubilee, the house has recently been enriched with artistic stained-glass windows and paintings, among wich there is a fresco representing the meeting of Christ with the Magdalene (Luke 7, 37-38): the painting expresses the force of what the love of Christ is doing in woman through the forgiveness just granted. Moreover, both the library and means of telecommunication have been improved. The building, innovative if compared with traditional homes for Spiritual Exercises, is made up of: 7 separated flats, also suitable for families who love privacy, in addition to a large area consisting of a chapel, a conference room, a kitchen, a spacious dining room and a recreation room for the groups sharing the same life for a few days. Casa Emmaus, surrounded by a private garden, is very near the lake-front and the Parisi-Valle Museum, wich is built over the mouth of the stream Giona. It is located in a quiet residential area and in an environment wich offers many possibilities for pilgrimages and excursions. In Luino, for example, just a few minutes drive from Maccagno, pilgrims can visit the Penitential St. Joseph's Church and benefit by the Jubilee indulgence at the Sanctuary of Madonna del Carmine. Casa Emmaus is 100 Km from Milan and about 40 Km from Varese, other interesting places for pilgrims. The members of Associazione Emmaus who assist the guests at Casa Emmaus and put the Gospel message into practice in their daily lives. They attend the spiritual and material needs of the guests in a loving spirit. This is a sign of the greater good wich every believer can rediscover by going on a pilgrimage to the "sanctuary of the heart" towards a fuller salvation of the soul.