San Saba Parish, Rome: Luca, Sara, Lavinia and Gaia, four young university students from the parish, raised over 22 thousand euros for their community through social media. "In 2019 the church of San Saba was closed" Fr. Alessandro Viano, vice parish priest explains, "The roof was not safe as it was leaking and so it needed to be repaired." This was an important project costing around one million euros. "Almost half of the amount was funded by the CEI, a third by the Euro-Mediterranean Province of the Society of Jesus and 10% by the Jesuit Community of San Saba. The remaining 25% was to be funded by the parish community ". I asked the young people for advice," explains Fr. Alexander. “They are young catechists and animators, brought up in the parish. We also wanted to involve people who are distant from the parish. The Basilica is the custodian from an artistic and historical point of view of an important historical era.”

Thus, the campaign "adopt a tile" began in June.  We needed funds for 10,000 tiles, each tile costing 25 euro and totalling 50 thousand euros. "We set up the parish website in order to promote the campaign and then parish groups started organising fund raising events via social media. These included baroque music concerts, choirs, the sale of sweet delicacies, barbecues and social gatherings. We set up a Facebook page through which over a thousand euros were collected.  We also advertised in various newsletters, resulting in regular donations. Many ordinary people gave small donations, friends of friends who became aware of the campaign through the social network.  21-year old Gaia manages the Facebook page: "I study biology, I have been attending the parish for 8 years and I prepare the young for confirmation," she says. "The San Saba community is a home and a family." She is helped by Lavinia, of the same age, who is studying pharmacy: “Here I found friends and brothers. A place of love". Luca, who is in his third year of Religious Science is also part of the team.  He coordinates the Eucharistic Youth Movement within the parish together with Sara, 22. The parish, entrusted to the Jesuits since the early 1900s, is a welcoming formation centre. The church opened again during Christmas, while work on the roof continues. The campaign will end in June. The works in progress can be followed on https://sansaba.gesuiti.it/