“The rosary is the drama of the Redemption seen through the eyes of Mary, virgin and Mother: the joys of Nazareth, the light of Bethlehem, the actions of Joseph, then the tragedy of the cross, and finally the heavenly glory. These are made family patrimony, they belong to us. They are our story, our life.” (Igino Giordani, Una stella accesa nella notte, (A star shining in the night) Città nuova, Roma, 2004, p. 81). 1922-1925. “If it is not possible in the pure stillness of vespers in our grandparents’ house, with a great blaze in the hearth, to gather in prayer with forefathers, grandchildren, children, and relatives: let us pray the Rosary in trams, in steamships, in the rumble of a tunnel and in the agitation of a locomotive: our effort to escape in an impetus of spirituality from the rampage of mechanized matter will be more commendable. A quarter of an hour in church will not be a sleepy habit and our prayer will be a fountain of respite in the gruelling heat of the civilization forced upon us.” (Igino Giordani, Diario di fuoco, (Diary of Fire) Città Nuova, Roma, 2005 [1980] p.19). 1933. “The Mother…There is an especially appreciative prayer to her, which represents a series of the mysteries of the life of Jesus cited with titles in her honour: the Rosary. It leads to serenity in the tired and sombre evening hours, in the arduous hours of life, and gives strength to hope in tomorrow and begin again: that coarse chain of cheap pearls transmits currents of celestial life into the poor bones exhausted by effort, lighting once again the only light in souls bombarded by social injustices or multiple misfortunes. It also gives to whoever lives, the hope of reaching the Father, of death with immortality, of the finite with Eternity.” (Igino Giordani, Diario di fuoco, cit. p.28) 1 October 1945. “Why does Mary mean so much to us? Because for us, those who truly follow the Gospel feel and act as children, for whom their mother is everything, and fills their every need. She is sought after because she leads them to God. They take her hand, they hold onto her skirts, because she leads them to the Father. There is no more reassuring, more loving or more beautiful way to present oneself to Him. Furthermore, in our Mother’s company, everything in life is more beautiful: Nature laughs, men themselves no longer seem savage.” (Igino Giordani, Diario di fuoco, cit. p.68) 9 October 1965. “I have only to see an image of Mary, so that the most beautiful things in my life come to mind. I then see that the joy of existence is called Mary for me; my glory is She, my strength is Her motherhood; the beauty that fascinates me is Her virginity; the acceptance of sorrow is the participation in Her trials as the Desolate. I see no positive aspect of my existence in which She does not enter: my life is Mary. And Mary is the Mother of Jesus: it is She who gives me God, weds the soul with the Holy Spirit, bringing it closer to the paternity of the Eternal. Who will thank you, Mama?” (Igino Giordani, Diario di fuoco, cit. p.180).