Cari Anziani e Sorelle,

My name is Patti Landes Adams and I served in the Italy Catania Mission from January 1980 to July 1981. Yes, that was a long time ago, and some of the few things that have not faded from my memory are my memories of the dear people in Italy and the amazing missionaries with whom I served.

One thing that we have in common is that we served as a missionaries in the Italy Catania Mission. You may have returned weeks ago, or decades ago. The other commonality we all share is that we left behind a people we grew to love as we shared with them the message of the restored gospel. Some were baptized; some were not. But we loved them anyway.

Many years ago President Lorenzo Snow dedicated the land of Italy for proselyting and said that it would one day blossom as a rose. We have not seen this blossoming like the countries of South America have enjoyed. Although Italy is growing, it is not growing as fast as it could. This is also true in Catania. President Gambarotto told me once that the mission would grow when an entire generation would be raised in the Church and then serve missions. This is happening frequently. The problem is that many of these young people who will be great leaders are moving to the larger wards in the north, probably mainly for economic reasons. The other challenge in the mission is that so many members go inactive, either succumbing to familial pressure, or weakened enthusiasm or isolation when their missionary goes home.

We cannot do much about what is happening with members moving away. People must make a living. But we can do something about families who have gone inactive. That's where we need your help.

Project: Rose Blossom has been created as a way for you to help the the Catania Mission, and ALL of Italy, to blossom as a rose. Here is the project:

We are asking all Catania Mission alumni to do the following:

1. Look in your journals, mission notes, minds, and hearts, to find the names of the people you taught and baptized. For now, the focus will be on baptized contacts unless you can provide an address of former contacts.
 

2. Write them a letter telling them what it meant to you to be a part of their conversion. Then share your testimony and any other message you would like to share. Ask them to reply and stay in touch with you. You may ask if they are attending Church, and if not, invite them back. Express your love for them, the Savior, and the gospel. Include a picture if possible - one of you and them, and a current one of you. Do not worry if you do not still speak Italian. We have others who have returned more recently who are willing to translate your letter. We do want to send your original letter with the translation.
 

3. On your envelope, write the person’s name, the city where they lived when you knew them, and the approximate date when they were baptized. You don’t need an address (unless you have one). We will do the rest.
 

4. Send your letter (or letters - we hope you write several) to:

Project: Rose Blossom

Patti Landes Adams

P.O. Box 96

Manti, UT 84642

We will place your letter in a new envelope with a correct address, sort everyone’s letter, and forward them to the appropriate missionaries, who will then deliver your letter personally. This will be a gift from you to the Italian member, will help current missionaries invite inactive members back to Church, and will possibly open the door for part-member families to be open to hearing the gospel from the full-time missionaries.

We hope you will choose to participate. We also need more missionaries who are willing to translate letters from English to Italian. And for those of you who have lost the language, you might just want to drag out that purple LTM/MTC grammar book. When the mission blossoms, (and it will) you may be needed to go back to Italy with your spouse. Che pensiero dolce!

Buon lavoro e buoni battesimi!

IMPORTANT: Please register with us so that we can keep you updated on the project's progress.  Also, please forward this site on to anyone you know who served in the great Italy Catania Mission.

email: pattiadams@lifeschoolk12.org

Committee Members: Director - Lino P. Gambarotto; Chairpersons - Patti Landes Adams, Pauline Ruffo Clayson