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 150th Anniversary of the Circolo di San Pietro Scott 1726 (2019) On November 4, 2019, Vatican City issued the stamp illustrated above to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Circolo di San Pietro, or Saint Peter's Circle. The stamp, designed by artist Daniela Longo, depicts the face of a man being caressed by the hand of Christ, with the words "Voi Siete Carezze Di Dio", meaning "You are God's Caresses". A dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and the design is completed with a chalice holding the blood of Christ. The Circolo di San Pietro was founded in 1869 by a group of young people who were members of Roman nobility who wanted to assert their commitment to the Church and to the Pope. This occurred at a very tenuous time in the relationship between Italy and the Church, the period of the "Risorgimento". In 1870, this culminated in the unification of the Republic of Italy and the demise of the Papal States. The founding members of the Circle met with Pope Pius IX and described their intentions to serve the Church through acts of charity and participation in the political and cultural debates of their time. One of the initial acts of the Circle was to open soup kitchens (also known as "economic kitchens") to feed the poor. From these beginnings, the Circolo di San Pietro has continued to serve the needy through a variety of charitable actions. The motto of the Circle is “Prayer, Action, Sacrifice”, and since its inception many prominent figures from the Roman cultural, political, aristocratic and ecclesiastical spectrum have been members of the Circle, including Popes Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII and Paul VI. In addition to the stamp shown above, the Circle was also honored at its centennial anniversary in 1969 with a three-stamp set (Scott 476-478), shown below: 
 100th Anniversary of the Circolo di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Circle) Scott 476-478 (1969) In 2024, Pope Francis met with members of Circolo San Pietro on their 155th anniversary and stated: "With your presence, with your closeness, compassion and tenderness, you have greatly served the Church." REFERENCES: |
