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Bishop Vincenzo Viva, presides over the Solemnity of Saint Clare of Assisi at the Poor Clare Monastery in Albano

A calling that sets one on the journey

A calling that becomes contagious—that of Saint Clare of Assisi—when, in San Damiano, even her mother Ortolana and her sister Beatrice embraced the same form of life. This is confirmation that it was not an isolated choice but rather “a calling that even today sets us on the journey, if we listen to it—a calling that provokes processes of inner transformation”. Thus spoke the Bishop of Albano, Monsignor Vincenzo Viva, as he presided over the concelebrated Eucharist on the feast of Saint Clare of Assisi, Monday afternoon, August 11, at the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of the Poor Clares, located within the territory of the Pontifical Villas. The latter are administered by the Governorate of Vatican City State.

Interview with Francesca Persegati, Former Head of the Paintings and Wooden Materials Restoration Laboratory of the Vatican Museums

Between Passion and Professionalism

She was the first woman to work in the Paintings and Wooden Materials Restoration Laboratory of the Vatican Museums and, in 2017, appointed to head it as chief restorer. Officially retiring on August 1st she can now take stock of her successful career in one of the most prestigious restoration laboratories in the art world, where she worked for 35 years. In this interview with www.vaticanstate.va, Francesca Persegati retraces the history of the laboratory and shares some memorable challenges during her career.

An Interview with Paolo Violini, the New Head of the Restoration Laboratory for Paintings and Wooden Material at the Vatican Museums

Further Centuries of Artistic Splendor

The restoration of Raphael’s Loggia, the launch of the preliminary study program for the Sala dei Chiaroscuri, and, in the seventeenth-century sphere, a project to restore the entire Scala Regia—the monumental entrance to the Apostolic Palaces designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

These are some of the initiatives announced in this interview with Paolo Violini, who, as of August 1, is at the helm of Italy’s oldest most renowned restoration workshop: the Restoration Laboratory for Paintings and Wooden Material at the Vatican Museums. [www.vaticanstate.va](http://www.vaticanstate.va)

Joint Stamp Issue between the Vatican City State, the Italian Republic, the Republic of San Marino, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Postal Stamps Commemorating the Canonization of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati

A portrait of Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925), painted by Alberto Falchetti (1878–1951) and owned by the Frassati family, along with a photograph of Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) wearing a red T-shirt and a backpack, taken on Mount Subasio near Assisi during one of his last school trips before his untimely death — these are the two images featured on the stamps dedicated to the canonization of the two Blessed, scheduled for the morning of Sunday, September 7, in St. Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Leo XIV.