An Interview with Fr. Felice Bruno, Office Manager of the Post and Philately Service:

“Witnesses of Hope”

The Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems’ Post and Philately Service has launched a series of initiatives in preparation for Jubilee 2025, including the issue of four stamps dedicated to people whose exemplary lives and message of faith, have made them stand out as “witnesses of hope”, the opening of a new post office in Saint Peter’s Square and an increase in the number of current staff involved in the creation of new stamps. We spoke with Father Felice Bruno, Office Manager of the Post and Philately Service, about these news developments, in the following interview with www.vaticanstate.va.

Can you describe your first three months as Office Manager of the Post and Philately Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems?

Before I began working at the Post and Philately Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems, I served at the Provincial Council of the Opera Don Orione for nine years as secretary and advisor for Missions and Schools. I thus went from a very dynamic apostolate that included frequent visits to communities and activities throughout Italy and abroad, to a completely new role.

I am happy to have been welcomed warmly by everyone from the very beginning, and to have experienced from the very start a fraternal and collaborative relationship on all levels. I am very grateful to my superiors, my closest collaborators, and all the staff for their closeness and help, which are so important during the early days of adjustment. I must also admit, with satisfaction, that there is a wonderful and friendly atmosphere among the staff, which often extends beyond work with sports tournaments and social gatherings.

There is a common thread that connects my previous work to my current one: love and service to the Church and the Pope, that distinguished my founder, Saint Luigi Orione, my Congregation and my apostolate over these 33 years of religious life. This charismatic dimension, central to my religious Family, is now even more concrete and effective: it is an honour for me to be at the direct service of Vatican City and the Holy Father.

The Post and Philately Service encompasses various operational areas. Could you describe them in broad terms?

The current workforce consists in a total of 43 employees, divided into four departments: Correspondence, Sales, Philately, and Administration and Support.

The Correspondence department includes the Departures sector, where mail destined for abroad is sorted, the Arrivals sector, which handles deliveries to the Vatican, and the Packages sector.

Here are some interesting facts: there are 26 mailboxes in Vatican City, which are emptied five times a day. Mail is delivered three times a day, and direct mail is sent to 45 countries, almost on a daily basis.

Additionally, there is the “Sales” department, which includes a main cashier and counter operators who work in the central office (within the Vatican walls) and in four branches. All postal services are also available at the following locations: Vatican Museums, the Arch of the Bells, the Pontifical Lateran University (serving the university and other bodies located in that extraterritorial area), and the new post office in Saint Peter’s Square.

The “Philately’ department is responsible for the planning, study and creation of Vatican stamps. This service, which still generates great interest from collectors and enthusiasts, combines knowledge of history, art and hagiography.

In addition to providing stamps for postal services and showcasing the activities of the Holy Father, stamp issues often serve as a way for Vatican City State to commend individuals and institutions that have distinguished themselves over the centuries, in their commitment to the Church and civil society.

Lastly, there is the “Administration and Support” department, which includes staff that assists the Head of Section with secretarial activities, accounting, telegraph services, and cancellations.

The Post and Philately Service is like a mosaic in which each member of staff is a tile who, through daily and often hidden commitment, embellishes and completes the mosaic.

Jubilee 2025: How is the Post and Philately Service preparing to welcome pilgrims?

The Vatican Post and Philately Service is certainly among the activities of the Holy See that will be most affected by the enormous influx of pilgrims coming to Rome for Jubilee celebrations. In addition to increasing staff members and creating a Jubilee stamp, there are two special and significant initiatives planned for this occasion.

Firstly, before the start of the Holy Year, there was the inauguration of the new modern and efficient Post Office in Saint Peter’s Square, created in collaboration with Poste Italiane.

It is an innovative Post Office, a beautiful and spacious building, that is comfortable also for our staff. Set against the backdrop of Bernini's colonnade, it serves as a prestigious calling card that will attract pilgrims from all over the world. 

Another very significant initiative organized for the Jubilee Year is the issue of four stamps dedicated to people whose exemplary lives and messages of faith, have made them stand out as “witnesses of hope”. In today’s difficult and complex historical period, these people are shining beacons, a lasting reminder that, despite everything, “hope does not disappoint”

Indeed, as Pope Francis reminded us in a Wednesday catechesis: “great hope is rooted in faith, and it is precisely for this reason that it is able to go beyond all hope. Yes, because it is based not on our word, but on the Word of God”.