Giampaolo Marcis, the volunteer who cleans in front of the churches of Sestu: «It makes me happy»

For seven years , Giampaolo Marcis' days have been marked by a passion: making the space in front of the churches of Sestu cleaner and more beautiful. A commitment that he carries out without asking for anything: 63 years old, everyone in Sestu knows him.

“I started after my mother died,” he happily tells those who stop to chat with him: “One day I went to the church of San Giorgio, I saw that the square in front had a very dirty floor, so I got to work, I consumed dozens of bottles of product.”

Giampaolo had a truly dramatic experience, when as a soldier he experienced the earthquake in Irpinia in 1980. Here he also had an accident that marked him, in the eyes of the doctors. But he looks forward rather than to the past. And faith has always been a strong point: "I believe because I have made many pilgrimages, from Lourdes to the Camino de Santiago, and I have seen suffering people get well again." Today, he says, "I am happy, I have found what I like. And I would also tell the story in schools."

The most beautiful lesson, that anyone can be useful, lend a hand. A work approved by the parish priests: «It does so much good, spontaneously», says Don Sergio Manunza of the church of San Giorgio, while Don Franco Puddu, of Nostra Signora delle Grazie adds: «A humble person, who gives a beautiful sign of interest in decorum».

Don Onofrio Serra, a retired parish priest, recalls: «His family attended the church, he offered himself spontaneously, I can only thank him». Compliments also from the mayor, Paola Secci: «His putting himself at the service of our fellow citizens makes us proud, and we are sincerely grateful to him».