No one wants to call it a miracle, but what happened in the village of Parteolla is certainly not ordinary. An outpouring of solidarity allowed the parish of San Salvatore to recover, in just a few days, nearly all of its funds—approximately €69,000—stolen from Father Mario Cugusi by a scammer. Parishioners, friends, and acquaintances rushed to the priest's aid to cover the gap.

"The communities of Serdiana and Parteolla have given an extraordinary response," says Don Mario. "I've received contributions from many parishioners, as well as from Cagliari and other towns in Sardinia. A special thanks to the wineries for their great and discreet generosity. And, of course, to our bishop, Msgr. Giuseppe Baturi. He was here last Sunday for the patron saint's day; he promised us help, and that's exactly what he delivered."

On April 30, Father Mario Cugusi received a call on his parish landline from a man posing as a police inspector reporting suspicious activity on his bank account. This was a carefully crafted scam, made even more credible by the documents sent on State Police letterhead. Once the deception was discovered, a grassroots movement began to allow Father Mario to recover his ill-gotten gains.

A few days ago, funds from a regional grant for the restoration of the country church of Santa Maria di Sibiola, a jewel of Romanesque art in Sardinia, were deposited into the parish account. Thanks to the generosity of the people, Don Mario will now be able to honor his contractual obligations with the companies that carried out the church's restoration. The risk, if he failed to meet his obligations, was losing the entire regional grant. "We can breathe a sigh of relief. With the funds raised, we can pay the invoices for the second installment of the work. There will be no delays."

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