The Community of Sant'Egidio began in Rome in 1968, in the period following the Second Vatican Council.

Today it is a movement of lay people and has more than 50,000 members, dedicated to evangelisation and charity, in Rome, Italy and in more than 70 countries throughout the world.

The Community has as its centre the Roman Church of Sant'Egidio, from which the Community takes its name. From its very beginnings, the Community has maintained, in the area of Trastevere and in Rome, a continuous presence of prayer and welcome for the poor and for pilgrims.

 

What We Do

Its main activities are:

• Prayer, centered around a reading of the Bible
• Spreading the Gospel to help people who are looking for a sense to their life.
• Service to the poor, which is free and unpaid
• Commitment to ecumenism (the Community of Sant'Egidio is also ecumenical, though being rooted in the Catholic Church)
• Dialogue with members of other religions and non-believers.

Their activities include setting up refuges for the old, hospices for AIDS patients, and printing a handbook titled "Where to Eat, Sleep, and Wash in Rome" as gifts to the homeless. The lay Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio is among global leaders on HIV/AIDS, running programs across Africa, pushing scientific research inter alia on mother child transmission, and advocating passionately that everyone deserves the best care.

The charitable efforts of Sant'Egidio also led it to be a well-regarded mediator of peace negotiations.

The community of Sant'Egidio shows its commitment against the Death penalty by maintaining penpalships with many Death convicts, collecting signatures for a moratorium of executions and inviting cities around the world to take part in the Cities for Life Day.