It was a May morning when I, Andrea Avesani, was welcomed into the Vatican Pharmacy by the Brothers of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God. “Starting today we will be working together. I bid you welcome”, said the Prior of the Community, Brother Fabiano. And he added, “Let me introduce you to the Brothers who work here”. I already knew many of them from when I was a small child. And he continued: “This is Brother Augusto, the deputy director, Brother Arcangelo who will work alongside you. Brother Martino, Brother Giovanni, Brother Claudio, Brother Mariano and Brother Anselmo.” I remember them all with fondness and gratitude for I learned much from them.

I am not a Brother, I am not a Co-worker, and I am not a volunteer. I am a pharmacist who works at the Vatican Pharmacy. For more than 20 years, I have worked alongside the religious of the Vatican community of the Fatebenefratelli. All of us, both the religious and the lay people, are employees of the Holy See who, although this commitment is not always easy, are privileged to work with the Holy Father in his Apostolate.

Over time, the Brothers changed, The Australians left and were replaced by others. Spaniards, Indians, Poles, English, Africans and Vietnamese arrived and were welcomed affectionately by us and as before we were to share with them their regrets, their satisfactions, their meals. At times, despite the inevitable problems, we were able to build a true brotherhood. Thus, it happened that when life presented serious trials for one or the other of us – and I know this from personal experience – that person never found himself or herself alone. Though surrounded by worldly things, by the temptations represented by money or by power, we never forgot the teachings of Saint John of God: heart and soul open to the sufferings of mankind, to the miseries of human life.

This is the way the Fatebenefratelli managed (and continue to manage) the Vatican Pharmacy. And I can tell you one thing: on my name day, Saint Andrew, no one ever forgets to wish me the best.