On Monday, October 30 at 7.40am — exactly seven years after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck central Italy — the Basilica di San Benedetto in Norcia, a small Umbrian town near the epicenter of the disaster, held its first mass since 2016. Many local and regional authorities, including President of the Region of Umbria Donatella Tesei, were in attendance.

Bishop of Spoleto-Norcia, Monsignor Renato Boccardo, suggested in his homily that the service, held in one of Norcia’s most emblematic buildings, was a sign of renewal. “This day is meant to be a sign of hope, not just to those who are connected to this basilica for emotional, historical, intellectual or spiritual reasons, but in particular to all those who are still living outside their homes in the aftermath of the earthquake,” Boccardo said.