It all started almost as a hobby, on one of those endless mornings inside the prison «La Giudecca», during the lockdown. As soon as I used to enter the women’s section, after the usual questions about what was happening outside, they used to repeat to me: Sr. Franca, give us something to do because time never passes.

Since I was left alone, due to the restrictive measures that prevented volunteers from entering, I thought of proposing to them to illustrate the stations of the Way of the Cross, which we would use during our preparation for Easter. I prepared drawing sheets, pencils, charcoals and erasers, material that they can take into theirs rooms without too much difficulty, to those who have accepted the ‘challenge’; however, I left the freedom to choose the station they wished to represent. The only indication I gave was that the drawing had to be aligned vertically, to create a good-looking set.

After a week, on the table in the sacristy I had the 15 masterpieces, made with care and passion, so much so that I was moved. While I was hanging them in the corridor in front of the chapel, I matched the names of the inmates to the mystery of the station. I was struck and moved in perceiving the similarities of their ‘pain’ expressed in the drawings and the theme of the station. The rest was read in the film made by a very dear friend of mine, film director Friederike Schaefer who acts as a volunteer at «La Giudecca» prisons and in one of her writings. Thanks to Friederike for the sensitivity of her mind that shines through from her work and thanks to the women for putting their heart!