Sardinia, the half evangelical beer: the story of Don Totoni, the priest who holds mass in the bars of Barbagia to “bring the word of Jesus”

Don Antonio Maria Cossu – known to all as Don Totoni – is 68 years old, 44 in the priesthood, and for seven years has led two parishes in Bitti, the center of Barbagia with around 2,600 inhabitants. For three years Don Totoni has been looking for his sheep, some lost, others just distracted, in the town bars “to bring you Jesus, his Word”. The initiative, which will be repeated from 2021 to today, immediately after Easter, in five or six strictly scheduled meetings, also has a name: “Meeting in bars: half an evangelical beer, talking about Jesus”.

Don Totoni, two parishes on his shoulders, many commitments and even overtime in the evening at the bar. How was your evangelical half beer born?

“It is an initiative that we carry out during Easter time, agreed with the bar managers and which always ends with the blessing of the premises and the people present. Bringing the word of the Lord outside the churches should be normal for a priest, like going and looking for the faithful in their meeting places”.

How was she received by her fellow villagers?

With normal curiosity, also with sympathy and availability. Before starting to make the calendar of meetings, I visited the bars in the town, proposing the initiative and identifying the most suitable time with the operators. Precisely to meet the requests of many customers, mostly from the world of pastors, this year we have postponed our hour of reading and reflection on the Gospel by half an hour. We begin at 7.30 pm and conclude at 8.30 pm with the blessing and the moment more convivial”.

Any reaction from the Diocese of Nuoro?

“Given that preaching is part of the autonomy of every priest and pastor, I can say that our meetings are also viewed with sympathy by the Diocese. Spreading the Word of the Lord in the meeting places of our parishioners is another way to bring Jesus to them.”

The target of these meetings, however, risks being limited to men, of whom at least 90 percent are the patrons of the bars in our countries.

“Yes, I find mostly men in the clubs, aged 40 and over. Sometimes some women also participate, who perhaps come expressly to follow the catechesis. It’s more difficult to have kids there.”

How do young and very young people get involved? In the virtual reality of social media, where have many priests also chosen to stay?

“I’m not very social, I have a Facebook profile that I only use to publish the Gospel of the day and I use WhatsApp for catechism and youth groups. I still think that the best relationship is the real one, being able to look people in the eyes. We have to have the courage to be present where young people meet: once it was the world of school, associations, sport. We try to make specific proposals for teenagers and young people, meetings, school camps, sporting activities”.

What does a typical ‘evangelical evening’ look like?

“Starting from the reading of the Gospel, followed by my commentary, after which we move on to the discussion and any questions. This year the theme is the message of Jesus: love”.

In the evenings of half beers how many faces did he find, how many people he hadn’t seen for a long time?

“Let’s say that I saw faces of people that I saw more outside, around the town, than in the parish.”

Disappointed reactions to his entry into bars?

“Some customers may not have come knowing that there would be half an evangelical beer, but no one has ever left for not following the catechesis.

And was there any manager who refused to adhere to his evening evangelization proposal?

“The bars of the town have enthusiastically joined and for this I have to thank the Bitsi people. Only two, due to particular commitments, have declined. But not out of opposition to the merits of the initiative, more for their own organizational issues”.