In Pace Christi

Fr. Angelo Dell’Oro (28.12.1911 – 13.10.2008)
Fr. Angelo Dell’Oro was born on 28 December, 1911 at Laorca, Lecco, the third of seven children, into a profoundly Christian family. When Angelo began primary school, he was, as he himself wrote, “shy and immature”, partly because for health reasons he could not attend kindergarten.
Even in primary school Angelo had wanted to be a missionary but he was too shy to make his feelings known. In the third year of high school he finally managed to speak of it to Fr. Giovanni Battista Cesana. The greatest impediment was posed by his precarious state of health but the doctors consulted agreed it would not prevent him going to the missions. And so he entered the Comboni seminary at Brescia and, in October 1929 that of Venegono. On 7 October 1931 he was admitted to temporary vows and took perpetual vows in 1936. Sent as a prefect to Brescia, he completed his theological studies and was ordained priest in 1937.
After his ordination, he was appointed to various houses during the period from 1937 to 1953. He worked at Brescia, Venegono, Crema (where he was sent by his superiors to open a junior seminary), Rebbio (where he had to struggle to provide food for the seminarians during the war), again at Crema, Venegono, Brescia and finally Verona. He occupied various posts: formator, bursar, vocations promoter and superior.
Reading his diary one becomes aware that during all his life Fr. Angelo allowed himself to be guided by God’s inspiration in his profound spiritual journey. Once ordained he succeeded in developing his capacity for ministry, homilies and spiritual retreats. He learned to trust in God, especially after some impressive experiences both happy and sad which, he wrote, helped him “to recognise the power of God in me and my nothingness which only impedes his work”.
In 1953 he was appointed to Brazil, first to the diocese of São Mateus, in the state of Espirito Santo and then, in 1962, to Rio Preto. He arrived there on 27 October of that year, having been appointed rector of the Santuário São Judas Tadeu and the first challenge he faced was the great number of children of the Roseiral whom he tried to gather round him. The auxiliary bishop Mgr. José Joaquim Gonçalves, who had met him on his arrival, took on the commitment of providing a snack for them every day. This project developed into the Obra social São Judas Tadeu and grew enormously. Besides education, the project offered many activities such as tailoring, sewing and woodwork and diversified even more with the training of specialised technicians, teachers and administrators who were working productively and were self-supporting. Consequently, the Cidade Mirim, governed by the children themselves, was founded. Later a scout group was formed with very simple uniforms which were bought with the proceeds of a promotion campaign.
In 1968 the commune made Fr. Angelo an honorary citizen of Rio Preto. On 27 October, 1972, by decree of the bishop, Mgr. José de Aquino Pereira, the parish of São Judas Tadeu was erected, an event which coincided with the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the arrival of the Comboni missionaries in Rio Preto.
In 1976, after 23 years in Brazil, Fr. Angelo was transferred to Portugal, initially to the community of Maia. He was made provincial treasurer and immediately entrusted the task to Our Lady of Fatima. He carried out this work coherently and peacefully and managed to put the books in order. In 1978 the provincial sent him to Lisbon as superior of the house. At first Fr. Angelo was intimidated by this request but later accepted. At his suggestion Além Mar and Audácia “sailed the seas”, according to the name of the campaign he himself proposed. Soon afterwards, again supported by Fr. Angelo, the campaign for the apostleship of suffering was launched to raise funds for those suffering physically and morally.
As his stay in Portugal was coming to an end and Fr. Angelo was looking forward to the joy of returning to Brazil, he was called by the Italian province to be Assistant general of the Secular Comboni Missionaries. Unfortunately, soon after he left he suffered a stroke which, however, he got over and, two days before Christmas, he left Portugal.
From 1984 to 1986 he was a member of the community of Lucca, a house close to Carraia where the women in charge of the Secular Comboni Missionaries lived. This is what Fr. Angelo wrote: “I feel moved to consecrate my entire life to bringing about a profound union between the three Comboni families so as to live as authentically as possible the spirit of Comboni”. Shortly after his arrival, Fr. Salvatore Calvia, the Superior General, appointed him superior. Subsequently he was charged with studying the problem of the sick and aged and proposing solutions.
In 1986, a “year of grace” as he defined it, Fr. Angelo visited the Holy Land. This was something he had always wanted very much to do but had to postpone because of the stroke he suffered some years previously. In the same year he returned to Brazil to take part in the commemorations for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Serviço Social São Judas Tadeu.
On 14 March, 1987 he celebrated fifty years of priesthood and was appointed to Venegono where, as Fr. Angelo wrote in his diary, he fitted in without the least difficulty because he was able to see every new commitment as a “gift from the Lord”. In fact, we know that in 1994, in a brief encounter with Fr. Francesco Pierli, Fr. General told him that his presence in the novitiate was precious since the confreres, especially the novices, realised that he lived his self-giving with joy and was a stimulus for them.
In 2007, during a short visit to São Judas, he succeeded in once again igniting the flame of enthusiasm for social works and for solidarity. On that occasion a group of friends promoted the launch of his memoirs “Divine Folly – My years at São José do Rio Preto, 1962-1976”.
Bro. Enrico Massignani, who lived more than ten years with Fr. Angelo, writes: “I would describe him as a man of God (much prayer, many sacrifices and great charity), a missionary of charity (God only knows how much good he did for people. He visited the prisons and the sick, helped the poor to build their houses, he consoled the afflicted. In order to run the Obra Social, which provided education for around 500 young people, he approached his friends in Italy, the local authorities and many other people who felt committed to the youth of the Opera). A Comboni Missionary faithful to the charism (all his life was a testimony to the Comboni charism: love for the poor, serving the spiritual needs of so many people, encouraging his collaborators to live a profoundly Christian and missionary life).
Fr. Angelo died on 13 October, 2008 at Milan at the age of 96 years but his inspiration continues to energise the activities of the Obra Social São Judas Tadeu.
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 239 suppl. In Memoriam, ottobre 2008, pp. 103-108.