In Pace Christi

Bro. Ulderico Menini (13.05.1922 – 26.10.2008)
Bro. Ulderico Menini was born at Verona on 13 May, 1922. he completed primary school by attending night classes. During the day he would help his father in the fields. In June, 1939, at seventeen years of age, he applied to enter the novitiate of the Comboni Missionaries.
He did his novitiate in Florence (1940-1942), where he took his first vows in October, 1942 and perpetual vows in 1948. When he had completed his novitiate, he was assigned to the Italian province and spent eight years in various houses (Sulmona, Padova, Troia, Verona), where he served mostly as a cook. This was no mean task, given the conditions prevailing during and after the war.
In 1950 he was appointed to South Sudan where he worked mostly assisting the building work in Yubu mission.
Eight years later he was sent to the London province where he spent three years regaining his health. He had suffered with ulcers in Sudan, due to an unknown disease which undermined his health. In April 1960, he wrote from St. Pancras Hospital for tropical diseases to Fr. Gaetano Briani, the Superior General: “ I fear it will not be a very nice Easter for me this year, since I will have to spend it in bed, drinking gallons of milk”.
Towards the end of 1960, he returned to Italy where he stayed just over four years, at Crema and Pordenone. In April of 1965, he heard that personnel was being sought to replace the four confreres killed in the Congo, and humbly asked to be sent again to the missions, possibly to the Congo. He wrote: “I know that I do not deserve such a favour and I am sure I am not worthy to follow in the footsteps of our heroic missionaries who gave their lives so generously in Africa”.
In that same year, since he already knew English, Bro. Ulderico was assigned to Uganda. He spent almost ten years at Kasaala mission, mostly in construction work. He then had to move to Kenya for a few years as his Ugandan work permit was not renewed.
In 1976, due to ill health, he was transferred to the Italian province where he joined the community at the Mother House to assist in administration. He always wanted to return to the missions but this proved impossible as he never really regained his health. In 1978 he wrote: “Here in Verona, those who can work are very few and they are always on the go trying to keep everyone happy”.
Bro. Ulderico remained at Verona until, on 26 October, 2008, he returned to the home of the Father.
Fr. Aleardo De Berti thus remembered him on the day of the funeral: “Bro. Ulderico lived his 86 years as one consecrated to God, by Baptism and Confirmation, during sixty six of which he consecrated his time, his work and his life by his religious missionary profession. On 7 October last, he spiritually celebrated 60 years of perpetual religious profession. It is not necessary to go into all the details of his life. I know he used his talents in South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya as well as in Italy and in England. Those who lived in community with him saw the fine buildings he put up in the missions and the well-stocked garden he cultivated at the Mother House. Bro. Ulderico was an expert in gardening and took meticulous care of every patch of ground at his disposal to supply the community with fresh vegetables. He too tried to build up the city of God in this world as many other Comboni Missionaries did and are still doing, each with his own special talents. I wish to conclude with a thought on the date of his birth: May 13, the commemoration of the first apparition at Fatima. I am sure that Our Lady, Mother of the missionary Church, guided the life of young Ulderico and entrusted him to the spirituality of St. Daniel Comboni from the age of eighteen, when he entered the novitiate, to the day of his death which occurred on a Sunday, the day which celebrates the resurrection of the Lord. For Bro. Ulderico, this was the call of the Lord to his last appointment”.
Fr. Teresino Serra, Superior General, on the occasion of Bro. Ulderico’s death, wrote: “If each one of us were to mention a virtue which he saw in the life of this Brother of ours, the result would be a beautiful mosaic of Comboni qualities. Among these virtues I single out his love for the Institute and for the vocation to the Brotherhood. He liked to play the hymn Gesù lo sguardo amabile, which would take us back to unforgettable times. But Bro. Ulderico also had a loving gaze... since he had a loving heart. The words of his I remember most are: ‘I pray for the Superiors that they may be good to us poor wretches’. He would say this in dialect with a friendly smile”.
We want to add some words from his relatives: “Dear Uncle, today is a day of sorrow for us because you have left us and no one can take your place. We want to thank God for the gift of your presence in our lives. You have been for us a gift of simplicity, humility, charity, goodness and faith in Jesus Christ. Your joy and your smile gave us comfort and hope in the trials of life. You left in our hearts an indelible mark because you lived as a worthy, honest and tireless worker in the vineyard of the Lord, especially in your mission as a follower of Comboni. Your love for the humble labour of the earth has borne much fruit and you have made love to flower even in the most arid soil. May the Lord welcome you into eternal life together with the Blessed Virgin Mary whose faithful servant you have been”.
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 239 suppl. In Memoriam, ottobre 2008, pp. 109-117.