In Pace Christi

The numerous testimonies gathered by confreres, friends and acquaintances regarding Bro. Amorino all agree in describing him as a Comboni Missionary who made of his life a service that was total, constant and serene, in order to alleviate the sufferings, and not simply the physical sufferings, of many, many confreres. He was truly a gigantic figure in making himself “all things to all people” in those phases of life which have to do with old age and infirmity, which more than any other make us feel the need for mutual help and the support of others.

Bro. Amorino was born at Santa Maria di Sala in the province of Venice, in the diocese of Padua, on 19 December, 1920. Fr. Aleardo De Berti’s comments on his life are interesting: “The life of Bro. Amorino has an aura of Christmas joy. Born a few days before Christmas, he ended his days during first Vespers of the third Sunday of Advent, “Gaudete Sunday”, a name taken from St. Paul to the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. The Lord is near!”.

In Luke 9, 1, we read that Jesus sent out the twelve and “gave them power and authority to cure diseases”. This was precisely the vocation of Bro. Amorino. Not being able to go to the missions because of his frail health, he could not build churches, hospitals, dispensaries or schools but through his essentially missionary spirituality he helped to alleviate the sufferings of hundreds of confreres, making himself an instrument of serene and peaceful life together. Fr. De Berti continues: “He spent much of his life at Arco and at the Verona Mother House. There he lived as a true missionary, taking on himself the care of the confreres. This he did with great regard for their privacy, with respect and much friendship. He played the role of the ‘Good Samaritan’ in a hundred and one situations, with unaltered availability. Through his selfless service to the confreres, tried, like himself, by illness, he put into practice the words of Comboni: ‘I shall make common cause with all’. This he did most of all by alleviating the sufferings of those most in need”.

Bro. Duilio Plazzotta decided to send his testimony concerning Bro. Amorino: “Amorino was a nice character, always serene and tranquil, even when he could have appeared saddened or irritated. He was always ready to help, always calm. His presence was that of a wise brother who kept his eyes open and knew how to give good advice at the right time. He was a man of prayer and this was evident from his unobtrusive, silent and prayerful presence. He did not seek praise but was a life witness for those of us who were younger and a genuine comfort to the sick confreres who had every confidence in him and felt understood and supported by him. He was a good Simon of Cyrene who daily helped them to bear the cross of illness and suffering. I was pleased to meet him again during my holidays in Italy. He was still at the Verona CAA but this time in the role of the patient. He walked only with difficulty and often I had to give him my arm to lean on, a gesture he must have made thousands of times to the sick and unsteady confreres.”

During the funeral Mass for Bro. Amorino, Fr. Giovanni Battista Bressani, referring to the great figure of Bro. Angelo Viviani, a pioneer in the service of the sick confreres in that which was to become the CAA, he said: “Having known him well, I can assure you that Bro. Amorino, like Bro. Viviani before him, had the ‘heart of a mother’ for all the sick. In our community at Arco, whenever anyone was sick in bed, it was he who went to see how he was, bringing him some coffee or medicine or simply keeping him company for fear he might feel alone. He always served with charity. It was more than evident: he put his whole heart into it, making his own the sufferings of the others.

Without drawing attention to himself, he would perform the more humble and unpleasant tasks. He was very generous. During the night all the calls went to his room and he would rise even from deepest sleep with the result that he would be a bit tired and sleepy the next day!”. Those who visited the community and were in contact with him appreciated and loved him for these human qualities which he cultivated throughout his life. Summarising, I would say that Bro. Amorino was one of those Guardian Angels in flesh and blood whom the Lord never fails to send to his missionaries and all those who love him”.

Not only many confreres but also many co-operators and lay volunteers were impressed by the example of bro. Amorino. Gedeone Soardo, a volunteer worker for many years at Verona CAA, said during the funeral: “Thank you, Brother Amorino! You have been an example of conscientious work, of humanity and goodness for all us volunteers. Patient with the sick, you gave them comfort and help without a thought for yourself, despite being no longer young. Your life rested on sure foundations, bound together with the mortar of prayer and Christian ideals by which you lived, not only in word but also in the practice of charity towards the sick and those close to them. So many times I saw you hurry along the corridors pushing wheelchairs, bringing clothes and bed linen or helping the sick to walk again. You would bring Holy Communion to the seriously ill, enlivening the liturgy with hymns, decorating the church, the veranda and the rooms with flowers. All this you did with commitment and Christian charity. In 1999 you left Verona with sorrow but also availability in your heart to go to the community of Arco to continue your work among the elderly confreres.

In 2007 you returned to Verona, worn out by your dedicated work. You reached your final goal, joining the many friends, relatives and confreres whom you served here on earth. Endless thanks to you, Amorino, for your benevolence and I wish you a happy birthday in heaven!”

The words of Fr. Mario Busellato, of the Arco community, sum up in the best way possible the gratitude of all who benefited from the help and friendship given by Bro. Amorino: “This has been your vineyard, Amorino, but you have left us an emptiness which we shall endeavour to fill by imitating and making our own your good example, in the great hope of meeting you again in the not-too-distant future. Start right away preparing a place for us close to you, where we may best see and enjoy the Father and Mother whom you now have. Send us many and able vocations”.
(Fr. Giuseppe Cavallini)
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 241 suppl. In Memoriam, luglio 2009, pp. 13-17.