In Pace Christi

Fr. Mario Piotti was born on 15 July, 1927, at San Stefano Arno, Varese Province. Having joined the archdiocesan seminary of Milan, situated at Venegono Inferiore (Varese), in 1945, as a first year lyceum student, he requested and obtained the permission of the superiors and his parents to enter the Comboni Missionaries: “For a long time an interior voice has urged me to take this step, after much prayer and reflection”.

He did his novitiate at the Comboni house in Venegono Superiore (1945-1947), taking his first vows on 9 September 1947 and perpetual vows in 1951. He studied theology in Rebbio, Troia, Brescia and Venegono. He was ordained on 7 June 1952 by Cardinal Idelfonso Schuster. From 1952 to 1957 he was assigned first to Crema as local bursar and to do mission promotion. Then he went to Carraia for pastoral ministry.
In July 1957 he was appointed to Sudan, where he worked for six years, up the time of the expulsion of the missionaries. His fields of work were Mayen and Wau. During Fr. Mario’s time, the mission schools had been taken from the missionaries which allowed them to freely dedicate themselves to their apostolate in the villages. This, however, did nothing to prevent the expulsion of the missionaries and the introduction of new restrictive laws. The sad day of the expulsions from Sudan was close and came about in 1964.

Fr. Mario stayed a few months in Italy. In July 1964 he left with the first group appointed to Togo. He reached Lomé with seven other “founder” confreres of the Comboni missions there (six priests and two Brothers) on 19 January 1964. The welcome they received from the people was simple but, at the same time, impressive. It seemed the whole city turned out to meet them. When he arrived in Togo, Fr. Mario was 37 years of age. Fr. Mario and Fr. Ezio Rossi were sent to Kpalimé, 120 Km north of Lomé. On 5 May, the parish of Kodjoviakopé, with an estimated population of 45,000 people, was started. It was located to the west of the capital, on the border with Ghana, where Fr. Mario was to be the curate of Fr. Francesco Cordero who was parish priest and superior of the delegation.

The beginnings were not easy. The needs were immense and means were in desperately short supply. An enormous task awaited the missionaries who were also called upon to visit the villages and traditional settlements around the city, which had never been attended to. Fr. Mario threw himself into the work, especially among the youth, just like any Milanese priest in his local oratory. Years later, those young people, now grown to adulthood, still remembered Fr. Mario who marked their Christian lives by organising prayer groups (with visits to the Benedictine monastery of Dzogbegan), team games and other activities.

As early as November of that year, Fr. Mario began to show symptoms of poor health. He was admitted to the Fatebenefratelli hospital of Afagnan, where there was another Comboni community also trying to establish a presence in Togo. Despite the ups and downs of his health, Fr. Mario continued with his work, mostly among the youth, a work in which Fr. Cordero said he excelled “like a true artist.” In November 1971 he returned for good to Italy. With the help of the Venegono climate, he was soon back in form, ready for whatever service he might be asked to perform in his province of origin.

In Italy he worked in various houses as local superior and in various posts of responsibility in the province: in Venegono (1971-1977), where the novitiate was re-opened in September 1971; in Rome (1977-1981) he was made provincial secretary for evangelisation, superior and responsible for ACSE; in Bologna (1981-1987), he was elected provincial superior; in San Pancrazio, Roma, (1987-1992), he was provincial secretary for evangelisation and superior. He also helped with the travel office and in ACSE.

He was appointed to Central Africa (1992 – 1994) but after a year and a half he had to resign for health reasons. Once back in Italy he was sent to Milan (1995-2005) as superior and in charge of the CAA. Then his time of rest began: first in Gozzano (2005-2008) and then in Milan.

During his funeral service, Fr. Lino Spezia said: “It was not easy for Fr. Mario to come back here to Milan. Returning meant he had to face up to his illness and physical weakness, accepting that he could no longer be self-sufficient but always dependent on others. He wanted to recover from his illness: he wanted to go to hospital, have an intestinal operation and return to normal life. What kept Fr. Mario going during that period was, I believe, his prayer life. Seeing him in the chapel, sitting in his wheelchair with his breviary in his hand, one understood how he must have tried to understand that phase of his life in the light of the psalms and to find in them the best way to integrate his aspirations with his illness and its consequences. I did not note that ‘baldanza’ which was a characteristic of his all his life but I did see its opposite as he faced his situation day by day, welcoming it, entering into dialogue and accepting to live it fully. He knew his days were numbered but was able to accept the sorrow with that maturity of faith which becomes “beauty itself” because it is a testimony. He expressed his sorrow to just a few people whom he discreetly asked for their support to live out, as a missionary and till the end, that part of life where nothing remains but that which is true and all the love which one has in one’s heart or has given to others”.

He passed away during the night of 27 February 2009, that afternoon having said goodbye to his relatives.
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 241 suppl. In Memoriam, luglio 2009, pp. 52-58.