In Pace Christi

Fr. Aldo Codognola was born at Sorgà, in the province of Verona, on 26 November, 1922. Having studied at the Salesian college of Legnago and at the Episcopal College of Rovigo, he joined the seminary of Rovigo. In his second year of High School, he asked to be admitted to the Comboni seminary and completed High School and the novitiate at Venegono where he took temporary vows in 1945. He studied theology at Verona Mother House and went to Venegono for the final year. He made his final profession at Venegono in 1948. He was ordained priest at Milan on 11 June, 1949, by Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster.

Immediately afterwards he was appointed to Uganda with a year to study English in England. His first mission was among the Acholi at Pabo (one year) and then at Morulem (three years). In 1957 he was sent to Angal among the Alur in the West Nile for three years. He then went to Orussi for six years. After another five years at Warr-Zeu, he returned to Rome for the Corso di Aggiornamento (1973-1974). Once back in Uganda he was appointed parish priest at the mission of Paidha but stayed there just a few months, because in June, 1975, Fr. Aldo was one of the ten Comboni missionaries expelled from Uganda. It was the time of Idi Amin. It seems the main instigators of the expulsions were a Protestant minister of the government and a high-ranking minister of the Anglican church.

Fr. Felice Centis writes: “A zealous priest, he always gave the best of himself to the catechetical and spiritual formation of the youth in the catechumenate and the schools of the mission. He was active and capable in many fields. He showed his ability in planning and building churches with especially beautiful churches at Orussi, Yamo e Warr. Though busy with many things, he was calm and peaceful and gained the confidence of the people”.

Fr. Aldo was assigned to the Italian province and spent some months at Venegono as community bursar and in missionary animation. He had a strong desire to return to the missions. He wrote to the Superior general: “Since my return from Uganda to Italy, the desire to return to the missions has never left me. Instead it torments me day and night with a crescendo that is becoming unbearable”.

In 1976 he was sent to the missions of Kenya where for 27 years (1976-2003) he worked wonders in evangelisation, in the catechumenate and in the formation of catechists and the youth in the schools. He worked in the following missions: Kapenguria (1976-1987), Mogotio, Gilgil (1987-1990), Kasikeu and Rongai (1993-2002).

Fr. Aldo built many churches and chapels in the missions where he worked. In this regard, here are some lines from the diary of Rongai: “In August the Bishop of Nakuru came to Rongai to confirm in the faith some hundreds of our Christians and to bless eight churches which sprang up around Rongai from 1992 to 2002. The buildings, usually 22 by 13 metres, are the work of Fr. Aldo Codognola who, with the help of the Comboni community of Rongai and many benefactors in Italy, raised up these signs of the faith for the glory of God and to foster the liturgical prayer of these very young Christian communities”.

In 2003, Fr Aldo returned to Italy for holidays but also for medical treatment and was soon assigned to the province of Italy. In 2006 he was hospitalised at Verona where he died on 8 April, 2010.

Fr. Agostino Zanotto writes: “Fr. Aldo taught me how to be a missionary when I was at Nyapea (Arua) and he was at the mission of Nebbi, where he built a very beautiful church. He taught me how to be a real missionary, to pray well, to work generously without becoming exhausted and to be able to leave the work to teach the catechumens. We met again at Kasikeu, in the diocese of Machakos (Kenya). He was always among the people who liked him extremely well.”

Fr. Stefano Zuin writes saying he noticed in Fr. Aldo three main passions: love for the missions (he worked in Uganda and Kenya for 52 years); love for the Virgin Mary (he would say many Rosaries throughout the day and he would always refer to Our Lady in his homilies); love for the African people (he was never heard to say a bad word about them).