In Pace Christi

“Twenty confreres of this community have been swept away by covid-19 – writes Fr. Manuel João Pereira. – Fr. Luigi was the youngest of this group (76) and the ‘eldest’ in length of stay in this caring community of Verona (since 1994); he was the best known and most popular and his death was very much felt, especially among our employees; especially since this figure shows once again how God works through the least, using our qualities, our limits and our poverty.

Fr. Luigi was not a ‘man of great talents’ but he was outstanding for his joviality, which he showed by his good humour, his understanding, his will to live, his childlike playful and adventurous spirit, his spontaneity and simplicity, his cordial, generous and peaceful attitude and his good company. He was a real artist of life who knew how to bring particular colours to every moment. God gave him to us for the joy of all”.

Fr. Eugenio Petrogalli, who spent years in community with Fr. Luigi in the mission, says: "I spent some wonderful, joyful and sometimes extravagant years with him in Abor and Liati (Ghana)... I remember how, on the day we arrived in Liati, we went to the church together. He knelt before the tabernacle with outstretched arms and prayed aloud: "Jesus, take me as I am and make me what you want me to be, but slowly, please... ". Since there were just the two of us, I knelt beside him and said: ‘Luigi, can you hear my confession’, to which he replied: ‘What are you doing? Get up. Do you want to be a worse sinner than me!?’”.

We now follow the account of Fr. Girolamo Miante. “I met Fr. Luigi at the scholasticate in Issy les Moulineaux. He had come to France to study French. He had already spent quite a while in London learning English: he was appointed to the Province of Togo-Ghana-Benin and it was important for his missionary work. That was in 1976; Fr. Luigi was a joyful sort of person, happy in his vocation. It cannot have been easy passing from English to French. Apart from the course at Alliance Française, a kind elderly lady was helping him with his homework and would say to him every day: ‘mon père, les accents!’ (Father, the accents!): he could not manage all those accented words, so much so that, one day when he had done his homework, he added a whole line of accents, suggested that the lady place them herself where they were required!

Luigi did the novitiate in Gozzano where he took first vows on 9 September 1966, and did the scholasticate in Venegono Superiore and in Rebbio, where he made his final profession on 9 September 1969.

After he was ordained on 19 March 1970, he spent some years in vocations promotion in Italy at Asti and Thiene, the minor seminaries for the formation of boys willing to take part in a vocational journey. Those were fruitful years and, with his lively and joyful character, he succeeded in sharing his enthusiasm with the boys he met.

Once appointed to Togo-Ghana-Benin, he served in Ghana from 1977 to 1993. It was the happiest period of Luigi’s life. Things were in the initial stages with two communities at Abor, 40 km from Aflao on the border with Togo, ad at Liati, in the mountains: those were the two missions where Luigi worked as a zealous missionary, always among the people, in the villages and chapels, following the progress of the small communities, the catechumenate, the youth and the elderly. He managed to speak the local language, a tonic language with a lot of accents (Fr. Luigi’s friends!), scurrying along the middy or dusty roads full of potholes, always happy and accompanied by a very good friend, his shotgun!

Fr. Luigi loved hunting and never missed a chance to spot some fowl or wild animal to shoot! His room had not many books but there were plenty of cartridges! Among ourselves, we called him ‘Padre Bistecca (Father Beefsteak)’. In 1993, his health began to deteriorate and he had to return to Italy. His missionary life continued but in a completely different way as he stayed in the Verona Mother House, Rebbio, again in Verona and finally in Castel d’Azzano. Peaceful but needing care and attention, he lived those many years as a “gratuitous” offering of himself known only to God. Meeting him in the corridors of the Centres for the Sick and Elderly in Verona or Castel d’Azzano, he was always friendly and smiling. Ciao Bistecca! Do you remember Ghana and your mission? His reply never varied: ‘j’ai perdu la mémoire!’ (I have lost my memory) but sometimes the odd Ewe word or a brief recollection would seem to flicker in his mind”.