In Pace Christi

Nazzareno (“Neno”) Gaetano was born in Piove di Sacco, in the province of Padua, on 26th August 1933 and was baptized the following day. On 10th June 1941, he was confirmed. While still a boy, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother Sergio (born in 1926) and entered the Combinian apostolic school of Brescia for the upper secondary school, passing the secondary school leaving exams in June 1949.
On 10th October 1949, Neno began his novitiate in Gozzano and on 19th September 1951, he took his temporary vows. He went to Verona for his high school studies and obtained his diploma of classical maturity at the “Barbarigo” high school in Padua in July 1954. A few weeks later, he went to Burgos, Spain,  to undertake his theological studies. In July 1955 he was in the scholasticate of Venegono, where he finished the five-year period of theology with his perpetual profession on 31st May 1957. On 31st May 1958 he was ordained a priest. In July of the same year, his superiors called him to Rome for specialization studies, and in 1960 he obtained a licentiate both in Theology and in Missiology and Sociology.
He returned to Spain and was a vocations promoter in Madrid. He knew Spanish so well that he was able to write numerous articles for Mundo Negro. After only one year, he was called back to Verona, first to the editorial staff of Piccolo Missionario and then to that of Nigrizia, of which he became director in 1965. Under his direction, the circulation of the magazine increased and the name Nigrizia became synonymous with seriousness and competence in African affairs.
In 1970, he was elected superior of the Comboni delegation in French-speaking Togo. He immediately went to Paris and, at the École International de Langue et de Civilization Françaises, of the Alliance Française, he obtained a diploma in French. By July, he was already back in Togo and chose to live in the community of the parish of Afanya: “You can be the superior of a quite small delegation and also help a parish priest in a mission”, was his comment.
In July 1975, he was again editor-in-chief of Nigrizia, no longer in Verona, but in Rome, at the house in San Pancrazio, on the Gianicolo. He signed many of his articles and dossiers with the name of Gaetano Durell, removing the “o” from his mother's surname, Durello. The confreres particularly appreciated the articles of this non-Italian “expert”. Joking with the three sub-editors, he said: “To make the confreres happy, sometimes even these innocent little jokes are needed. If a name, not entirely false, increases the “truth” of an article, why not use it?!”
The Comboni Missionaries in Togo again chose him as their provincial superior. On 1st July 1978, he left, leaving the magazine editorship vacant. A little over a year later, he was again in Rome for the 1979 General Chapter. His personality struck all the capitulars. In the first poll, he got the vast majority of votes. He smiled, stood up and said: «If today were April 1st, I would say that it was a successful “April fool”. But since that is not today’s date, I must tell you not to count on me. With the responsibility I have for the small Comboni province of Togo, I can't sleep anymore. What would happen to me if I were elected Father General?».
In July 1984, Father Neno was in Rome as Secretary General of Missionary Animation, a position he would hold until June 1993. Towards the end of this commitment which he skilfully exercised, his health begins to play tricks on him. He had a couple of small heart attacks but recovered well from them. In Nairobi, the Comboni magazine for English-speaking Africa, New People, needed an editor, and the superiors are thinking of Father Neno. On 1st July 1993, he arrived in Sunningdale (England), where he threw himself into the study of the new language. Five months later, he was back in Nairobi.
In the meantime, the Institute decided to start publishing a magazine for Francophone Africa. Who would be the one in charge? Fr Neno, of course. And he accepts. He knows French perfectly. On 1st January 1998 he went to Kinshasa. A few months later, Afriquespoir was born, a magazine that immediately sold out. Numerous books also came from his pen. Some were real bestsellers, such as the three on Christian priests, nuns and laymen killed in revolutions, wars, ethnic clashes and genocides. Given the success of the three booklets on the “recent martyrs”, he decided to also publish The Saints of Africa: 500 witnesses of the church on the continent. This, too, sold well. People were amazed: they never thought that Africa had such a significant “weight” in the Catholic Church.
For relaxation, Father Neno published booklets of “African Jokes”, “African Humorous Stories” and “African Proverbs”. But perhaps the book that he loved most was This Path Could be Yours, in which he introduced St. Daniel Comboni to many young people; some of them are now Comboni Mis-sionaries, thanks to what they read. At the insistence of his confreres, he opened and directed the Center Missionnaire Afriquespoir from which clips, films, pamphlets, posters and brochures were issued. Finally, he also opened a website, which immediately becomes very popular. He was also available for spiritual retreats, celebrations, confessions, missionary and vocational animation meetings. Wherever he went, he spread love.
In April 2020, he wrote to Father General: «I am tired. I think the time has come for me to return home.' In April, he visited the Bro. Fiorini Center in Castel d'Azzano for treatment. Regaining some strength, he moved to the Mother House in Verona. He still had his intellectual and communicative abilities: and he could still tell his famous jokes.
In mid-2022, he returned to Castel d'Azzano and, in March 2023, he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia. After a couple of weeks, he returned to the Sick Center of Castel d'Azzano. On 23rd March, he was seen in the garden praying the Rosary. Once he finished his Rosary, he went straight to his room. Shortly afterwards, he passed away.
On 27th March, the funeral mass at Castel d'Azzano was presided over by Father Fabio Baldan, superior of the Italian province. In his homily, Father Eliseo Tacchella, who lived many years with Fr. Neno, described the personality of the confrere in sincere and heartfelt words. At one point, as if he were saying the most obvious thing in the world, he added: “Fr. Neno was a peacemaker, a true and holy missionary”. The gaze of all those present expressed total agreement. In the afternoon, his funeral was celebrated in Piove di Sacco.