In Pace Christi

Fr. Paolo Adamini was born on 25 December 1911 at Sonico (Brescia), a small village on the Alps of Northern Italy. He was from the diocese of Brescia, the same as that of Daniel Comboni.

On 7 October 1932 Fr. Paolo took his first vows and consecrated his life in the service of the Church and the spreading of the Gospel. His ordination to the priesthood took place on 6 June 1936.

After some months in England to study the English language, Fr. Paolo was on his way to Sudan, where he arrived at the beginning of 1938 and where he remained until 1971. He served first as a teacher in the fast developing Comboni College, then as vice-director of the Comboni College Primary School. Later Fr. Paolo moved to Khartoum Cathedral, on the request of Mgr. Agostino Baroni who had asked him to become his personal secretary.

Eventually he was put in charge of organising the pastoral work in the region of Kosti.

Upon the appointment of Mgr. Edward Mason to El Obeid, Fr. Paolo became his vicar general. After the expulsion of Mgr. Mason, Fr. Paolo served for a period of time as vicar general and administrator of El Obeid diocese.

In 1971 Fr. Paolo moved to Lebanon where he was appointed director of Arabic Studies in the Comboni Centre in Zahle. He was there till 1986, when the Centre had to be closed on account of the war that for many years had created a climate of violence and fear.

In 1986 Fr. Paolo moved to Egypt where he worked at Sacred Heart’s Church in Cairo, first as a teacher of Arabic and later as the financial administrator of the parish. During this time his main work was to assist the Sudanese refugees.

Fr. Paolo spent the last year and a half of his life as a patient in the Italian Hospital in Cairo. No longer able to walk, he became an example of silence and prayer for his confreres and the many friends who visited him.

Towards the middle of July his health deteriorated. He became increasingly weak till on Thursday 31 July, at 10.15 p.m., the Lord called him to the Father’s house to receive the reward of his faithful service.