In Pace Christi

On Tuesday, 31 May 2016, Fr. Luigi Generoso, superior of the Comboni community in Rebbio up to 31 January of the same year, passed away at the Centre for elderly and sick missionaries in Castel d’Azzano, a few kilometres south of Verona.

He had been ill for about a year but continued his ministry as long as he could. Having left the running of the community in the hands of Fr. Roberto Pegorari, he stayed in Rebbio until his sickness worsened and was transferred to a community where he could be assisted day and night.

He died on the feast of the Visitation of Our Lady to St. Elizabeth, the icon of fraternal service. In fact, this had been the fundamental characteristic of Fr. Luigi, always ready to help, to serve and welcome all he met in his missionary life.

He was born in Pozzo d’Adda, in Milan Province, on 26 December 1937, was ordained priest on 28 June 1964 and, after a year in England studying English, he was appointed to Uganda where he spent most of his missionary life. His home neighbours wrote “you worked hard all your life long! In your letters, you often spoke to us of your safaris to the 66 chapels you had to visit with two confreres, riding your PikiPiki motorbike to arrange meetings, teach catechists, lead prayer sessions, carry out ceremonies, say Mass and administer the sacraments, always accompanied, preceded and followed by interminable, joyful and festive singing and dancing. You had strong bonds with each of the faithful you met, totally sharing their life. You also told us of the great poverty, extreme want and sicknesses and of guerrilla attacks that were increasingly frequent and devastating”.

He returned to Italy for two periods: from 1973 to 1981, being called to Padua as formator of the young Comboni aspirants and then, in 2003, as superior first at Lucca and then at Rebbio.

During the six years he spent in Como, he was much appreciated for his openness and his ability to establish relationships with everyone including confreres, priests, men and women religious and all the people he met.

“I feel I can safely say that Fr. Luigi incarnated and lived his surname, “Generoso”, said Fr. Gino Melato who lived for two years in the Rebbio community. “He was always the first in everything; always tireless; always available. This was true not only in the internal community life but also in relations with diocesan priests who asked for pastoral assistance. Fr. Luigi never lost an occasion to teach, by example and by word, the practice of charity. ‘Be good… understanding... kind in your judgements, forgiving one another’”.

He spent all his energies in promoting the initiatives of the superiors of the religious communities of the diocese. He was also friend of the parish priests and did everything to ensure that their requests for help were met, making himself available and encouraging the confreres to do likewise.

On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, he usually celebrated Mass in the parishes of Carate, Urio, Laglio and Brienno to help the parish priest, Fr. Maurizio Uda, but sometimes had a confrere take his place so he could help other parish priests who had also asked for help and, in this way, he became well known throughout the diocese. Wherever he went, he impressed everyone with his sympathy, his deep faith and his sincere love for all, especially the less well off, according to the charism of St. Daniel Comboni.

These values, which had always been present in his life, showed themselves especially during the emergency provoked by the refugees from Libya in early 2011, when he opened the doors of the Comboni community of Rebbio to receive about twenty young people, mostly Pakistanis.

“There is no need to mourn the death of Fr. Luigi – we conclude with the words of Fr. Pietro Bracelli, another confrere from the Rebbio community – because he was already enriched by the holiness of his life lived as a missionary. It is just the swift worsening of his condition that caused us surprise and regret. He, personally, was aware of it and lived his last three months in serenity, abandoning himself to the hands of God”.
Da Mccj Bulletin n.270 suppl. In Memoriam, gennaio 2017, pp. 89-93.