In Pace Christi

Bro. Andrea Ferrari was born at Urago d’Oglio, in the province of Brescia, on 17 August, 1922. “He is a chaste young man, pious, peaceful, obedient and generous. I am sure he will turn out well” wrote his parish priest from the church of San Lorenzo Martire, Urago d’Oglio, on 13 January, 1947, as he presented his parishioner, Andreino Ferrari, who wanted to become a missionary Brother, to the superior of the Comboni seminary in Brescia.

Bro. Andrea did the novitiate in Florence and was then sent to Sunningdale, England, to learn English. After a period at Stillington looking after the house, he was appointed to Uganda where he spent thirty years of missionary life in two separate periods, with another of fifteen years in Italy in Verona and Limone.

His first community in the Ugandan Province – wrote Bro. Luciano Giacomelli in his testimony – was that of “Nyapea, a large mission where there were two great missionaries, Fr. Spazian and Fr. Campi. Bro. Andrea found there was much work to do and began with a small school of arts and crafts and other buildings necessary to carry out the great vision of the two Fathers who toiled continually to make the Gospel spread among the Alur. The catechumens and people helped Bro. Andrea to produce the bricks (people speak of a million bricks) to build a church large enough to hold all the Christians that the two fathers dreamed of having (and succeeded in this). The small school for arts and crafts that owed its existence to the skills of Bro. Andrea helped the youth to learn a trade and made it possible for them to find work after they finished the course. Bro. Andrea also worked in Kampala, at the Provincial House, attentively welcoming visiting confreres, always with a smile and willing to be of service”.

After a number of years of mission in Uganda, after Nyapea, Arua, Parombo and Pakele, Bro. Andrea was recalled to Italy and sent to Verona to help Bro. Franco Bonadimani in the office of the procure and despatches. He was always diligent in his work. While he was in Verona, he took on himself the care of his brother who was alone and had serious health problems and who, with the permission of the superiors, was taken into the Mother House. In this way, Bro. Andrea could assist him while continuing with his own work. Afterwards, he spent three years in Limone.

In 1989 he was again appointed to Uganda and sent first to Aliwang, then to Kampala and then to Gulu. In august, 1997, while at home on holiday in Italy and before he left again for the mission, Bro. Andrea was invited by his parish priest to give a testimony of his life to his parishioners. Here are some extracts: “My holiday time has flown quickly by and here I am ready to return to my mission in Uganda. I have always sought to love the land of the mission, especially Uganda where i spent thirty of my 48 years consecrated to the Lord for the mission. There have been times of joy and times of tears, especially during conflicts and the time of the guerrilla warfare which, for twenty years now has sown death and destruction among the Acholi and Lango tribes where the Comboni Missionaries have been working in evangelisation since 1910. Despite the fears, the murders and robberies carried out by the rebel thieves who go around armed with modern weapons, the missionaries did not abandon the population and have stayed close to their people. Sorely tried by so many barbarities, they sought to help them economically and spiritually. Before coming back to Italy for a rest, I went to Gulu hospital for a check-up. There, the sight of so many people coming into the hospital grounds every evening to spend the night within its walls for fear of the bandits caused me great distress. Nine or ten thousand people were spending the night under the verandas or in the storehouses, lying on mats. Only the lucky ones had blankets. Many children and elderly people were suffering from pneumonia and there were many deaths. The doctors and nurses tried to help but there were too many people and it was difficult to help everyone”.

In the year 2000, Bro. Andrea returned to Italy and went to Arco to help in receiving elderly confreres and as local bursar. He was later sent to Brescia and Rebbio and, lastly, to Milan for medical treatment and where he died on 22 January, 2017.
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 274 suppl. In Memoriam, gennaio 2018, p. 21-25.