In Pace Christi

Michelangelo Peroni was born in Verona on 27 November 1929. He entered the novitiate in Florence in 1947 and there took the cassock, making his first profession in 1949. He then moved to Gozzano for the Brothers’ formation programme and, on 9 September 1955, he took final vows.

Always ready to serve the confreres, he succeeded in completing a course in tailoring in Verona and remained there as a tailor, preparing the linen and cassocks for the confreres, at the Mother House, from 1949 to 1963. “He was exact and disciplined in his work – wrote Fr. Santangelo – and took the necessary measurements. He never failed to give some playful advice to those whose belts were wider than the acceptable: ‘Brother, you will have to do some penance to get rid of that fat belly: cloth is too expensive’”. Fr. Francesco Lenzi also recalls: “When he was the tailor in Verona, he made my first cassock for the Liceo, the novitiate and when I took first vows. My lasting impression was of a brother who was attentive, available and competent in his work”.

In 1963 Bro. Michelangelo was assigned for a year to Portugal, in charge of the house of Lisbon and then the house of Moncada, in Spain (1964-1970), in charge of the tailoring and as local bursar; he looked after immigrants and sick confreres. Always on time for community meetings and morning prayer, he showed humility and friendliness towards all.

In 1971 he was sent to Brazil where he stayed until 1981. In 1976 he was also elected to represent the Brothers on the Provincial Council.

Referring to this first period in Brazil, Fr. Aldo Gerna, later to become Bishop, wrote: “I well remember when he was in the diocese of São Mateus; he was very active and capable in his work. He was a good religious and a sincere confrere; he lived happily with us. He also took part in the pastoral and the practical activities followed by the Brothers. Ours was a simple diocese, poor and austere. The figure of Bro. Michelangelo reminds us of the not insignificant contribution of the Comboni Brothers to the progress of this diocese, now almost completely handed over to the diocesan clergy”.

In 1982 Bro. Michelangelo was again appointed to Lisbon (until 1988) and then to various places in Brazil (1988-1997), in charge of houses. Fr. Candido Poli remembers him as “quite shy but very kind, sensitive and always available”.

Again, Fr. Lenzi recalls: “In 1988, when I was Provincial in Brazil, Bro. Michelangelo was appointed to this country and, at the request of Fr. Aldo for a Comboni presence at the Bishop’s House, he was sent to live with the Bishop. There, even in the Bishop’s House, he continued in his discreet way, attentive in his service to the house and the people. He leaves us with happy memories”.

In 1997 he returned to Italy where he stayed until 2004, at the Curia in Roma, as assistant local bursar and managing the house.

He stayed in Arco from 2005 to 2013 as local bursar and taking care of elderly confreres. “He was always peaceful, busy, respectful towards personnel and treated the confreres with love”, Fr. Renzo Piazza said, among other things, during the funeral homily.

He spent his final years in Verona, at the centre for Elderly and Sick Confreres where he died on 7 April, 2017.
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 274 suppl. In Memoriam, gennaio 2018, p. 45-47.