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Father Luigi Menegazzo and the wonders of the Lord

Fr. Faustino Turco, sx

Jan 26, 2017
1500

Translated by Fr. Guy-Adolph, sx

I had the chance to accompany Father Menegazzo and Father Antonio Lopez during their last visit to Congo; during the celebration of  the regional chapter. Within a month and a half (March-April 2016), his way of living as a Xaverian, with his sense of humor, his convictions, his joy to know places and confreres’ activities, even those of our departed confreres, with trust when faced with challenges and, with constant desire to find the most suited ways for today’s mission. “Visit to Circumscriptions, he wrote in the last iSaveriani, offers always double opportunity: the meeting of confreres and their apostolate, and at the same time, the meeting of the hand of God that accompanies them since ever.” I would like to highlight some points for showing affection and telling, briefly, the wonders that the Lord has accomplished in the mission he entrusted to Father Luigi.

Honesty: In translating in French his interventions, especially those related to our formation houses, I realized that he used to underlining the following human feature: to be honest persons. At a closer look, he strove himself to embody this value. In his visits, he showed a spirit of detachment by using communities’ computers, filling his suitcases with things for other confreres while traveling, giving thanks for whatever present given to him, no matter the quantity or the quality, even if it was a challenge to him, a missionary in Japan, to see people bringing chickens or goats as gifts before the Mass final blessing. He used to keep his smile while receiving, saying, even long later, “I still have the nostalgia of those gifts.” 

Curiosity: We acquire knowledge thanks to the spirit of research. Between one talk and the other, he used to ask simply a question in order to know what is typical of a given area or mission: “Now, a little curiosity, how do people call the bicycle made of wood that people in Goma use to carry things?” I confess, sometimes, before arriving in one of our missions, I had to do some research trying to find out some historical data regarding our presence in a given place: confreres who started it, important events of the place, the missionary dimension of it… Despite of all this, my former teacher of cultural anthropology asked me questions to which I did not know how to answer! He saw missionaries “as well prepared apostles, with intimate knowledge of Jesus, humanly rich missionaries, just so that they might not be running, or had run, in vain (cf. Gal 2, 2) »[1].

Between listening and clear orientations: In the evening, in Kasongo or in Ndosho or in Bukavu, he used to come to the refectory to look for lemongrass tea before going to bed. It was the moment of « la mise au point » to end the day in order to restart nicely the next day. All these were done with an incredible forward looking vision and a sort of expertise, sign of his competence. At this moment, there was still something very deep beyond the good organization or the good digestion. He was trying to find out a common ground when points of view were starkly different, and I knew that it was he, our General Superior, who came to offer a clear orientation in order to guide us, through his concluding word, anticipated by the typical word “comunque.” I noticed that, sometimes, even those who are said to be: « disciples de la pensée unique », that is, persons who stick on their views, were coming out satisfied  at the end of their dialogue with Gigi.

Closeness:  I felt proud of having a General Superior who during the ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, went to Makeni to visit confreres, in January 2015: our heart cannot forget  these gestures and signs of attention. I noticed this closeness through his involvement to different challenges  even tragedies, faced in our missions: short e-mails, with clear words, incisive and encouraging and even begging forgiveness in case it happened that he replied some days late, as if I was his only correspondent! I remember in September 8, 2014, few hours after the murder of Xaverian sisters in Bujumbura, father Gigi found condolences’ words that I read during the funeral Mass in Mount Sion, in Bujumbura. Many approached me after the Mass asking me a copy of this text, saying that they were strongly supported in their pain. The French radio, RFI, broadcasted it to the whole world, given that it was inspired by the word which suits and the courage of fraternity: “their killing, he said, is a terrible event, unexplainable, atrocious. Why these missionaries have been killed in this horrible way? No answer comes to my mind. Sincerely, it is not human. Only faith assures the heart. God knows our hearts. He knows our thoughts. He knows our actions. Olga, Lucia and Bernadette loved the Lord, loved Congolese and Burundians brothers and sisters. Love never dies, love is eternal. So they will live in eternity »[2].

Living faith:  I think that beyond the ability to put feelings into words, there was his faith spirit, his capacity to contemplate, in the silence of the watches of the night, the beauty of love. He wrote once: «In the chapel of the theology community of Manila, the painting representing image of Conforti and that of Francis Xavier bears the saying: “Ubi amor, ibi oculus”, where there is love, there also you should pay attention. It is an excellent interpretation of the life of Bishop Conforti and that must also our project of life»[3]. If we love Christ and his mission, our attention will remain focused on him, in the mission entrusted to us. I felt myself carried in his prayer when, often, he used to end his e-mails saying: « Ti ricordo nella preghiera »: “I remember you in prayer”!

The need of spiritual and missionary growth: These last months, I was exchanging often, with him and father Camera about the postulation of our confreres killed in Baraka and Fizi in 1964. He managed to bring out good examples of holiness in the life and the history of the congregation, saying that the «cause of postulation will help the congregation for its spiritual and missionary growth and the church of Uvira , an example of faith for the whole world». He urged then all the confreres “to know our martyrs”, to make them known, ask for their intercessions and blessings, imitate their faith and this in a total and wholehearted consecration of our life to the preaching of the Good news »[4].

I thank Father Luigi beyond what words could express and, on the other hand, I even miss proper words to voice out the competent and fraternal service that he has assured in our Xaverian family. Only God knows the gratitude that we bear in our heart. Fruits were many and of quality. Father Luigi I repeat words which you used to tell me: « Fatti sentire ! ». Remember us and our dear missionary family.


[1] Luigi MENEGAZZO, “Lettre aux Supérieurs des Circonscriptions (21.09.2015)”.

[2] Luigi MENEGAZZO, “Lettre au père Mario Pulcini (08.09.2014).

[3] Luigi MENEGAZZO e Carlo GIROLA, « Lettre au théologat de Manille (16.12.11)”, iSaveriani 69, (fév. 2012),  p. 22.

[4] Luigi MENEGAZZO, “Lettre aux confrères (21.02.2016), iSaveriani 94 (mar. 2016), p. 13.

Translated by Fr. Guy-Adolph, sx

I had the chance to accompany Father Menegazzo and Father Antonio Lopez during their last visit to Congo; during the celebration of  the regional chapter. Within a month and a half (March-April 2016), his way of living as a Xaverian, with his sense of humor, his convictions, his joy to know places and confreres’ activities, even those of our departed confreres, with trust when faced with challenges and, with constant desire to find the most suited ways for today’s mission. “Visit to Circumscriptions, he wrote in the last iSaveriani, offers always double opportunity: the meeting of confreres and their apostolate, and at the same time, the meeting of the hand of God that accompanies them since ever.” I would like to highlight some points for showing affection and telling, briefly, the wonders that the Lord has accomplished in the mission he entrusted to Father Luigi.

Honesty: In translating in French his interventions, especially those related to our formation houses, I realized that he used to underlining the following human feature: to be honest persons. At a closer look, he strove himself to embody this value. In his visits, he showed a spirit of detachment by using communities’ computers, filling his suitcases with things for other confreres while traveling, giving thanks for whatever present given to him, no matter the quantity or the quality, even if it was a challenge to him, a missionary in Japan, to see people bringing chickens or goats as gifts before the Mass final blessing. He used to keep his smile while receiving, saying, even long later, “I still have the nostalgia of those gifts.” 

Curiosity: We acquire knowledge thanks to the spirit of research. Between one talk and the other, he used to ask simply a question in order to know what is typical of a given area or mission: “Now, a little curiosity, how do people call the bicycle made of wood that people in Goma use to carry things?” I confess, sometimes, before arriving in one of our missions, I had to do some research trying to find out some historical data regarding our presence in a given place: confreres who started it, important events of the place, the missionary dimension of it… Despite of all this, my former teacher of cultural anthropology asked me questions to which I did not know how to answer! He saw missionaries “as well prepared apostles, with intimate knowledge of Jesus, humanly rich missionaries, just so that they might not be running, or had run, in vain (cf. Gal 2, 2) »[1].

Between listening and clear orientations: In the evening, in Kasongo or in Ndosho or in Bukavu, he used to come to the refectory to look for lemongrass tea before going to bed. It was the moment of « la mise au point » to end the day in order to restart nicely the next day. All these were done with an incredible forward looking vision and a sort of expertise, sign of his competence. At this moment, there was still something very deep beyond the good organization or the good digestion. He was trying to find out a common ground when points of view were starkly different, and I knew that it was he, our General Superior, who came to offer a clear orientation in order to guide us, through his concluding word, anticipated by the typical word “comunque.” I noticed that, sometimes, even those who are said to be: « disciples de la pensée unique », that is, persons who stick on their views, were coming out satisfied  at the end of their dialogue with Gigi.

Closeness:  I felt proud of having a General Superior who during the ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, went to Makeni to visit confreres, in January 2015: our heart cannot forget  these gestures and signs of attention. I noticed this closeness through his involvement to different challenges  even tragedies, faced in our missions: short e-mails, with clear words, incisive and encouraging and even begging forgiveness in case it happened that he replied some days late, as if I was his only correspondent! I remember in September 8, 2014, few hours after the murder of Xaverian sisters in Bujumbura, father Gigi found condolences’ words that I read during the funeral Mass in Mount Sion, in Bujumbura. Many approached me after the Mass asking me a copy of this text, saying that they were strongly supported in their pain. The French radio, RFI, broadcasted it to the whole world, given that it was inspired by the word which suits and the courage of fraternity: “their killing, he said, is a terrible event, unexplainable, atrocious. Why these missionaries have been killed in this horrible way? No answer comes to my mind. Sincerely, it is not human. Only faith assures the heart. God knows our hearts. He knows our thoughts. He knows our actions. Olga, Lucia and Bernadette loved the Lord, loved Congolese and Burundians brothers and sisters. Love never dies, love is eternal. So they will live in eternity »[2].

Living faith:  I think that beyond the ability to put feelings into words, there was his faith spirit, his capacity to contemplate, in the silence of the watches of the night, the beauty of love. He wrote once: «In the chapel of the theology community of Manila, the painting representing image of Conforti and that of Francis Xavier bears the saying: “Ubi amor, ibi oculus”, where there is love, there also you should pay attention. It is an excellent interpretation of the life of Bishop Conforti and that must also our project of life»[3]. If we love Christ and his mission, our attention will remain focused on him, in the mission entrusted to us. I felt myself carried in his prayer when, often, he used to end his e-mails saying: « Ti ricordo nella preghiera »: “I remember you in prayer”!

The need of spiritual and missionary growth: These last months, I was exchanging often, with him and father Camera about the postulation of our confreres killed in Baraka and Fizi in 1964. He managed to bring out good examples of holiness in the life and the history of the congregation, saying that the «cause of postulation will help the congregation for its spiritual and missionary growth and the church of Uvira , an example of faith for the whole world». He urged then all the confreres “to know our martyrs”, to make them known, ask for their intercessions and blessings, imitate their faith and this in a total and wholehearted consecration of our life to the preaching of the Good news »[4].

I thank Father Luigi beyond what words could express and, on the other hand, I even miss proper words to voice out the competent and fraternal service that he has assured in our Xaverian family. Only God knows the gratitude that we bear in our heart. Fruits were many and of quality. Father Luigi I repeat words which you used to tell me: « Fatti sentire ! ». Remember us and our dear missionary family.


[1] Luigi MENEGAZZO, “Lettre aux Supérieurs des Circonscriptions (21.09.2015)”.

[2] Luigi MENEGAZZO, “Lettre au père Mario Pulcini (08.09.2014).

[3] Luigi MENEGAZZO e Carlo GIROLA, « Lettre au théologat de Manille (16.12.11)”, iSaveriani 69, (fév. 2012),  p. 22.

[4] Luigi MENEGAZZO, “Lettre aux confrères (21.02.2016), iSaveriani 94 (mar. 2016), p. 13.

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