Remembering Father Alberto Modonesi

REMEMBERING FATHER ALBERTO MODONESI

I never lived with Father Alberto as a member of the same community, but we crossed each other’s ways many times. I always had the impression that he was GENUINE, without any pretension of beating special paths. He loved Jesus and he loved the people he was living with.  Simply that. Many times I had the impression that he preferred speaking of JESUS rather God and Lord in his relation with God. And the people he loved were those concretely with him at the moment.

Twice I lived with him a bit longer. It was at the beginning and at the end.

1. At the beginning: it was during his second year of his novitiate in Gozzano (1963). At that time the novices used to study philosophy during their second year, to integrate the normal course of Senior Secondary (Liceo). I was in my first year of priesthood and I had been asked to accompany the novices in their apostolate in the parishes on Sunday. I remember that once I asked the novices a practical exercise: to make a catechesis on the passion of Jesus for their children at the catechism, and report to me.

Alberto wrote the story of a mother that spoke of the passion of Jesus to her child. The child was emotionally involved in the story so much that in the end he could not refrain from pestering his mother: “but then Jesus rose, not so, mom? But then he rose. Not so, mom?!”

2. At the end, in September 2017, five months before he died. I met him in Brescia where I spent 40 days for checkups. He was in the same house, in his “final stage” (malato terminale). He himself told me with his usual simplicity: cancer at pancreas. He had undergone a session of Chemotherapy. People do not recover from a tumor at pancreas; you simply have to live with it. And HE WAS LIVING WITH IT. Smile on his lips, tears pressing on his eyes, you could see. “Genuine” as always. Few words. He spent most of his time in his room. He understood what the Father was asking him at this stage and he assumed it. Grateful to all those who had helped him and were helping him in this journey.

On November 11, 2017 he sent to me the letter that he had written to his friends for Christmas. The synthesis: the Glorious Cross. He had had the intuition of it during the novitiate; he had practiced it during his priestly and missionary life; he was experiencing it now in the flesh. Genuine as always. Without any pretension of beating special paths.

 In his Christmas’ Message he expressed his gratitude to all those who had helped him to understand. He called them “flowers” bringing beauty and meaning.

THANK YOU, FATHER ALBERTO. You too have been a “flower” for many.
Fr. Salvatore Pacifico, mccj