In Pace Christi

Fr. Danilo Castagnedi was born at Quinto Valpantena, in the Province of Verona, on 14 December, 1923. Like St. Daniel Comboni, he was a student of the Fr. Mazza Institute of Verona. He used to say that, in his heart of hearts he was a true follower of Mazza”. When he decided to become a missionary, he entered the Comboni novitiate at Florence on 8 September, 1942 and took first vows on 7 October, 1944. He made his final profession in Verona on 7 October, 1946, and was ordained priest in Rome on 5 April, 1947.

Besides a diploma in Communications and Catechetics, in 1947 he obtained a Licentiate in Theology and, in 1953, a degree in Arts at the Catholic University of Milan. He was immediately appointed to Rebbio as a teacher and, in the same capacity, was sent to the seminary of Asmara. When he returned to Italy in 1958, he went to Carraia as Superior and teacher where he stayed for ten years. He then went to Brescia as parish priest, then to Verona to help with the magazine, to Rome and again to Verona.

In 1986, he received his first mission appointment as Novice Master at Isiro, the Congo, and stayed there for two years.

He has left us a booklet Stagione D’Africa (African Season), published on the occasion of his Golden Jubilee of priesthood, in which he speaks of his feelings and reflections during his experience in Zaire. It contains extracts from his diary “which marked the days and evenings of Fr. Danilo”, collected by three of his “pupils”. Fr Danilo’s reflections are pleasant and profound: “I love this land. I love it and enjoy loving it. Perhaps it was never yet loved by anyone. Some people speak of having discovered it and there was a king who bought it and others laid it waste, soaked it in blood. How many loved it? This land is alive, this marvellous composition of realities that man has not yet disturbed. Land red as blood, as hard as rock, tender and porous. In its breast it hides and nurtures inexhaustible sources of life, precious treasure chests. And how many secrets! But it must be loved. It will reveal its secrets and repay the love. I wonder if it will accept my corpse”.

Having returned from the Congo in 1988, Fr. Danilo spent the remainder of his life in Italy, first in Rome, at San Pancrazio, as local superior and provincial secretary for Evangelisation. Then he went to Lucca and Pesaro, back again to Lucca, then to Trent, again to Lucca and lastly to Brescia where he worked mainly in teaching, training many young people who would later consecrate their lives to the mission.

Perhaps his most productive period as a teacher was spent in Carraia (1958-1968) where, at the Comboni Missionary Senior School (Liceo), in the commune of Capannori (Lucca Province), there came, from the various formation houses of Italy, groups of adolescents who had completed junior school and were ready to do the classical Liceo. Together with him there were other teachers and formators such as Fr. Luciano Franceschini and Fr. Giuliano Volpi.

As Director of Studies and teacher of Italian language and literature, Fr. Danilo, created and guided successfully, for a number of years, a good cultural environment. It was a Liceo open to the world, ready to welcome ideas and experiences that doubtless contributed to that openness of mind that favours personal choices.

He was always interested in ecumenism and always encouraged dialogue and the actualisation of the broad themes proposed by the Second Vatican Council. At the same time, he kept up to date with the work in the missions and the historical events that brought the winds of change and independence to many countries.

In the November 1976 issue of Nigrizia, a dossier article of his on Zambia was published. In it he explained how, in eighty years of work, the Church grew, consolidated itself and was now asking itself about its future. Again, in March 1980, in reference to Ethiopia after the military coup, he said it had not only overthrown the millennial monarchy but had also rudely awakened the Orthodox Church from its lethargy.

Towards the middle of 2011, for reasons of health, Fr. Danilo was transferred from Brescia to Milan where he died on 7 June, 2013.

Fr. Danilo wrote some books: Itinerari di formazione missionaria a partire dall’esperienza di Daniele Comboni, Bologna 1995; L’Africa chiama, Casa Editrice Mazziana, Verona 1996; Stagione d’Africa, 1997. He also edited a collection of writings by various authors, Dagli angoli del mondo, EMI, Bologna1986.

In Stagione d’Africa, Fr. Danilo wrote: “Is there a forest growing within us? I have discovered the forest in me. And what a symphony! The spirit rejoices, vibrates and the senses placidly conform. Tomorrow I shall live in the forest with the sun, the ants and spiders. And the symphony will go on. I do not want to interrupt it. With my silence it will become more and more majestic until it dominates all. And ‘my’ forest will sing: O Most High, almighty Lord of mine...”.
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 258 suppl. In Memoriam, gennaio 2014, pp. 81-88.