2. Fr. Luigi Pieretti, among the first fd of Lucca | Before his departure
Continue the account of the missionary life of Fr. Luigi Pieretti, fidei donum of the diocese of Lucca in Brazil
During the years in Torre del Lago, between 1971 and 1979, at the center of Fr. Luigi Pieretti’s priestly commitment were “catechesis, the sacraments, young people, the poor and the missions.”
In a diocese that at that time was opening up to the sister church of Rio Branco with the sending of the three fidei donum Giovanni Stefani, Natalino Pucci and Massimo Lombardi, Fr. Luigi was also beginning to look around. Indeed, far away. And when Fr. Massimo, through a series of circumstances, was left alone at Santa Ines and began to ask for help from other priests in Lucca, he made himself available.
It was February 1977, but Brazil had to wait because his pastor had health problems and there was a parish community to take care of.
When he died in November of that year, a few days after the funeral, Fr. Pieretti went to ask permission to leave from Bishop Juliano who, after a period of reflection, agreed.
“I would remain in the parish of Torre Del Lago until June and in August 1978 I would participate in a training course at CEIAL (Italian Episcopal Conference for Latin America),” the fidei donum recalls.
It is known that the road of missionaries is often uphill, but despite the difficulties and unexpected events they continue the journey, confident in God and their brothers and sisters.
Such was the case for Fr. Luigi Pieretti, who did not exactly have an easy start.
In fact, another impediment was already lurking: “we learned that, because of political problems, the Brazilian government did not grant visas to Catholic priests who went to work in dioceses that were favorable to liberation theology.”
Rio Branco (with its Bishop Moacyr) was precisely one of these, which is why Fr. Luigi did not receive permission.
Instead, the fortuitous occasion was the announcement of Pope John Paul II’s decision to go to Brazil in 1980, which encouraged the entry of Catholic priests and missionaries.
“And so, in June 1979, I finally received my visa,” he writes in his diary in Portuguese.
A prize, for him. As precious as it was desired.
He began making preparations, aided by Fr. Sirio Valoriani.
That suitcase would soon be filled with encounters, experiences, memories.
To be continued…
Source
- Father Luigi Pieretti
Image
- Pexels