3. Fr. Luigi Pieretti, among the first fd from Lucca | Mission flying!
We have reached the third “installment” of the story of Don Luigi Pieretti, fidei donum from Lucca in Brazil, which he tells in a diary in Portuguese
The long-awaited moment arrived, Fr. Luigi Pieretti left Pisa at 6:30 p.m. on August 1, 1979, on a flight to Milan; then, he went on to Paris, and finally to Brazil.
In his diary, he wrote: “I thought: we are very high up in a sea of clouds. It is wonderful…one can still see in the distance the red-pink trail of the sunset…here and there mountains appear…. it’s really beautiful.”
In between thoughts, it happens that Alitalia is delayed, so they put the passengers on a Varig flight; and since there were no free seats in second class, the two priests found themselves seated in first class. “They immediately offered us newspapers and champagne. Blessed are the last, as the Gospel says!”
On that plane, as he moves farther and farther away from his former land and life, Fr. Luigi feels spontaneous to pray with these words, “Thank you, Lord, for this day, for this evening, for the friends and family who have accompanied us to Milan, for Father Sirio who accompanies me on the trip and is beside me, for the beauty of the sky, the clouds, the sunset. Thank you for this day so rich in emotions, feelings and affection.”
The gratitude in his heart – for the friends, acquaintances, people he met – grew stronger and stronger, and his prayer continued, “How many people were close to me and expressed their affection and love. How many saw in me a model, a vocation, a point of reference. How many were proud to have me as a friend, even though it pained them that I was estranged from them. What have I done, Lord, to deserve such affection?”
His journey to an unknown world has already begun; he will still have to discover and rediscover many things, but he knows for certain that all this is a gift from the Lord, which he is ready to deserve and to give back.
Thus, in fact, he continues, “You who know me and know my limitations, my sins, you know that all this affection is not deserved, but is freely given to me. It is your gift. How grateful I should be to you, my Lord. How committed I should be, how faithful I should be not to betray their trust or disappoint them. In spite of their pain, they helped me to follow you and give myself totally to you. Reward them and fill them with joy and blessings, so that the distance does not diminish but rather increases affection and friendship. Help them to walk toward you with joy and increasing generosity. Make me sanctify myself. Lord, great in mercy and forgiveness, let my missionary efforts bring me forgiveness for my sins and make your Kingdom grow in the world.”
A night of graces and promises was in the air.
Until 8:25 a.m. Italian time when they landed in Salvador de Bahia.
“In Brazil it was 3:10 a.m. and the temperature was 23º. From the small window of the plane, we could see the white runway, which looked fogged in.”
Six minutes later, Fr. Luigi Pieretti would descend. That new land would give him so much. Finally, after so much flying, he would be able to walk among the people.