7. Fr. Luigi Pieretti, among Lucca’s first fd | Letter to the community of Torre del Lago
Continue the story of the missionary life of Fr. Luigi Pieretti, fidei donum of the diocese of Lucca in Brazil
A little more than two weeks have passed since the day of his installation in the parish of Santa Ines: it is August 27, 1979, and the next day Fr. Sirio will return to Italy.
Fr. Luigi Pieretti takes the opportunity to write a letter to relatives and friends in Torre del Lago. We are talking about almost 50 years ago… At that time, there was no Whatsapp and one had to wait for the time of the post offices, with the hope that the delivery would be successful. That’s why sending your own text through someone was the best and safest way.
Here is the text:
“It is 10 p.m. on August 27, 1979. Tomorrow, Don Sirio returns to Italy. I take this opportunity to send greetings to all those who have been and are close to me with their affection and prayers” […].
The list of people to remember and thank, as he says, is very long, so we took the liberty of cutting back.
“But if I cannot greet everyone, allow me to remember those with whom I have lived most closely these years of Torrelaga life. First of all, the priests of the parish: Fr. Fosco and Fr. Piero, with their domestic helper Luisa: to them goes a great and lasting thanks. The participants from the various parish organizations: the catechists’ group, St. Vincent’s, Caritas, Misericordia, the music group, Catholic Action, the seniors’ group, the teenagers group and the youth group.
A special greeting to the Missionary Group with whom, in addition to friendship, I shared a commitment to the Third World and through whom I matured my missionary vocation. I remember you all: Gianfranco and Bruna, Giuseppe and Daniela, Antonio and Anna, Roberto and Cinzia, Franco and Mirta, Antonio and Luiza, Viviano and Morena, and Tullio.”
Reading this part, his deep connection with the community he left behind and his affection for each and every friend and collaborator emerges. However, he does not just say goodbye, thank you, but stimulates them, reminds them of their missionary commitment.
“Always keep working to be a stimulus to the whole community. You should also try to enlarge the group by inviting more people. I would like to thank each of you for being there for me on the day I left for Brazil: Mario and Michela, Vittorio and Grazia, Renzo and Linda, Mario and Luciana, Maria Montorzi, Don Rolando, Don Sergio from Ancona and Don Piero. The memory of that moment is still very much alive in my mind.
And it is especially to you, with whom I have shared very strong moments of prayer and friendship with Tezé and Fiáno, that I send this last message: I have felt you to be brothers and friends and I am sure that this union will remain very strong forever. To you I wish constant growth in faith, friendship and love, and to me the commitment of my constant remembrance in prayer.”
At this point in the letter, his account of the new reality is interesting. His description of the places and situations is striking, but also his renewed sense of his vocation and presence.
“As you can imagine, these were very intense and interesting days. I found myself in a new reality from many points of view. I will limit myself to talking about two aspects.
The one that struck me the most was the situation of poverty in the neighborhoods of Salvador in Bahia and Rio Branco in Acre. Thousands of people live in conditions of extreme need: without decent housing, without water, without electricity, without work, without food, without hygiene, without schooling and sometimes without dignity.
Faced with this reality, I felt a strong desire to share and struggle to overcome these imbalances. I felt how much the Gospel and God’s love are needed as the only real solution to human problems.
I felt even more how necessary the service of witnessing the faith of a Christian and a priest is, and I thanked God for calling me to be both.
The second reality I want to emphasize is the vibrancy of the Christian community of this Prelature of Acre and Purus where I am now. In these seven days of my stay in Rio Branco, I have already had the opportunity to visit several communities that are part of the parish of Santa Ines or other parishes.
In these communities, led and animated by lay people, one breathes the desire for the Gospel, the joy of having discovered Christ, the atmosphere of enthusiasm and commitment of the first Christian communities.
I hope and pray to the Lord, and you also pray with me, that in addition to what I can do for this people, I will above all know how to welcome what is alive, true, and profound in human and Christian feelings, this people of the poor lives and bears witness to, so that I too can be, with God’s grace, more and more every day a true disciple of Jesus here.”
Fr. Louis will conclude this letter with more greetings and thanks, but what remains most impressed of all is his continued invitation to be missionaries everywhere.