Solidarity
Bimonthly Caritas Caritas FLORENCE
Year VIII No. 3-4 May - June - July - August 2010
DON CARLO,
THE CHALLENGE OF HOPE
Umberto Santarelli
He was almost ninety years, and some ailment (far which is negligible) certainly did not lack. Yet we were surprised by many to remain as news of his death. There is a reason (by no means trivial) of this startle: Don Carlo, with its venerable age, inside (where the old is often the worst damage) was not aged. Those who, like me, he remembered a young, found it hard to recollect having seen him the first time a bit 'more than sixty years ago.
had remained young in spirit, and so it was - deeply, and without any reservation - to the contemporary circumstances in which he lived and which plays a part, and therefore - as a Christian - responsible.
The good Lord gave him an intelligence far from town, and he had grown with all the effort possible.
But not to become an "intellectual" conceited and vain, but a man free enough to avoid glare from all the flames, and as generous as is necessary for rendering a real service to everyone he met.
His training took place in a city
perhaps a bit 'strange but certainly not trivial, and in a time
not easy, because of its difficulty
required clarity of opinion and ability to get
without reserves at the service of common good.
not the shortage of teachers.
Dante was in high school as a teacher of religion
Don Raffaele Bensi, with
which established a relationship that is not an exaggeration
definition of "spiritual children", and in whose house
- San Michelino
Visdomini - it was possible
meet many of those who were or would be there to
just now,
protagonists of the story (not just in Florence).
university years they were decisive for the
formation. Not only in terms of learning
Scientific (Florence
the Faculty of Law was a really great teachers
college), but also on the training staff
and commitment in civil society.
not understand almost nothing of the history and personality
à Carlo Zaccaro, if you forget
its long militancy in FUCI
(not only in Florence but also at national level), which enabled him
the meeting and à
familiar with people assigned to take
in Italian society functions
high relief (
meeting with many of them continued even after, in
years of maturity, leaving a deep mark
and legible in its culture).
Carlo Zaccaro (although many did not know,
and he certainly did not exhibited)
was a lawyer of large elegant culture.
Proof is his having been
for many years the editor of the Journal of Agricultural Law
(directed by his master Gian Gastone
bull), governs which follows the free
ì
university teaching when he was already a priest and for years
engaged in the Work of the Madonna del Grappa.
The reading of his writings
lawyer (which would be very nice render again
possible), we return to him once
essential (and therefore memorable).
Certainly the crucial facts of his life
were the priestly vocation, the meeting with Don Giulio
Facibeni
and commitment - without reservation and for life -
in the Work of the Madonna del Grappa.
But even in this work, for which he has no savings
consumed nearly seventy years,
had the grace and patience
to remain himself, and indeed of
enhance its mission remains clear
faithful with the talents - even natural -
that God had given him and that he has been able to yield so abundantly
:
not for himself, as so often happens, but for those
including the Opera
the churches to live.
The stages of his life were enlightening:
just think of the years spent at Villa
Lorenzi, where they lived the "children" who studied opera and who
Don Carlo was able to teach -
with the facts of his life, not just in words - what it means for a Christian
be a person who can make educated
daily
gift to others of their own culture, or,
in recent times, the mission of
Scutari, who made the he - rightly -
an honorary citizen of the Republic of Albania
, but above all he taught
- with the argument the invincible
daily witness - what it means, in these brand new
times
"globalization," serve the good of all without being enticed by the inhumanity
(flashy, but diabolical
)
of racism so hard to die. And it has managed to become
Albanian. When, in 1997, died Archbishop of Scutari
Frano Illia - which had been for twenty years
detained in the prisons of the regime, which had reduced
shadow of itself - Don Carlo wrote for the Observer
Romano
together an article that was the praise of a great bishop, a high
meditation on the episcopal ministry
and a page of history that Albania
seemed (perhaps was) written by an Albanian
love of their land.
Don Carlo was a real man, convinced that it should be joyously
(to respond to his vocation as a Christian priest
and not to indulge in a whim
an intellectual "committed")
the salt of the earth, and day to day
willing to do everything humanly possible
for the batting to the bottom of this road he felt his
.
Remembering Klodian Kojashi, Albanian witness of Don Carlo over Adriatic
I met Don Carlo
a Sunday in 2003. I heard about it and receiving
seen before, but I never had the chance to know him
à. I introduced him to my girlfriend
and so on that Sunday, I was able to shake hands with
priest this big, but very sweet and tender
.
I shook hands that day without knowing
me that this act would forever bound to that person
.
Thanks to Don Carlo, in the Library of
Madonna del Grappa in Albania
I found the books that spoke of Don Lorenzo Milani
and I was surprised by the strength and lucidity of his thought
. I was not alone: \u200b\u200bwith other young
we fell in love with her way of doing things,
encouraged by Don Carlo,
we wanted to make something for our children, our young
for our "Barbiana"
which were not few in Albania. Hence the association
"I CARE", a sign of the desire of young
of Shkodra
to live their life with the most vulnerable, the abandoned,
the last of the company. I CARE
becomes a meeting place for young people, the center of discussion,
training and reflection, but also a canteen
for malnourished children in the suburbs and
a library for students.
Over the past three years since its foundation, I saw the collaboration
CARE voluntary
hundreds of young people. He served through the canteen
least 70-90 children a day, for 9 months
year. He has made dozens of courses, meetings
on issues of culture, economy and politics
with professors and other prominent personalities
always the tireless
Don Carlo was able to convince
and bring in Albania. For
Don Carlo, the light of faith and hope
always had to be accompanied by the formation,
the knowledge of all aspects of human life
for them to better serve the weaker
abandoned.
That's why we organized several meetings
University,
involving the Chancellor, the University Senate,
several law professors, economics and social sciences
and hundreds of students.
I remember very well the week of meetings at the University of Shkodra
, organized by Prof. Paolo Grossi, Judge
the Italian Constitutional Court.
Also, thanks to Don Carlo, the youth association
CARE I have met and exchanged their experiences with
representatives
della Misericordia in Florence.
From these meetings is born in Scutari, in association
I CARE, the first group of young volunteers
Albanian Civil Protection
called "American Life".
has worked with the support of Don Carlo and
Alessandro Ghini, by the mercies of Florence
and with the support of dr. Elvezio Galanti, general manager
Italian civil protection, for the latter.
The group, newborn, young
Albanian civil protection "American Life" is
and 'found immediately to address the emergence of
flooding in parts of the prefecture of Shkodra
in early January 2010.
For the first time in Albania, thousands of evacuees and young
of "American Life"
have worked alongside the government structures,
of the municipality and civil society. To
three weeks our young people have managed distribution services
meals, clothes and entertainment
170 people from the Roma community in the city of Shkodra
, among whom were 72 children.
so many activities, so many actually born
local resources, not imposed or "cloned" simply
from other experiences. An awareness-raising,
sharing, awareness, growth
this was the model that Don Carlo
taught us working with us.
for the last time I saw Don Carlo
a Sunday in May of 2010. The van shiny and pale
of Mercy had just brought
at Villa Guicciardini his body.
I could shake his hand again and I know that
I can see it every day in everything we built together
young people of my city.
I can see it in all that life has taken and continues to live in Shkodra
involving young people in love
alongside the poorest and the most recent past that ...
are no more.
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