Family members remember Don Luigi

Le sorelle, i fratelli, grandchildren remember Don Luigi

The family Longhi was costituta tiss & agrave; Lodovico and mother Elda Montali, with their children: Giuseppina, Luigi, Adriana, Pierino, Daniela, Roberto, Maria Teresa and Joanna (20 years younger than Don). A Curino we meet three sisters in the small bar that his father in April & igrave; in 1986, a 74 year old: a young man, always with the desire to do, in spite of everything. Typical & nbsp; Family, «disease home», defines Adriana who now run the & rsquo; operating. The characteristic feature of Emilia, with open arms and heart in hand, combined with the good sense to educate all & rsquo; autonomy. The warm spring sun, l & rsquo; family atmosphere, after a moment of uncertainty, make a pleasant chat though & egrave; the first time we meet.

Adriana and Maria Teresa make fleeting appearances and alternate, why & eacute; must stand behind the counter.

«We arrived here in 1955 Sala Braganza, in & nbsp; Province of Parma. Pap & agrave; we came for work and Mom followed him & igrave;», begin to tell bits and pieces every now and then glancing, completing l & rsquo, a phrase dell & rsquo; altra. Giovanna and Maria Teresa, the two pi & ugrave; young, were born in Curino.

Luigi, who was then 18 year old, at & rsquo; beginning was employed with his father at the sausage factory Motta (photo). «We all worked from an early age, I almost do not even how old I am – Adriana commented jokingly – I started when I was 12. La mamma, that woke us up in the morning, Luigi was always with the prayer book in hand».

«Fin and Kohinoor, when eravamo anchors the Parma, he had set up in the attic a sort of chapel and sewed the curtains of the tabernacle. If you did not go to respond to the Rosary, ti sgridava. When he could put aside 10 pounds of tip, instead of the games, they bought the plaster statuettes of saints. In May, he sent me for violets… c & rsquo; was a busy! It was a disaster, why & eacute; necessary to respond to all the rosaries. He was dressed as a priest with the coat of my father and we were trying to squagliarcela. The pap & agrave; always found him with the crown on the bed. A 19 years asked him what he planned to do and he said he would help him for some time, would then entered the seminary».

«Then go, do not look at us – ECArticle & ograve; pap & agrave; Lodovico – But remember that if you're not right, you strapper & ograve; dress off». Luigi ribatt & eacute; that he had no doubt.

«Cos & igrave; began to Anzano, by the pastor of Como; & Egrave; was l & igrave; for some time, & then egrave; went to Vercelli and Vercelli in Rivoli. He suffered greatly for studies. He was for charity & agrave;».

He was ordained a priest in 1970, a Roma, the Paolo VI.

«& Celebr ograve; the first making Rongio, why & eacute; was very close to don Vittorino Barale. Then Classifieds & ograve; you want to leave for the Mato Grosso. And he did not want gifts, but money to take away». A sister echoes the & rsquo; else to add a particular, grab an elusive memory, reveal something new secure long in the heart.

«He had always wanted to do something for & nbsp; others; it was very peaceful and diminished the difficulties & agrave;: everything was possible for him. The people for whom it was spending saw a future, un futuro. I often went on holiday with him and I remember that tended to hide the problems of his boys not to make them look different. In the evening, dopo price, we went out together for a walk with us and since c & rsquo; was a young man in freedom & agrave; probation, had to take it every time to sign up at the police station. No one noticed because nothing ever & eacute; he always found a way to divert the company from a & rsquo, on the other hand in a natural way, or & nbsp; sent him alone. Delicacies that make you realize how much she knew love».

C & rsquo; Don Luigi was a serenity & agrave; background that reassured. «And his kids were precious stones, as the children for us. Perci & ograve; no one was supposed to know their past, for not being influenced in relations. And then the ability & agrave; to think of everything. When you eat out together, staying away for one & rsquo; whole day, organized everything to the best. As a mom and a dad & agrave; together. And have fun with the kids: running on the beach, laughed. The holidays & more ugrave; beautiful I have spent with him. They are so & igrave; glad I went…».

Images that flow like in a film screened at & rsquo; horizon. The same horizon that Don Luigi peers in that picture that reveals com & rsquo; & egrave;. Com’era. Able to look away, over l & rsquo; blue. In alto.

«Despite myriad problems, never forgot a birthday or who was in trouble & agrave;. And his family, November, brought us into the heart. He never complained of fatigue, suffering. When we came to know and asked for something, sdrammatizzava. It was rather attentive to the difficulties & agrave; others and knew how to make the next. Was cos & igrave;. We continue to repeat the same things. Always. A mother who lost her son told me that 18 year old, in & rsquo; anniversary of mourning, her phone rang and she was told by Don Luigi a word of consolation. When n & rsquo; & egrave; andato, incontrandomi, he said with sadness: & Ldquo; That day l & igrave; not & will sound agrave; pi & ugrave; & rdquo;. For him were all things natural. E’ pi & ugrave; difficult for us to tell them that he. Moreover we do not end up here, remote time, to talk about it. For us, every day & egrave; continuously remind him… has left us a & rsquo; heritage & agrave; speaking».

Being at home with people who knew him, Daniela has noted that c & rsquo; had his picture somewhere, hanging on the wall or placed on a movable. «Here we l & rsquo; are all: a Curino, a Pray, and Rovasneda, a Brusnengo…».

« E’ one of the family».

«Perhaps because & eacute; was simple».

«His greatness & egrave; was his naturalness, its lack of criticism. E’ was a favorite».

«My daughter – Daniela adds – states that one cos & igrave; born each 200 year old».

The life of the Brothers Longhi & egrave; was full of feelings and reception.

«I was small and we had difficulty & agrave; economic, but when Louis arrived with his fellow seminarians, c & rsquo; was always something for everyone. Mom had bought large pots, Restaurant. Our parents were always hospitable, both for eating and for sleeping. For them it was a normal thing».

The joy of the gift mixes & Outdoors; bitterness of regret.

«Now we realize that all this we miss… that we miss Don Luigi… Gian Mario Santos and Franco Givone were here with us… Don Mauro Stragiotti, Don Luigi Comin… we have picked up».

How did you live the vocation of your brother?

«E’ was cos & igrave; natural: we went to church together, then he entr & ograve; in seminar; came to the house every now and then. Luigi did not dare ask to enter the seminary, why & eacute; we did not have resources, but our parents, often finding him asleep on books, exhausted, said to him,: & if this egrave; your way do not worry about the family. In the seminar there have been difficulties & agrave;, especially for the Latin, but that was not that marked his life».

Even the cousins ​​were aware of his passion for the Lord: «He had the mania of prayer: allestiva altars in attics and all recruited at the right moment. An uncle asked… by those who had never taken».

Then Parts & igrave; for the Mato Grosso.

«He and & ograve; banquet and enthusiastic, without really knowing what awaited him. When the bishop callback & ograve; Vercelli, appeared destroyed: crying for the sorrow he had left down there & ugrave; those people. He had come home without pi & ugrave; nothing, even the hair: every leper had asked him a bunch to remember. He had only the clothes he wore, not pi & ugrave; No clock & eacute; catenin Mom… He believed in Providence and there was spontaneous help. The house was with nostra & igrave;».

«I have a daughter alone and I think he is already agrave; a & rsquo; incredible feat when I have to arrange something confesses Daniela – I do not know that they honor my parents: have never stopped to wonder & ldquo; like I do?”. Their generosity & agrave; & Egrave; was an amazing thing. Still amazes me. During the seminar Luigi brought home all: they improvised the dormitories with the mattresses on the floor. I was small and I had to give me to do, wash a lot of dishes, but it was beautiful. My ce l & rsquo; had just taught us and l & rsquo; We absorbed: & Nbsp; respect for people, even the beggar. I find it a wonderful thing. My family was wonderful: never despise anyone, that modesty not to deliver ever ratings. If it is not always right, but the decency not to judge & egrave; what I learned from my parents, me l & rsquo; taught with the & rsquo; example, why & eacute; the time to talk there & rsquo; was».

Maria Teresa incalza: «We have assimilated these values, at least we hope, watching them». And don & nbsp; Luigi has translated those values ​​into a lifestyle choice. «Even his kids have never known anything, unless others do not reveal the. Not even he's asking too much of them. He was a good perch & eacute; felt to do so. And we could. When you spread a rumor, minimized: those things l & igrave; what do you want to be, now now & egrave; all right… We told so many lies, bugie positive, convenience, respect».

«On the occasion of the anniversary a few stretched a bribe: bought something for her birthday. Retorted promptly & nbsp; that he did not need anything. And the money ended up in the usual cauldron. Sometimes, looking, I noticed the expressions cos & igrave; naive… It was pure… so pure as to be disarming».

«He told us that during the war his mother covered him with her body and kept close to other children, without thinking of who they were because children & eacute;, needed, & Ldquo; enemy and friend in those conditions it makes no difference & rdquo;. And she washed the clothes of the dead perch & eacute; they were decent».

«Così, when & egrave; The pope died in hospital, Don Luigi has washed and perfumed with more dedication & ugrave; that branch. And I think that & rsquo; has done to so many other people».

The grandchildren what they think of his uncle priest Don Luigi?

«My daughter Chiara – answers ready Daniela – l & rsquo; has always been considered a special person and liked to talk to him. Nell & rsquo; Last time when he was in hospital & egrave; coming home a week on purpose to be with him. & Ldquo; The ESTO – repeated – & Egrave; someone above us all & rdquo;. When & egrave; dead, & Nbsp; I got a lot of questions, I wondered why & eacute; had not told us something more & ugrave; on him, about his condition… Clare replied that if his uncle had acted cos & igrave; was because & eacute; wanted it cos & igrave;, why & eacute; he was above all of us».

Maria Teresa has two children 20 and 15 year old; one of them has chosen as godfather Don Luigi, but both were deeply loyal. «They were very rehearsed their three. Moreover it was impossible not to be because & eacute; when he organized a trip exhorted us: bring the kids. We went to Rome for the blessing of life and the bell & egrave; was a & rsquo; experience that has left its mark, why & eacute; & Nbsp; took them under her wing and brought them close to the Pope».

«Every time I went away and wrote a postcard Chiara received a postcard every year for his name day».

«My husband & egrave; went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Don Luigi and participated in the & nbsp; put in the desert. He can not even tell it without being moved».

«The first time he invited me & ograve; on vacation with him – Daniela resumes – told me that his boys had even need to have fun, not only of eating and working. One year he was given a van to be scrapped. Put it back in the sixth and part & igrave; for the holidays. Shortly after they found themselves in the foot & nbsp; spent for the van and everything & ograve; who had, & Nbsp; staying at & rsquo; dry. Even as food. But he quietly confided in Providence and turned down & rsquo; while his other hand & ldquo; sons” pilfered tomatoes. The holiday made it anyway…». The memories pile up just whispered, for fear you see them disappear too quickly. «And then in the barracks of the & rsquo; Aravecchia c & rsquo; were the gypsies who knew how he pulled ahead in the community & agrave;, with what little c & rsquo; pear. Così, when they went to steal the chicken coops… the regalavano a hen. And he forgave saying: we were all equal. Whatever shared & egrave; was beautiful. C & rsquo; was enthusiastically… and when you & nbsp; was set, all for him were brothers, even the most & ugrave; young. And yet cos & igrave; and every day we discover something new about Don Luigi…».

& Nbsp;