an immigrant in the first hour recalls Don Luigi

& Nbsp;

I arrived in the & rsquo; 82, I 25 year old. All & rsquo; Aravecchia c & rsquo; were already & agrave; two Senegalese, I was the third. I arrived from Milan where I had been for a while & rsquo;. C & rsquo; was a Senegalese who had known Don Luigi but also to the central station I had heard that c & rsquo; was a priest in Vercelli, cos & igrave; I came here and are no longer ugrave &; returned to Milan. Luckily we found someone like Don Luigi, he gave food to all, has never refused food to anyone, and I think this was his strength. In those days, we were the first immigrants, there & rsquo; were n & eacute; Moroccan, n & eacute; Albanesi a brown. We were welcome by the people, in the bar we were taught even the dialect and we have the opportunity to learn (…& Rdquo; dui puvron mui & agrave; & Lsquo; ntl & rsquo; oli & rdquo; ..), was very different, Now & egrave; everything changed.

When I met Don, to tell God what to do, he had nothing, we were collecting cardboard, iron, we worked a lot and he welcomed everyone and eat there n & rsquo; was always, we borrowed, not like now, but many gave him something. I remember that he was also with us from Cuttaia selling fruit and gave us something. It was gi & agrave; known to Vercelli and we always arranged to eat, & do not egrave; never failed. Of course another as Don Luigi there & rsquo; & egrave;, Now it feels much his lack, he could coordinate all.

I am Muslim. Don Luigi has never made any difference, & when you got the igrave; what you were, different, has not even touched the button of our religion, was open to all. To & ograve; you spoke of Christ and that it was logical.

For me, he was everything and today & egrave; as if there were still, although it lacks c & rsquo; & egrave; always because his presence & eacute; if we are here, around this table along, & Egrave; thanks to him and it was his desire, and this l & rsquo; said the Bishop, to continue what he was doing, then c & rsquo; & egrave; always his presence. Here was l & rsquo; single place where you can start. Many now have family, but they started here.

Even joked with me and then we had a & rsquo; understanding particular: since I was very respectful, him to give orders to others gave them to me, I understood that the message was not directed at me but he was talking to me because & eacute; hear all other, I understood that he did cos & igrave; why & eacute; c & rsquo; was mutual respect.

God & egrave; came to meet us in his desire to help the & rsquo; else have you seen so and he & rsquo; did? We had nothing but & egrave; came to create what he created. He had chosen Christ. He had many other good projects, Unfortunately & egrave; failure too soon.

All & rsquo; beginning, just returned from Brazil, took care of alcoholics and rode everywhere on a bike, he never wanted to license the. I remember that once you & egrave; asleep on the train and get off at the bus stop instead of & egrave; came up to the store, when l & rsquo; year found they thought it was a bum! He said he was a priest, but no one believed!

                                                                                                            BABUCAR