HOW IT WAS…

March 17, 1962. It was the Saturday before Passion Sunday
and a traditional day to hold ordinations to the priesthood. A number of
candidates crowded the altar of the beautiful church of the Immaculata on the
grounds of the University of San Diego.
For the first time, there were Comboni students among the
candidates. We stood in alphabetical order: myself; Dino Chiavegato who later
chose a different path; Caesar Mazzolari, who would later become the bishop of
Rumbek; Peter Premarini, currently in Covina, Calif.

The church was packed with family, friends and fellow
parishioners of the local candidates. It was different for us, Comboni
Missionaries, because our families were back in Italy and we had not seen them
in over five years. Fr. Gabriel Chiodi, our superior, had been able to organize
a number of newly found friends who showered their missionary concern, love and
in time lasting friendship on each of us.
My parents had to wait until June 21 when I was able to
celebrate Mass in my own parish in Italy and give them Holy Communion.
March 17, 1962 marked the beginning of a great adventure
in the typical all-or-nothing Comboni way. Gladly, it isn’t over yet.
What a lucky day for the world when you became a priest!
ReplyDeleteLots of wonderful pictures on this blog!! We were lucky to have known people like Cesare Mazzolari and Carlo Giana et al., who were trained under Alfio Mondini, one of my elder formative guides since childhood. In my mind, it's always proper to acknowledge one's lineage. The inside view of the Immaculata struck my memory immediately. I haven't been inside it since 1968. I believe that's 50 years ago!
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