Generalizia

Christ which makes some of us participants through the imposition of the hands
and as rule of life within the complex grid of our daily fidelity.
It  is  an  emotion  which  makes  all  the  more  intense  the  gratitude  to  Father
Ampelio and to all his confreres Servants of Charity working in our territory, in
the living fabric of the Church and her mission.”
Father U
MBERTO
B
RUGNONI
7. Father Paolo Saltarini
Born in Canda (RO) on August 31, 1914
Entered at Fara Novarese on October 19, 1927
Novitiate at Fara Novarese on September 5, 1931
First Profession at Fara Novarese on September 18, 1933
Final Profession at Fara Novarese on September 18 1936
Priestly Ordination at Novara on June 29, 1939
Died at Casa S. Giuseppe in Rome, on October 11, 2007
Rests in the cemetery of Bagnolo di Po (RO)
He  was  born  at  Canda,  a  small  town  in  Rovigo  province,  from  Livia
Sacchetto  and  Giuseppe,  on  August  31,  1914.  He  received  the  Baptism  the
following  day  at  the  town  church  of  St.  Michael.  He  received  the  confirmation
also in the same church on March 8, 1923.
In  1927,  following  the  call  of  the  Lord  to  priestly  and  religious  life,  he
contacted  the  Institute  of  Father  Guanella  and  entered  the  Seminary  of  Fara
Novarese (Novara), where he completed high school. He entered the Novitiate of
the Servants of Charity, always at Fara Novarese on September 5, 1931. Here he
made his first religious profession on September 18, 1933, and three years later,
in 1936, the Final Profession in the same Institute.
He  was  consecrated  priest  on  the  solemnity  of  Saints  Peter  and  Paul  on
June  29,  1939,  and  received  the  obedience  of  prefect  of  studies  at  the  S.
Girolamo house in Fara Novarese. He remained in this house until the end of the
war  in  1947,  holding  various  offices  as  formator,  assistant  in  the  formation
program, director and superior of the community.
On  September  1947,  he  went  to  Amalfi  as  Superior  and  director  of  the
Institute Anna and Natalia. In 1952, he was superior of the Sacred Heart Institute
in Fasano from until 1958, when the superiors asked him to prepare himself to
go to United States, where he was present in Springfield, PA, from 1960 and in
Chelsea, MI, from 1966.
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He  returned  to  Italy  in  1968,  as  superior  of  the  Institute  St.  Clement  in
Velletri. Next he carried out his ministry for two years at St. Elena di Marciano
(Perugia).  Next  he  went  to  Rome,  Via  Aurelia  Antica,  on  September  1974  as
collaborator in the activities of the St. Joseph’s ward.
From  1976  to  1979,  he  was  treasurer  of  the  house  of  Gaeta  and  then
responsible for the house of Velletri, for seven years (1979-1986). A brief period
of one year at the Casa S. Giuseppe in Rome and then back to Gaeta where I he
remainded until the house was closed on December 2003.
He lived peacefully in the community of St Joseph, Rome, from 2003, to a
surprising old age. His health began to deteriorate in the month of June 2007. A
cerebral  stroke  suffered  on  16  August  complicated  his  condition.  He  was
admitted to the Aurelia Hospital, where the doctors confirmed the impossibility
of recovery. He returned to the house of the Father on October 11, 2007, at 9.40
am.  The  19  October  19,  he  would  have  celebrated  with  gratitude  his  eightieth
anniversary in the institute of Blessed Louis Guanella.
The  body  of  Father  Paolo  rests  close  to  his  dear  ones  in  the  cemetery  of
Bagnolo di Po, awaiting the final Resurrection.
I  found  in  the  archives  of  the  Generalate  some  letters,  in  truth  only  three,
which Father Paolo wrote to the Superior general in a particular moment of his
life.  It  was  the  period  between1966  and  1968,  when  Father  Paolo  was
transferred, after 7 years, from Springfield, Pennsylvania, to Chelsea, Michigan,
as Superior of that Community.
Those  two  years  were  very  difficult  for  Father  Paolo,  causing  his  definite
return to Italy. In one of these letters, he tried to explain to Father General some
situations  of  particular  difficulties.  “They made  me  suffer  very  much  and  for  a
long time. I do not carry any grudge toward any one and I wish my best to all...
Certainly,  I  would  not  like  it  if  everything  is  attributed  to  my  lack  of
condescendence  and  permissiveness.  If  I  wanted,  I  could  be  also  capable  of
manipulation and show two faces. But that disgusts me, even when I have to deal
with persons who can hurt me.”
Dear confreres and friends of father Paolo; this is his figure. If we want to
find in the life of Father Paolo a particular message for us, almost a testament to
be followed in our history, I believe that we have to search it in this direction. He
was  an  honest  man,  solid,  who  did  not  allow  compromises  or  bending  of  the
truth  even  for  prudent  reasons.  He  was  the  religious,  son  of  Father  Guanella,
who was ready to withdraw, to step aside, to be silent, rather than to quarrel and
defend his position.
This  characteristic  would  distinguish  his  whole  life.  He  was  conscious  of
his strong personality, firm and without hesitation in his beliefs. For this reason,
he led a life of solitude for many years, almost a life of a hermit, especially in
our houses of Velletri and Gaeta.
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However,  father  Paolo  was  also  a  man  faithful  to  Jesus  Christ,  lover  of
poverty, coherent regardless of the consequences, a great worker in the vineyard
of  the  Lord.  Available  for  pastoral  ministry  in  the  nearby  parishes  or  for  the
religious sisters. He enjoyed working in the fields, the fruit garden, the vineyard,
the vegetable garden.
When  Cardinal  Ratzinger  appeared  on  the  central  balcony  of  St.  Peter’s
Basilica,  as  new  pope  with  the  name  of  Benedict  XVI,  and  wanted  to  describe
his past life at the service of the Church, he identified himself as a simple worker
in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  Here  is  the  best  definition  we  can  apply  to
summarize the life of Father Paolo: a simple worker in the Vineyard of the Lord.
He  was  a  Guanellian  who  knew  how  to  balance,  like  the  Founder,  the  time
dedicated to God and neighbor, and the time dedicated to work, to nature, to the
gifts of the earth, which help us to get closer to God.
How can we forget the enthusiastic joy on the face of Father Paolo, in his
working  clothes,  dealing  with  lemon  trees,  vines  heavy  with  grapes  and  the
orange  trees  full  of  tasteful  fruits.  He  enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  one  who  had
dedicated time, energy, patience, and now collects the abundant fruits.
I think that those who have known him and met him during these long 93
years could summarize in this description the whole distinction and gentleness of
this Servant of Charity.
Dear Father Paolo, today we are gathered here, not as in that distant 1927,
to  welcome  you  to  our  religious  family,  but  to  accompany  you  to  God,  in  the
mysterious plan of death.
He  is  the  One  who  occupied  a  relevant  and  significant  place  in  your  life.
Father Paolo, we say it with pride of confreres and relatives, you lived these 93
years of earthly pilgrimage always in the direction of God.
Like St. Augustine, how many times did your lips say these words of filial
faith and love to the Creator: “You have made us for you, o Lord, and our heart
is restless, until it finds peace in you.”
We  thank  you,  father  Paolo,  for  all  that  goodness  and  greatness  that  you
transmitted to us, as man and as religious.
In your memory, we set about to take the firm decision of unifying our life
under the one flag of the Risen Christ.
And with you, already living in the presence of the Risen Christ, we pray:
“Come,  Lord  Jesus,  live  in  our  heart.  We  do  not  want  to  loose  that  gift  of
freedom that comes to us from your cross. May our daily work, in faithfulness, in
coherence, in the sacrifice for love, in the service of the least and perhaps, if you
like, also in the suffering, show clearly to the world our will of belonging to you
and of constructing with you the Kingdom of the Loving Father. Amen”.
From the eulogy given by Father Umberto Brugnoni
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