Generalizia

8. Father Luigi Camillo Cervini
Born in Castronno (VA) on September 18, 1932
Entered at Cassago on October 7, 1957
Novitiate at Barza d’Ispra (VA) on September 12, 1958
First Profession at Barza d’Ispra on September 24, 1960
Final Profession at Barza d’Ispra on September 24, 1963
Priestly Ordination in Milan on February 22, 1964
Died in Caidate on October 19, 2007
Rests in the cemetery of Castronno (VA)
I am not the best-qualified person to write about Father Gino. He deserves
better. His name was Luigi Camillo, but we called him Gino.
He  was  born  in  Castronno  on  September  18,  1932  from  Francesco  and
Maria.  He  received  the  Baptism  five  days  later,  in  the  parish  of  Santi  Nazario
and Celso. What a grace for little Gino to become member of the great family of
God  with  the  sacrament  of  Baptism.  We  are  also  grateful  the  parents  and
godparents who took seriously their commitment to educate him in the faith.
Together with his sister Dorina, they walk the short distance to the church
day after day and started the adventure of life.
He  was  not  yet  seven,  when  he  received  the  sacrament  of  Confirmation
from the late Cardinal Schuster.
As  a  solder  of  Christ  his  character  becomes  firm  and  determined.  His
family,  church  and  oratory  made  it  easier  for  the  Lord  to  place  in  his  heart  the
seed of a future project of life. His spiritual guide detected in his good nature the
potential  of  belonging  to  the  Lord,  and  sent  him  to  the  diocesan  seminary  of
Milan to search there the will of God.
Soon the project of God illuminated the path of this young man.
He came to know the Guanellian community of the S. Antonio Institute in
Cassago  when  he  was  25  years  old.  The  life  style  of  those  confreres  attracted
him.
He entered the novitiate in Barza d’Ispra the following year 1958.
He  became  a  member  of  the  religious  family  of  father  Guanella  with  the
profession  of  the  evangelical  counsels  of  poverty,  chastity  and  obedience  in
September 1960 at 28.
Cardinal Giovanni Colombo ordained him priest in the Cathedral of Milan
on February 22, 1964. For the next 15 years, he was given the obedience to be an
educator in the various institutes of Milan, Albizzate, Duno, Cassago and Lecco.
He  was  superior  of  the  community  of  Caidate  di  Sumirago  from  1979  to
1986. He suspended the program, closing the house for a complete restructure of
the building under the vigilant eyes of Father Eugenio Venco.
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For  one  year,  he  was  the  treasurer  at  Nuova  Olonio,  before  going  to  St.
Cajetan of Milan as treasurer, an office he would hold until 1994.
Now  at  the  age  of  62,  we  find  him  at  the  St.Joseph  rest  home  in  Castano
Primo as treasurer first and as councilor later.
Those  were  years  of  hard  work. The  new  regulations,  the  demands  of  the
workers unions and the restructure of the house wore out his heart.
In 2002, he requested to live closer to his sister in Castronno. Therefore, he
received the obedience of collaborator at St. Cajetan in Caidate.
His participation in the religious education of the residents of the house was
praise worthy. He was available for the sacrament of Reconciliation, took time to
“keep  company”  to  them  by  playing  cards,  for  the  Sunday  afternoon  bingo  or
just  being  there.  He  was  a  man  of  few  words,  “attentive”  to  the  movements  in
the  house  and  the  events  of  the  day.  Red  the  newspaper  everyday  and  kept  the
confreres as well as the residents informed of what was going on.
The Lord called him as a good and faithful servant on October19, 2007 to
inherit his Eternal Kingdom.
Father Gino, thank you for walking along with us for a stretch of the road!
Bless this house from heaven and intercede the Father for the necessary graces to
be worthy members of the Founder’s family.
Father F
RANCO
B
ERLUSCONI
9. Father Ermes Boran
Born in Pianiga (VE) on April 17, 1932
Entered at Anzano of the Parco (CO) on September 19, 1951
Novitiate at Barza d’Ispra on September 12, 1952
First Profession at Barza d’Ispra on September 12, 1954
Final Profession at Barza d’Ispra on September 12, 1959
Priestly Ordination in Como on June 26, 1960
Died in Busto Arsizio’s Hospital on October 29, 2007
Rests in Stra (VE)
Ermes  Boran  was  the  son  of  Giuseppe  and  Caterina  Patron  in  Pianiga
(Venice) on April 17, 1932.
He  received  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  on  May  1,  1932  at  the  Parish  of
Pianiga  and  the  Confirmation  in  Fiesso  d’Artico,  from  the  Bishop  of  Padua,
Carlo Agostini, on November 21, 1939.
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He entered the Congregation of Father Guanella at Anzano del Parco (CO)
on  September  19,  1951.  Novitiate  at  Barza  d’Ispra  (VA)  in  1952,  and  final
profession, in the same house of Barza d’Ispra, on September 12, 1959.
Bishop Felice Bonomini ordained him priest in the Cathedral of Como on
June 26, 1960.
He  carried  out  his  pastoral  service  in  two  particular  sectors  of  our
Guanellian mission. First, as formator of the young aspirants in the seminary of
Anzano del Parco (CO) in his early years of priesthood and then in the house for
“differently  able”,  the  beloved  of  the  Lord,  at  Como-Lora,  for  30  years,  and  in
Gatteo for the last four years of his life.
He  had  been  at  the  St.  Joseph  Rest  Home  in  Castano  Primo  (VA)  as  first
councilor for only two months. The Lord called him to participate in the eternal
banquet at the hospital of Busto Arsizio (VA) at 11.00 am on October 29, 2007.
His  body  rests,  in  the  hope  of  Resurrection,  near  his  dear  ones  in  the
cemetery of Stra (VE).
The  Gospel  reading  during  this  liturgy  (Lk  13,  22-30),  warned  us  of  the
struggle that everyone has to endure daily to obtain salvation. Jesus is the door,
and through him all men are saved. The only admission ticket is our desire, the
only  impediment  being  false  security  and  presumed  justice.  Entrance  requires
only  the  acknowledgement  of  our  sinfulness  and  belief  in  the  forgiveness  of
God. No one saves himself on his own merits, but we are all saved by the mercy
of God.
The  door  is  called  narrow  because  arrogance  and  presumption  do  not  fit
through;  they  have  to  die  outside. The  Gospel  teaches  us  that  man  cannot  save
himself by his power alone (Lk 18, 26-27), but all are saved by the free love of
the Father.
Therefore  the  door  of  salvation  is  very  narrow  because  no  one  saves
himself on his own, just by trying hard to get through, but it becomes very wide
because the Father saves us all. “God, our savior, wants everymen to be saved”
(1 Tm 2, 4). Salvation is a gift. It costs only the effort of opening our body and
soul  to  welcome  it.  However,  it  is  also  a  great  struggle,  because  our  body  and
soul are paralyzed (Lk 6, 6). However, this gift of God does not exempt us from
our effort and our collaboration. It is a pledge of our commitment. In the words
of  our  holy  Founder,  “we  must  place  all  our  confidence  in  God  and  not  in
ourselves and, at the same time, strive as though all depended upon us alone and
nothing from God” (R. DSMP, 1911).
That  is  the  only  way  to  purify  ourselves  from  indolence,  anxieties,  pride
and  presumption,  which  often  drag  us  to  non-sense  or  fleeting  objectives.
Salvation’s door is humility.
Conversion is commitment to live the mercy of God. It is the death of self
to make live God, the supreme ideal.
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