Most of the young people who came into contact with
Don Orione were marked in a positive way for the whole of their lives by
him. Many years later, all over the
world, they would have the fondest and most favourable memory of their Father… Don Orione speaks to us about it in a letter to his “Former Pupils.” One of the happiest surprises he had in Latin America
was, in fact, that of meeting, in those far off lands, a great number of his
former pupils who showed the utmost affection for him. And
their gratitude as well. Don
Orione, who has always remained a “friend, father and confessor” to them,
invites them to keep on
with the good work. He is
happy to note once more that “Jesus is never sown in vain in the hearts of
young people.”
Souls
and Souls!
Buenos
Aires, 7 September 1935
To my dearest and unforgettable
Former Pupils,
You cannot imagine, my Dearest Friends,
how frequently I think of you, with all the old, unchangeable affection!
From this far off land, I send the greetings of dozens of your one-time
companions, former Pupils like you, who, in this hospitable Argentina, have
kept high and honoured the name of Italy, so proud they are to have
been educated in our Schools.
Since I arrived they have been
surrounding me with so much love and so much gratitude that more than once I
have felt emotional to the point of tears.
Many have even come from the central
part of Argentina and further still, bringing me their children to be
blessed. When they first saw me they
could not prevent themselves from crying for joy, as if they had seen their
father or their mother.
Imagine, my dear Former Pupils, that
it is forty years since I have seen some of them, from the time I was
starting… After many, many years in
which we had not seen each other, I would never have thought that I could have
been remembered so well and loved so much!
Ah, I am more and more convinced
that we never sow or plough Jesus Christ in vain in the hearts of children and
young people.
Even if, at a certain time in our
lives, it may sometimes seem that Christ is still in the tomb, His death was
such that He will always, sooner or later but always, rise again.
From time to time three or four of
them happen to meet me here, as well as some from the first Oratory, in the
Bishop’s garden. They are now grown men
and more than grey haired.
They greet each other and come to
see me as if they were coming home to their old father’s house.
And they pour their hearts out,
telling me things in confidence, talking about their joys and sorrows and even
– should I say it? – even their sins!
Thus I act as a friend, father and confessor to them!
And they go away happy, leaving such
a great contentment in my heart, “that no-one who has not experienced it can
understand.”
I wanted nothing more than to know
that they were always mindful, always grateful and always in holy fear of God,
living in the midst of this big world, where there is a bit of everything,
living moral lives, fulfilling their duties, giving good example to their
children.
If it is God’s will that I return to
you, I would like for us all to meet together in order to consolidate and
strengthen ever more the sacred bond that unites us, and to increase our sphere
of good works. And you will certainly
all feel with me a most earnest desire to cooperate in that renewal of
Christian life, “Renewing all things in Christ,” by which the individual, the
family and society can expect a restoration of the social order. Remember that we are and want to be your most
sincere and affectionate friends.
Goodbye, dearest Former Pupils. May God bless you! Don Orione thinks about you constantly, and
prays for you and for your families.
I embrace you all in spirit and send
you my most abundant blessing, both for you and for your families!
Yours, Don Orione
