28/09/2002: What Porto Alegre and Piacenza have in commonI had already noticed that
the countryside was more welcoming than capital cities, but Piacenza was much of
a surprise for me. This small Italian town, located near Milan, is one of the
most hospitable places I have visited during my European tour. From the cab
driver that offered me a free ride because he had given me some wrong
information, to everybody who received me with a smile upon their faces,
especially after I had said I was Brazilian, or as they would say, a brasiliana… Perhaps
Piacenza is such a welcoming a place because it is not a tourist spot, but a
typical country town in Italy. Actually, it is not so small. The town has a good
shopping mall – with rather affordable prices –, squares and churches,
besides the tranquillity that only such towns can provide. Cavalli Square, with a museum
in medieval style and a monument in honour of those who died during World War I
and World War II, lies downtown. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, named
after the town's patron saint, is located at Del Duomo Square, near the city
centre. The remains of blessed John Baptist Scalabrini, founder of a
congregation that is now present in several countries, including Brazil, are
inside the 12th century church. The old houses, the stone-paved roads
and the delicious pace at which the Italians talk stand out in Piacenza. At the Congregation of the
Missionary Scalabrinian Sisters, where I stayed during my two days in Piacenza,
I enjoyed even more amiability. The sisters told me amazing tales of the town
and of Scalabrini. I had never imagined I would find, in the Italian countryside,
a catholic congregation whose first steps, last century, were taken toward
Brazil, with an outstanding presence in Rio Grande do Sul. Hospital Mãe de
Deus, one of the best hospitals in Rio Grande do Sul, is a good example of the
current Scalabrinian presence in the State. In the house were I stayed, I
had the chance to visit the museum of blessed Scalabrini, founder of the
congregation, and hear the amazing story of his life from the Sisters.
Scalabrini was born in Lombardy, Italy, in 1839. He was the bishop of Piacenza
for 36 years. At that time, in the end of the 19th century, drastic
changes were taking place in the country's social context, which forced many
Italians to migrate to countries in the Americas, such as the United States,
Brazil, Argentina and others. Scalabrini, aware of the difficulties the Italian
emigrants faced in foreign lands, started to call attention to those problems
and to assemble other dioceses to help. It was necessary to send missionaries in
order to strengthen the faith of the Italian migrants, as well as to provide
social aid to those people. In
order to protect the cultural and religious identity of the migrants, Scalabrini
founded, in 1887, the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Charles, with
the close assistance of father Joseph Marchetti, who was sent as a missionary to
São Paulo, in Brazil, to assist the immigrants. A short time later, in 1895,
Scalabrini founded the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles
– Scalabrinians, owing to the necessity of a female presence to help
the migrants' orphans. In this process, the
participation of sisters Assunta Marchetti, Carolina Marchetti, Angela Larini
and Maria Franceschini was significant. They were the first to go to Brazil,
delegated by Scalabrini, to meet the needs of the Italian immigrants. Scalabrini
himself decided to experience the migrants' life, trying to "be one of them",
by going to the United States, in 1901, with the goal of visiting the Italian
settlements in that country. In 1904, he went to Brazil, where he travelled
through the State of São Paulo and went down to Rio Grande do Sul, where he
rode a horse through towns like Nova Bréscia, Farroupilha, Santo Antônio da
Patrulha, among others. However, these long pilgrimages in much worse conditions
than the current ones helped impair his health. On returning, already in
Piacenza, in 1905, he passed away. His remains are currently in the town's
cathedral, Basilica Santa Maria Assunta, at Del Duomo Square. But father Scalabrini's
efforts were not in vain. The congregation spread and today is in 22 countries
in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, involving about 815 people. Scalabrini
is commonly known as "The Migrants' Father", because he started the
congregation, whose main focus continues to be serving the migrants. In Piacenza, the Centro
Migrante Scalabrini provides assistance to foreigners living in Italy by giving
Italian lessons and providing school, medical centre and catechism. In Porto
Alegre, Sister Maria Jacomina Vernonese founded Hospital
Mãe de Deus (HMD), one of the largest and best-equipped hospitals in the
capital of Rio Grande do Sul. HMD is, in fact, the main provider of an ample
network of institutions and services in the field of healthcare and education,
carrying through a significant institutional mission, visible in several social
activities, set up by a successful corporate undertaking. More recently,
reflecting an even more active presence in a bigger part of the city, HMD has
finished another highly significant enterprise, near Av. Carlos Gomes, in Porto
Alegre – Mãe de Deus
Centre. It was good to hear such a
beautiful story, in a town of genteel Italians, a people that highly regards
their history and course. Pictures of Piacenza:
- Duomo Square: 1 - City centre: 1 - Church: 1 - Relic of Scalabrini: 1 - Statue of Scalabrini: 1 - Torso of Scalabrini: 1 - Scalabrini's room: 1 - Garden with an image of Maria: 1 - Monument to the dead in war: 1 Pictures
of Milan, a city close to Piacenza:
- Duomo Square: 1
- Vitorio Emanuele Gallery: 1, 2, 3 - Cathedral: 1 Translated by Traduzca |
