11th July, 2011 Don Mimi returns to the House of the Father!
This evening while going about my normal
daily activity, it struck my mind that on the Memorial of St. Benedict Abbot is
the dies
natalies of a great and passionate son and follower of St. Luigi
Guanella. I am talking about a legend of charity, a charismatic and an
intellectual colossus of the life of the Founder and the history of the
Congregation: Don Domenico Saginario,
popularly known as Don Mimi. Personally, in my experience so far as a
member of this noble Congregation, each time I think about the Confreres that
worked assiduously for the growth and comprehension of the Charism and history
of the Congregation, no doubt, Don Mimi readily comes to mind. I knew him, not
by hear say, but I had moments of fraternal and spiritual encounters with him,
that today have metamorphosed into real events in my spiritual life.
Don Mimi was born on the 17th
of February 1930 at Pietrelcina in the province of Benevento, the natal city of
Padre Pio. His parents were: Angelomarino and Filomena. He was baptized on the
28th of December 1930, ten months after his birth. His was
profoundly a catholic family. In fact, his family could be described as a
guanellian family, because before him two of his brothers: Osvaldo and Oreste
were priests of the Congregation, and again his sister: Giulietta was a member
of our Srs’ Congregation. So, from that family we received four gifts for our
male and female Congregations. Our beloved Mimi left his father’s house at the
age of eleven to enter the seminary at Fara Novarese in 1941. He had his first
religious profession on the 12th of September 1949 and his perpetual
profession on the 28th of September 1954 at Barza. And as Providence
would have it, he was ordained a priest on the 28th of April 1957 in
Rome.
As a young priest, he served the
Congregation in the areas of formation and teaching. He remained in the minor
seminary in Rome till 1964, from 1964 to 1971 he was at the theological
seminary in Chiavenna, form 1971 to 1986 he was at the theological seminary in
Rome (where he became Superior and Rector in 1974). From 1972 he became part of
the then Provincial Council as a councilor, and in July 1986 he was called to
serve as a Provincial Superior of the Roman Province. During his years as a
Provincial owing to his missionary zeal the Province opened new realities in
India, Mexico and Philipine. Furthermore, the General Chapter of July 1993
elected him as a councilor and secretary general of the Congregation. After six
year of service, he returned back to the Province as a Provincial Superior in
May 2000. But after three years as a result of his advancing old age, he
requested to leave the office and then went to the Community of St. Joseph in
Rome, and in September 2004 he accepted the work of a Spiritual director in the
theological seminary “Mons. Bacciarini” in Rome. His years in the Seminary were
precious years for the seminarians. Again, in 2006 he accepted the responsibility
of Extraordinary Delegate of India, to help in the passage of the Delegation to
a Province. Afterwards, he came back to Rome and assumed once again the duty of
a Spiritual Director. Behold to the surprise of all in 2008 at the age of 78 he
made a request to go to mission in Philipine. Sequel to that, he was welcomed
into the Province, precisely at the community of Quezon City in Manila, where
he collaborated in the formation of the seminarians, and even served as a
Novice Master for one year. It was from here that he received his heavenly
call!
It is ad rem to affirm that Don Mimi was known for his glittering eyes
and contagious smiles, which revealed the hidden treasures of his heart. He
served the Congregation in many capacities, as a preacher, a theology professor,
a spiritual director, and animator, a speaker, a writer, a leader of the
Province, a general secretary and a friend of the poor. He was described by Don
Nino Minetti as “Uno studioso del Fondatore”.
Don Mimi was the first Gunaellian
priest I had as a Spiritual Director, and even till tomorrow I never regret
knowing him and having him as a spiritual Father. Without ifs and buts, I
remember him today with gratitude to God for his gifts of grace and gifts of
nature, poured out for the better and in-depth comprehension of the charism and
the history of the Founder and of the Congregation. Don Mimi you are one in a
million! I had what I will describe as a golden opportunity to live with Don
Mimi during my first year of theology in Rome, at our Theological Seminary, but
above all, as my Spiritual Director. Till today, Don Mimi is one of my models
as a priest. The memories with him are still fresh in my mind, especially his
wonderful and soul-southing reflections and homilies. When Don Mimi preaches
you cannot but feel “something” deep within you, his words and manner of
preaching elevate the soul and help to increase in you the love for God and for
the Congregation. Permit me to recall one episode that happened in one of my
spiritual collogues with him, on that faithful day, at the end of my spiritual
direction, he looked me directly on the face and asked: Vito hai bisogno di
qualcosa? (Vitus do you need anything?). I responded anxiously no, but on a
second thought I replied him: nothing, except that there is one book I needed
to buy. Immediately he opened his drawer and gave me money for the book.
Indeed, Don Mimi was very caring. For him the words of the Founder: “Give Bread
and the Lord” were not ordinary words, they were for him a rule of life, something
to be lived out. Don Mimi was not only caring, he was simple, down to earth,
prayerful and in all, loving and lovable! In synthesis, he was a man of action
and contemplation. A holy man indeed!
It was on the 11th of
July, 2011 at the age of 81 that our beloved Don Mimi breathed his last on
earth. Even at his advanced age, he was still an active and passionate
missionary of Charity in Philipine, in our community at Quazon city. On that
memorable day, Don Mimi had his coffee break around 3:30 pm, hale and hearty,
and at 6. 00 pm when the confreres did not see him at evening prayer, they went
to check on him, they knocked anxiously at his door, but he was not answering,
then they were propelled to force the door open, only to find him collapsed on
the floor, he was rushed to the hospital, but all to no avail. Behold, that was
the end. He went back to God whom he so much loved and talked about. Unfortunately,
our Great Don Mimi left few months to the canonization of the Founder. He so
much desired celebrating the canonization of the Founder, but he joined in the
celebration from heaven. He was and still remains a great gift to the Church
and to our Guanellian family at large. He has left for us many virtues and
values to imitate and appropriate: his availability for missions, his love and
passion for the Founder and the Congregation, his love for the poor, his love
for the Word of God and his capacity of synthesis between words and actions
etc.
Above all, in the context of
tomorrow’s Gospel, permit me to say that Don Mimi was like a good seed, a good
and fertile soil and an indefatigable sower of the Good News. We have to
cherish his memory and legacies visible today in the many writings on the
Founder and on the history of the Congregation, the testimonies of his holy and
exemplary life, which he left behind. Don Mimi each time I remember how you
worked tirelessly with Don Nino Minetti for the what we have today as the
Constitutions of the Congregation, each time I remember your warm and soul-lifting
homilies, each time I stumble over some of your writings here in the Study
Centre, what readily comes to my mind is that Don Mimi lives on. Yes, you are
still present with us. Yours is not a memory to be jettisoned with ease.
Rest on
ardent preacher of the Word!
Rest
on Great Theologian!
Rest
on Great Leader, Animator and Orator!
Rest
on great Missionary of Charity!
Rest
on Holy Man of Charity!!!
Fr. Vitus Unegbu,
SC
From the
Guanellian Study Centre
Ibadan, Nigeria
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