The departure from Gargnano
20 years have passed since our arrival at the Convent of San Tommaso in Gargnano. When we arrived, It was a semi-closed and peripheral place. 20 years after, a lively, multicultural, and friendly community accompanies it.
But by the end of this year 2021, we must leave, because the convent San Tommaso has to be available for other projects and other managers. This decision belongs to the whole sphere of restructuring of the Franciscan network in Northern Italy. We accept it with difficulty, but also with serenity since we have learned to give thanks for what we have received and also because we are aware that, sooner or later, our forces would not have been able to support this project for long.
At the moment we cannot tell you more, except that the community will move to the Convent of San Gaetano, via Callegari 7, 25121 BRESCIA – Tel. 00-39-030-9179782
Bruno’s departure from the earth
From this April 13, 2021, the Covid death statistics will have a very different resonance for us, because even our Bruno was imported last night while in hospital in Esine (BS). We cannot naively believe that “it only happens to others”. This time it happened to us, and maybe to you on other occasions. Today we are overwhelmed with pain, but we can only welcome it and wash it away with our tears. We mourn Bruno’s passing, even though we know he will always be with us as his legacy of love and commitment will always be the beacon that illuminates even the darkest nights.
Thank you Bruno and A-Dieu.
“Bruno, ami, frère, compagnon, maître penseur.
Toi dont le regard nous a sauvé(e)s de l’insignifiance,
toi dont la parole nous a préservé(e)s de la banalité,
toi dont le courage moral nous a libéré(e)s des peurs,
toi dont l’amour nous a rendu(e)s libres “
Thank you to all persones who sent us in various ways (emails, SMS, phone calls, social networks …) a sign of their presence in our common mourning. We were struck and impressed by so many signs of affection and consideration. And we are VERY grateful to you. We would like to apologize to all those who heard the news suddenly or who expected to be better informed about Bruno’s state of health. Here what happened,
Bruno fell on the afternoon of February 28, after celebrating his last mass at 9:15 a.m. at the convent of San Tommaso in Gargnano. The fall resulted in a fractured humerus and right shoulder, as well as a cerebral hematoma. In the midst of our move, his family from Valcamonica came to our aid, taking care of Bruno until the new headquarters of the San Gaetano convent in Brescia was ready. Bruno was therefore awaiting surgery at the Capriccio Azzurro retirement home in Boario, where he stayed from March 9 to April 6. Unfortunately, on April 7, he was hospitalized for Covid at Esine Hospital where he died on April 13 of cardiac arrest. In the Covid pavilion where he was, no one could visit him. Every day, however, he received our messages thanks to the paper printing made by his nephew Giordano and the subsequent delivery by his niece Rinella, a nurse at the Esine hospital. To the nurse, friend of Rinella, who gave him these messages regularly, he had said that he had never felt alone. Bruno had not yet been vaccinated because when he was called he was in the emergency room for observation due to the fall. We wanted to recall these recent events to appease your questions and avoid “fake news”. The Spiritual testament he left us is a page of deep wisdom and high spirituality. He did not contradict himself. Bruno will always stay with us, because Love is stronger than death.
In the Christian world, one of the ways to honor a deceased person is to celebrate a Mass in their memory after 30 days of death. This is called the “rite of the thirtieth“. We celebrated it for Bruno on Saturday May 22 at 6 p.m., in the church of San Pietro d’Agrino in Gargnano with a lot of friends. To give the opportunity even for those who could not be there to be able to gather a little around Bruno, you can see the ceremony, from minute 9, on the following site: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=478625393472599&ref=search
The celebrants are: don Carlo, don Francesco, brothers Enzo and Fiorenzo. At the organ: Bruno Marelli.
You will also find the Homily of fr Fiorenzo and the very beautiful texts in Italian (TESTIMONIANZE ) read by those who wanted to tell Bruno something personally about their friendship with him. United by his ever-living presence, we greet you with the Franciscan greeting “Peace and Good” to which Bruno always added “to you and to all your loved ones“.
The book In memory of Bruno is finally available on the website of the European Center. Its title is that of one of his most beautiful poems: Leave us love. In order to upload it to our site, Roberto had to compress the text up to the limit allowed (thanks, Luca, for the help). The text is readable, but the photos have suffered. But you can read it right now, by clicking on: http://www.centroeuropeo.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/In-ricordo-di-Bruno-libretto-con-copertina-finale-Ridottissimo.pdf
Anyone wishing to have a copy immediately as an ebook (€3) or as a paper book (€ 12 + postage), must request it online on the website: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bruno+ducoli&i=stripbooks- intl-ship & crid = 2NAD3MKQRFDT1 & sprefix = bruno + ducoli% 2Cstripbooks-intl-ship% 2C301 & ref = nb_sb_noss. Even in the future, you can always find it among the books, on the Amazon site, by typing Bruno Ducoli as the author. Since this book is a bud of his life, we wanted it to be found under his name.
This book collects your testimonies, received following his “transito“. Let’s hope we haven’t lost any on the way. We left your messages in the language in which they reached us, a trace of your identity but also a sign of the vast multicultural network of friendships of our Bruno. To these are added some texts by Bruno himself and Fr Fiorenzo’s commemorative homily. Roberto and Silvana worked on the structure of the book, which was then laid out by Roberto with great care and admirable patience. For the cover, our dear friend Patrizia came to help us, and created a very original mixer of logos and images. A big thank you to all.
April 13th 2022
A year has already passed since, on 13 April 2021, Bruno went to that shadowless Elsewhere and we have tried in many ways to keep him close, not to lose his voice, his smile, his traces.
This second edition enlarged and enriched of his poems took shape from this painful desire. The title remains the same of the first edition of 1986 : Leave us Love. Together with his spiritual testament and the three books of homilies, one for each liturgical year (ABC), these inexhaustible readings will keep us in touch when we would like to have him near and not knowing which way to turn our gaze, it will fix itself here where life became word, where the word became flesh, where flesh became spirit: http://www.centroeuropeo.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/Libretto-poesie2022.pdf
Goodbye, dear Bruno, we miss you, but we know you are reborning in us and we also confidently await the arrival in us of this interior spring.
To read in French the special issue of La Piazza, the review of CASI-UO Bruxelles, which on the occasion of its 50th anniversary dedicates this issue to its founder: http://www.centroeuropeo.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/Piazza-Bruno-.pdf
New Paths and Strong Loyalties
Convent of San Gaetano in Brescia: The house of the fathers
Since March 2021, Father Fiorenzo and Roberto have been living in the San Gaetano convent in Brescia. In this same place will be welcomed separated fathers who risk marginalization following a marital breakdown. Here they will not only find a roof over their heads, but also different forms of help and a support association. Firmly wanted by Father Fiorenzo, this new destination of the Convent is a sign of the presence of the Franciscan world among the new forms of poverty. It is configured as an important initiative for the city of Brescia where no structure was yet ready to welcome men in family breakdown.
Albergo-Palazzo Lodron Bertelli in Carderzone Terme: Welcoming people and groups with projects
Our departure from Gargnano certainly has for many of you also the taste of the loss of a place where “se ressourcer – regenerate yourselves” because this was your experience when coming here. Many components have contributed to it as your welcome messages attest. We are immensely grateful for them and we will share them with you shortly.
Although the movements of each soul cannot be explained in a general terms, some of them are clearly cited by you: the beauty of the landscape, the calm of the place, the kindness of the welcome, an atmosphere of spirituality open to many paths.
So, if you are looking for a place where you can find these elements, we suggest the Hotel Palazzo Lodron Bertelli, whose management is entrusted to Isabella and Stefano (on the picture below). Please do not confuse this suggestion with an advertisement. Really not! For us it is like a handover, as Isabella and Stefano would have liked to fit in with us in the reception of the Convent of San Tommaso and only reasons independent of our common will made this passage impossible, even after a detailed study.
So do not hesitate to contact them, as from 1 July they have have reopened in maximum safety this historical house, after taking part in the training re. the new medical measures, having carried out the serological tests and adopted the measures of spacing and sanitization of the environments. They are able to host groups and families and their kind welcome will certainly remind you of our one. Happy holidays.
Albergo Palazzo Lodron Bertelli. Dimora Storica & Spa
Piazza Sant’Antonio 8, 38080 Caderzone Terme (TN)
Mobile +39 338 7711307 +39 335 8754925
info@palazzolodronbertelli.it www.palazzolodronbertelli.it
www.facebook.com/AlbergoPalazzoLodronBertelli
Piero & Silvana in Australia
After the closure of the San Tommaso convent, Piero decided to return permanently to Australia where he had previously lived for 23 years. Silvana is with him. Together, they live in Kenmore Hills (suburb of Brisbane, in the state of Queensland) in a village for the elderly (Iona Village).
Both will continue their commitments and their studies: Piero for non-violence and studies for peace and Silvana for the knowledge and rehabilitation of beguines.
Since her arrival, Silvana has launched the blog (in Italian) Sen Ri Dō Fū – Nonostante la lontananza sentiamo lo stesso vento (even far away we feel the same wind) to inform all her relatives of their insertion in this particular environment. On Monday of each week there is a new article.