Martyr in Brazil

Chapter 6. Letters of Farewell

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Fr. Matteo Antonello, who shared the joys and sacrifices of mission work with Fr. Salvatore, celebrates the Eucharist in a small community

In a letter dated August 6, 1987, he told his parents: “Life here goes on as ever: work, work and more work. I feel more tired than usual, four years of hard missionary work are taking their toll. Recently, we held a meeting in Altamira for all the Xaverians who work in the Xingu. We ate and drank as much as we wanted; we held a retreat together and then returned to our places of work. We examined our commitments and it was agreed that Matteo should take more responsibility for the parish which was getting too much for me. This will give me more time to dedicate to the youth work, the diocesan newspaper and the pamphlets for the people. We will now look for ways to keep planning together in order to better divide the workload”.

In October 1987, Salvatore wrote several letters which turned out to be his final farewell. In one of these letters to his parents, he wrote: “I have been very busy lately. I finished a pamphlet for the youth group and it is the kind of task which is very time consuming. I also spent three days in the Transamazzonica region where I assisted at parish youth meeting. More than 90 young people had come from all parts of the forest to participate. When I got back home, I took part in another meeting dedicated to social and political formation.

Finally, I also had to start work on the Prelature’s bulletin, which is 36 pages long and has a circulation of 1,500 copies. All this work takes up more than a week of my time. Little by little, I am leaving aside parish life to take on these other jobs. If I continue like this, I will have to get used to making constant journeys. I am being asked to take part in more and more meetings with the young people and to prepare the material necessary for their study and formation. I am always coming into contact with new and interesting people and communities. I only hope that I will be allowed to spend another 5 years in these splendid places. However, to tell the truth, I feel a little tired and I will have to rest for a few days”. 

I am being asked to take part in more and more meetings with the young people and to prepare the material necessary for their study and formation. I am always coming into contact with new and interesting people and communities. I only hope that I will be allowed to spend another 5 years in these splendid places.
Fr. Salvatore Deiana

On October 16, 1987, he wrote two letters. One was addressed to the fathers and the students of the house in Macomer where he also had studied: “The month of October in Brazil is dedicated to the missions and this is the reason I am writing to future missionaries.

Missionary life is, without a doubt, difficult and full of sacrifices. However, it is also an interesting life and it fills me with enthusiasm and joy. You cannot imagine the joy of meeting a community for the Eucharist after long hours traveling by boat or car. It is interesting to meet simple people, farmers, fishermen, and women committed to the growth of their community. These people really do believe in the power of the Word of God and make time available for prayer and meetings. Our diocese is larger than the whole of Italy: we have no motorways, we have very little resources and there are only 16 priests.

This is why we look to you: we need young people like yourselves to come and work with us in the mission. My own work is very simple. Initially, I worked among the indios, visiting the tribes scattered throughout the forest and along the river banks. After a few months, I was appointed to a parish on the outskirts of the city. I was alone there, and did my best to organize the parish activities. When I had a better command of the language and knowledge of the people, I was asked to accept the job of rector of the seminary. I look after 11 young students whose ages range from 18 to 29. Almost all of them are in the final stages of their higher studies and are preparing to begin Theology.

Community life is also very simple: study, formation and manual work. On Saturday and Sunday everyone lends a hand to the catechists, the young people and the various activities in the parishes. I also have to look after youth pastoral activity. We are trying to help them move towards taking charge of their own life and be the principal agents and animators of the small communities. This implies a series of meetings, debates and the preparation of the necessary animation material. Occasionally I come back home exhausted and I sometimes forget to eat, but I am always happy to be able to do something useful for the others”. 

The second letter, dated October 16, 1987, was addressed to Brother Guglielmo Saderi, another Sardinian Xaverian missionary: “We are always up to our neck in work. I am enjoying good health, though the terrible heat and the dusty roads are wearing me out. These little problems are a necessary part of missionary life. The many commitments I have are tiring me out. For some time I was alone with three parishes to look after, besides the communities along the Transamazzonica road.

The seminary and the diocesan newspaper added to what was an already demanding workload. The political situation is worsening. There doesn’t seem to be a political program, prices continue to increase and the people receive paltry wages. The powerful continue to exploit the poor and the gap between them grows wider. There are so many problems that we sometimes feel at a loss as to what we should do. We press ahead together with great faith and confidence, nonetheless”.

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