Martyr in Brazil

Chapter 4. Sandra Pierobon

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Sandra Pierobon died tragically in Brazil

Sandra Pierobon had been sending her brother help from Italy for some time. She finally decided that she wished to go to Brazil herself to spend four months working with the poor. She paid for her generosity with her life. As she prepared to return home, she was advised by the Xaverians to travel by plane, but Sandra said that she wanted to travel as the poor did and whatever she saved would be given to them.

Before her funeral, the poor people of Acará prayed for hours in the chapel next to her body; they all remembered the many kindnesses, the serenity and the faith of this much loved woman. During the funeral Mass, many people expressed their personal feelings of loss during the prayers of the faithful. At sunset, the funeral procession made its way towards the cemetery, on a small hillside, located among the enormous chestnut groves and the palm trees of this immense Amazon region. Sandra Pierobon was laid to rest near the poor she had come to love in such a short time. After the death of Louis, Father Albert also mourned the loss of his sister.

He wrote to Bishop Gazza on January 20, 1974 to tell him what had happened: “Sandra had come to Brazil to see and experience missionary life for herself. She came unexpectedly while I was supervising the construction of the church in Guamá. She wanted to live with me for a while, but my illness forced me to leave for Curitiba, where medical tests revealed that I had a severe form of hyperthyroidism. She came with me on that journey, and visited our missions in the south, then went back to Acará, which she called home. She made herself available to the parish and the poor; she was happy and fitted in perfectly.

Sandra had decided that she would return to Italy for All Souls’ Day (November 2) and had prepared everything for her journey. The boat for Belém was various hours late, and Father Gino asked someone to warn us when it arrived. Unfortunately, this person let us down and Sandra missed the boat. Instead, she decided to travel by bus and left at about 3 am, taking her seat immediately behind the driver. The bus ended up in the river Capim, partly because of the excessive speed and partly because the driver was still under the effects of the drugs he had taken at a party the previous night; he had been warned three times to slow down near the river but he did not pay any attention.

In the impact, Sandra banged her head violently on the bar separating her from the driver. Sister Miriam assures me that she died immediately and not from drowning. Thanks to the heroic efforts of Father Pansa, we recovered her body; it was he who found the bus, secured it and had it pulled out of the water. This, and the kindness of our confreres Frosi, Terzoni, Villa and all the others, the support of all the people of Acará helped me through those terrible days.

As a result of this, and my illness, I collapsed and needed about 20 days to recover some serenity and peace. I felt completely lost and emotionally drained by the violent death of Sandra because of one man’s carelessness, my illness, the almost certain separation from Acarà and my people. These are all part of God’s mysterious plan. At the moment I  am in Curitiba; I feel serene, almost cheerful, and at my superiors’ disposal. I had a third medical examination on 15 January and I am completely cured. The doctor says that I must not return to Pará.

I believe that this is God’s will. It is painful for me to accept that I can no longer dedicate myself to my people, but I am equally convinced that it doesn’t really matter where I work because the essence of our vocation consists in giving ourselves to God’s cause. This thought dominates my feelings and is a source of peace and energy for persevering in my self-giving. Thank you, Father, for remembering me, and for the comfort you offered to my elderly mother”.

The tomb of Sandra Pierobon in Acarà, Brazil

Time to Move On

Bishop Gazza considered this lengthy report almost as a spiritual testament; when he wrote it, Albert Pierobon was only two and a half years from his own death.

In another letter to a Xaverian, he added: “The clouds have cleared and I am serene once again; I will not succumb to a spiritual or physical defeat. I still feel capable of reacting and offering something useful to the mission”. He told his family that he had visited his sister’s grave: “I wanted to see what it was like. I sat in front of the small cross and I almost heard her scold me, asking what I was doing sitting there. In my heart I heard her tell me to move, get on with life and set my sights high. She is at peace”.

Albert Pierobon picked himself up and, though he was tired and sick, he resumed his life of service to the mission. He was only 46 years old, but the struggles and the sufferings had taken their toll on him. He remained in South Brazil where he was assigned to the parish of Moreira Salles, in the state of Paraná. He settled down to work once again among the poor who quickly became fond of him.

His life was made up of prayer and action, faith and work. He continued to work for the improvement of his poor people’s lot; he knew that hungry people “cannot be Christians because they are not free: we must first build the person, then the Christian”. He had a modern idea of mission: no proselytism, but sharing, human promotion, according to the vision of the post-Conciliar Church.

I wanted to see what it was like to see the tomb of my sister Sandra. I sat in front of the small cross and I almost heard her scold me, asking what I was doing sitting there. In my heart I heard her tell me to move, get on with life and set my sights high. She is at peace.
Fr. Albert Pierobon

He was appointed parish priest of Moreira Salles on May 26, 1974: he spent his mornings in the parish and, in the afternoon, he went around the chapels on the outskirts. It was a heavy workload, yet he told his family: “I am the happiest man alive as I travel along those roads full of dust and holes; the happiness my arrival brings to the people is payment enough for all the difficulties I have to endure”. Other letters to the family give us a glimpse of the missionary style of Father Albert Pierobon.

The following are some excerpts from those letters: “The good Lord will help me; I am always mindful of the fact that I am just an instrument in His hands; therefore, I press on in spite of the fact that there are many reasons for getting discouraged, and even for thinking of escaping”. (…) “We pray and we love: this is important, and I believe that offering the suffering of not being able to reach everyone is of benefit to these people”. (…) “I truly feel as one of them; they know that I love them”. (…)

“But how many difficult battles I have to fight in order to defend the basic rights of these abandoned people who are slaves of a minority! My position is one of independence from the authorities. My goal is to help my people in everything that is good, sustain them as much as possible, guide them if I can, and encouraging them to face up to their own responsibility”. (…) “How many desires well up in my heart and must remain there if I am to be faithful to God’s will: this is the problem I face. If we truly believe, it shows, and we must not lose our peace and serenity; if we do lose them, it is as sign that our faith is not yet perfect”. (…) “The only language they can understand is true and selfless charity; only this love opens the road to grace. Action, not words, remain and have a lasting effect”. Action, not words: this was the motto of Father Albert Pierobon. Nevertheless, his health problems remained.

He was forced to return to Italy again for a period of rest, from October 1975 until February 1976. It was his last return home because he had only a few months left to live. His elderly mother was still alive with his surviving brothers and sisters. He recovered a little and left again for Moreira Salles. He was in a hurry to get back to his poor people, though he was more tired and in a precarious physical state. He was not in great shape, but he wanted to work with his people; he had no time for himself. He had chosen this path towards holiness, this was his heart’s desire.

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