Martyr in Brazil

Chapter 7. Memorial Mass in Cittadella

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Fr. Albert, a victim of his generosity!

Bishop Giovanni Gazza, the Superior General of the Xaverians, who had seen Father Albert at work in Brazil, went to Cittadella for the commemorative Mass on September 17, 1976. He delivered a long and impassioned address to the family, friends and townsfolk of the martyr.

“We are here to remember and commemorate the life of our dear brother, Father Albert Pierobon, who has been taken from us in tragic circumstances. The press has given inaccurate accounts of what happened in Brazil; we must remember that the large distances involved make communication with those places quite difficult. The last telephone call from Brazil, this very morning, informed us of the results of the autopsy and the police investigation: these confirm that Father Pierobon was the victim of a vendetta that was both inhuman and absurd.

For many years, I personally witnessed his missionary activity. I remember a generous, tireless, bold, apparently grumpy person; he was very sensitive to every kind of human suffering, always ready to shoulder other people’s burdens, capable of the most noble self-giving, exemplary in his priestly zeal. It is clear to us now that Father Albert was a victim of his own generosity: he exposed himself to danger in order to defend his people. We were convinced of this right from the start, a conviction based on the initial information we received. There was no other feasible explanation for his disappearance.

This evening, I wish to bear witness to his life solely on the basis of facts. I wish to confirm that for fifteen years he gave himself entirely to his work among the poor of Brazil; for some years I personally witnessed this. He was never belied: he was always the first to shoulder any burden. We were just beginning the mission in the Amazons and we had to endure long, difficult journeys along the rivers, lasting days and nights, to get the first activities started .

Father Albert was a most precious help to us, he gave birth to the first consistent works of the mission: school, hospital, churches, residences for the missionaries, chapels in the interior. His untiring pastoral activity went hand in hand with this material work. His health forced him to occasionally interrupt his work: since his student days he had been tormented by stomach problems, which later worsened, probably exasperated by the local diet which was not always suitable for someone with his problems. His physical suffering and the psychological distress that accompanied it lend greater weight to his zeal and self-giving. This is the most profound and moving truth of his life: his missionary vocation was born from, and consumed in, pain and suffering.

The Supreme Sacrifice

Rina Parolin, who taught Albert Pierobon during his school years, wrote about him in 1948, during one of his periods of forced convalescence: ‘The fact that he is forced to rest is his greatest torment. One who aspires to offering his entire life as a holocaust to Christ cannot be asked to remain motionless. The memory of his brother’s death is still very much alive in his heart. Albert says that this tragedy is the motivating force behind his missionary vocation.’  The painful experience of his brother’s death had inspired him to give his life to a worthy and noble cause.

One who aspires to offering his entire life as a holocaust to Christ cannot be asked to remain motionless. The memory of his brother’s death is still very much alive in his heart. Albert says that this tragedy is the motivating force behind his missionary vocation.
Rita Parolin on Fr. Albert Pierobon

Later, in the Amazons, when he was taken up by his apostolic work, he had to endure the tragic death of his sister Sandra. With this sorrow in his heart he threw himself into the work of the new and immense parish of Moreira Salles, where the mission was in its pioneer stages. When he came back to Italy some months ago, once again for health reasons, – Bishop Gazza continued in his homily - he told me he could not wait to get back to his people, to work with all his strength in the apostolate.

Thanks to his dedication, Father Albert quickly gained the affection and the collaboration of the people of Moreira Salles; this is confirmed by the unanimous tribute of love and gratitude they paid to him after his death, to the extent that they insisted he be buried among them. They feel he is still alive in their midst. I was told this morning by telephone that the entire parish took part in the funeral, many people traveling long distances to be present.

The latest information has shed some more light on the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Father Albert and confirm that he was the victim of a barbarous attack. His dramatic end is in harmony with the way he lived: a life of total dedication to God and his brothers. His body is now buried in Brazil, like his sister Sandra, although they are thousands of kilometers away from each other: Sandra in the Amazons, Albert in Paraná, but they are united by the same ideal and the same love, not only by the fact that they both died tragically.

Like the seed in the Gospel, their deaths will bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God. Our faith assures us that the hand of God continues to guide even the most secret and mysterious developments of human history. Let us always remember the example of this life given for love as a help to our own edification.

Our most sincere condolences to the sorely tried Pierobon family and to the Christian community of Cittadella: this town has given birth to many priestly, religious and missionary vocations; may it find new moral and spiritual inspiration in the sacrifice of yet another of its beloved citizens”.

Albert Pierobon once said he was prepared to sacrifice himself for others. His wish was granted.

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