Showing us a medium-sized multi-purpose hall that was getting completed Fr. Eligio Caprioglio, the rector of a Salesian institution at Chieri, a small town in northern Italy told us: “Nine years ago I was sent here to close down this institution. But I have not succeeded! I started with a Novena to Mary Help of Christians and with a prayer to the holy souls in purgatory. The youth centre which used to have about thirty or forty members now has 300 young people frequenting it. Our chapel, which is an official Mass centre of the parish, used to have ten or fifteen people on Sundays. Last Sunday we had First communion of fifty children with over 1200 people attending the mass. The school which was on the decline saw an increase of 50% in the following year and now has almost double the number of students.” Surprised by what he was able to achieve, I asked him privately how he had managed to transform the place. He replied, “Prayer. You need to trust God.” “But how is it that you managed to get more students to seek admission in the school?” I asked. He said, “I had to take some tough steps. I changed the principal and four teachers. I appointed new teachers. I am qualified to be a principal and so I acted as the principal for the first few years. We brought up the quality.“ And he continued, “we might take some steps, but we need to pray so that the steps we take will be the right ones.” He told me also that he has more than a hundred people from all walks of life offering voluntary service for the various activities being conducted there.
“The beginning and the end of all Christian leadership is to give your life for others.”
– Henri J.M. Nouwen
Fr. Eligio bubbled with enthusiasm which was quite contagious. And as we walked around, I saw him bending down to smile at a little child, stop to say hello to a group of children at play, sit down by the side of an old lady for a few minutes to ask her how she was. And winking mischievously he confided, “You know, before I came here the provincial had sent me to another institution to close it down. I did not succeed to close down that either. It is flourishing now!” And as we sat down for lunch, Fr. Eligio was there weaving his way between the tables serving us. Later he was the driver of the mini-bus that took us to the next place.
Fr Jose Kuttianimattathil, sdb
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