Carlo Torriani

SWARGA DWAR

The conversion of a catholic missionary

presented by

Card. Simon Pimenta

PIME Publications, PIME Regional House, Eluru - 534 0-07, A.P., India

A BIG THANK 

Letter No. 22, Bombay, June 1983

 Dear friends

    THANK YOU!  This is the first thing I want and I must tell you and I would like to write it as big as this page. You had been wonderful! It was moving to receive letters from very old friends, to whom I was not writing since ages, and read: ”I am honoured to participate in this noble work as much as I can afford”. Some friend parish priest promised the full collection of the next mission-Sunday appeal. It was heartening to receive a letter of the superior of my institute promising a contribution equal to one tenth of the needed money. And it was still more encouraging receiving letters of unknown people saying: “I read in that news paper your appeal and here is my contribution”; or “Your letter did not find me indifferent, I send you what I can, hoping that the Divine Providence will provide you the rest.” “I do not know you personally, I read your circular; here enclosed you will find my cheque: I too need to have a key of the Gate of Heaven.”

    For me all this is a clear demonstration of what we Christian call “the communion of saints”, that is the ability of the Christian community to share. Reciting the apostolic creed, so many times I repeated since my childhood: “I believe in the communion of saints” and very often I was imaging mysterious exchanges up in heaven, beyond the clouds. At that time it was necessary to say “I believe”. Now I know by certain that there are saints here on hearth, among Christians and among people of good will, who are ready to com-passionate, to feel-with-others. Is enough to say one prayer, to make a petition and people miles away, never known, feel-with-you, share with you, because they share your same values: this, for me, is the Communion of Saints. Then you feel proud to belong to this communion of believer and you would wish that all humanity should be in this communion.

    Thank you for your generosity. We hope to take possession of the place in July. We need to do all the paper work and pay half of the amount, the other half we can pay in other eighteen months. Meanwhile we can start the construction of the Mercy Home: a small hospice for elderly and disabled.

The architect has already prepared a small project for eight beds. The cost will be around eight lacks of rupees. The communion of saints will surely continue to work. The urgency now is not so much, but your help is always needed.

    We have already employed two of our patients as watchmen. As we start fencing the property, drilling one well and doing other works, other cured leprosy patients will be employed. They are the first to be rehabilitated.

    Another good news is that Dr. Antonio Grugni, a cardiologist from Legnano, (Italy) joined our group. So we are five Italians: Franco Aresi, Salafia, Luigina and myself.