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Silvano Tomasi – Gianfausto Rosoli
For the Love of Immigrants
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12. Scalabrini to Corrigan33

         Piacenza, July 12, 1888

 

Your Excellency:

I have received your esteemed letter of last June 21 which gave me the greatest consolation.

            You write me that you desire very much to have soon two or three good priests from Piacenza. The immense gratitude I owe you for what you have done and are doing for our work for the Italian immigrants does not permit me to delay an instant in satisfying your desire, which is also my own.

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            Therefore, I am sending Fathers Felice Morelli34 and Amos Astorri35 accompanied by a lay catechist. All three come from my Institute and are all moved by the true spirit of Jesus Christ.

            Convinced that they will be free to observe the Rules of their Congregation, I am placing them at the complete disposal of Your Excellency. Settle them for the time being as you can, and utilize them as you see fit. I hope they will do well. Should you need some others, I shall try to send them as soon as possible. They could even promote among the Italians the purchase of the large building about which you write me and which would indeed be a real blessing. Let us hope in God’s help.

            Your Excellency must have surely met with Father Zaboglio whom I sent you. He was having serious difficulties, but I am afraid he has been influenced by someone, perhaps by the author of that known pamphlet.36 My intention is that the Bishops and only the Bishops be the superiors of my priests. The deepest and most scrupulous respect of the hierarchical order is the strength of ministry and the pledge of sure victories.

            I recently went to pay homage to the Holy Father who spoke to me of Your Excellency with singular satisfaction and sincere praise. This gave me great joy, and this news will please you also.

            May God bless you and make you prosperous. Pray for me and believe me to be, of Your Most Reverend Excellency

Your very devoted and affectionate servant and confrere,

John Baptist, Bishop of Piacenza



33 AGS EB 01–03 (copy of original in AANY).



34 Father Felice Morelli, born Tommaso Macrelli in Corpolo’ (Forli’) in 1843, has been the first Scalabrinian Provincial Superior in the United States, where he had arrived with the first missionaries in 1888. A zealous priest, but incompetent administrator, he found himself submerged by debts. He had a difficult relationship with Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. He became incardinated in the diocese of Newark, where he founded several churches and an Italian orphanage and died in New Brunswick, N.J., in 1923. He was venerated as a saint by the immigrants. In 1896, Archbishop Corrigan had written of him to the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith: “Father Morelli, who has incurred many debts, and was a bad administrator, although a zealous missionary, lives now as a diocesan priest in the Diocese of Newark...” Cfr.ASCPF, Pos. N. 19780/1896 in 68844/1905, rub.153, Corrigan to Ledochowski, August 14, 1896.



35 Father Amos Astorri was born in Piacenza in 1855. He joined the Scalabrinian Congregation when already a priest in 1888 and went to work among the Italians in the Eastern Seaboard of the United States until 1895 when he returned to Piacenza.



36 Reference is made to Msgr. Gennaro De Concilio. Cf. Note 32.





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