Carissimi
è un mese esatto che sono partito dal Pensionato per iniziare il mio viaggio verso l'Atlantico, e trovo finalmente il tempo d'intrattenermi un po' con voi, rubandolo, naturalmente,al sonno. Avrei tante cose da raccontarvi: ma mi fermerò' soltanto ad alcune, anche per ragioni che voi stessi intuite.
Il mio viaggio per venire qui, in complesso è andato bene ed è stato abbastanza interessante. Prima d'intraprenderlo potei celebrare la S.Messa (l'ultima che dicevo in Italia) sull'altare SS.Pietro of St. Peter and Paul in and you can easily understand with much emotion. The first morning I celebrated on the high place in the room where Ignatius wrote the Constitutions of the Society, which is entrusted with the dual task of our own sanctification and that of others, "mundi plaga inquavis" ... I started the evening of 6 the journey, passing through the Brenner Pass, the snow, 7 am: a nostalgic look at our last, land of enchantment that is unmatched anywhere else (at least those that I have visited). 14 to fly to Monaco, where I celebrated our S.lessa Residence, then visit the main points of the city, including the Heroes' Square. My impressions are not translatable to written .... In the evening, the second leg to Cologne, where, upon arrival at about 9 celebrate Mass in the famous Duomo is the Feast of the Immaculate and you can easily think that there is going over the great state united ceremony at the same time, now so far, took place for retirement: I have recommended to all congregations and Madonna new Councils. Dominican: here was a master of St. Albert the Great and was the first step in studying the sacred St. Thomas Aquinas. In the evening, until the third stage in Paris through Belgium: for it has allowed the lunar night, we were able to see traces of the war that was really destructive. He arrived in Paris in the morning time and I went to celebrate Mass in the famous Church of N6tre Dame des Victoires: weird title for a Chaplain! But what wins the spirit I have spoken to Madonna! I do not know if my impressions of Paris and on the conditions of France in general might vaglio.della resist censorship, and thus' the re Serbian also a voice will tell you only that wherever you find the ruin of a nation swept. I see Paris after three years, ever since I was there for the International Exhibition of 1937: what terrible mutation! Despite all the French still have so much pride to us Italians to despise with all your soul and de apreferire us, by far, the Germans. There can not tolerate and we prove it all the way up to ridicule, they, the course of our war! How much is this sad and pitiful state of affairs that leaves the minds of people that Providence would have liked very near! It is even more striking, in this festive season, the desecration that mankind has done meséaggip love of Jesus Christ .. allotment in the evening from Paris for the last leg of my journey and I can in the morning to celebrate Holy Mass at the nearest residence of the Jesuits, who providentially is not so much from our Base. I was offered fraternal hospitality, but I was able to accept it because troppo.discosta from the center of my activities. We go for the needs of my soul, and valuable information, find more exquisite cordiality, even in the sadness of those who assist you in 'painful conditions of their land.
Our , all officers and men, welcomed with joy the coming of the real chaplain who waited so long already. Here I would like to talk at length about the wonderful business of our seamen and their submarines, but I can not, I will tell you 'only that they are going through days of true heroism and dedication continues to make sacrifices, which, perhaps , gì'Italiani they will never understand: in the Atlantic, as well as others, there is an insidious enemy, the sea. Yet the company you keep quiet epic that is entrusted to us, and when the crews return to earth in need of rest, is not given them to find the most suitable environment to what 'and the spirit of sacrifice of our people, which sometimes really the legendary, fresh back to overcome all peaceful opposition! Sublime, although modest lesson to you young people who now are preparing you for life, not so easily forget the price at which the destinies of Italy are already being made, and, I hope, will be worthy of them.
I, therefore, I live my life constantly in the midst of the Sailors, and my room is a cabin, a big ship that acts as a base, the meals they look, even to board, with officers, and, on board, I prepared a lovely chapel altar using a discrete I found on the same ship and ... blankets in blue silk that I used to make a beautiful backdrop! Just one thing, and the main missing in my chapel: the Blessed Sacrament. I could keep it, but ... do not give me the English suffioiente guarantee! In this chapel to say Mass every morning in which I have no special ceremony aboard submarines or elsewhere around the altar and there's always some Sailor or officer who approaches the Holy Communion. Particularly beautiful are celebrating Masses for the crews of submarines departing for the mission in the Atlantic and in which they approach more nearly the whole of crew at Holy Communion. Ceremony was particularly moving and beautiful state Mass celebrated on board a submarine, returned from his mission when it was covered with glory, but which has sadly lost one of its best officers: the crew crying for him to receive Communion, an example of heroism and goodness exquisite mood. And men feel very much like their sacrifice them closer to God, I think that really would achieve holiness, if .... always lived in the sea!
The weekend Mass find it very beautiful: the famous a great
room where the altar and installs every time there from all over the greater solemnity. Not being able to pray together aloud the sailors, as they did in Naples, because here I miss the help of good Gesuitino there that I found in my room, I try to compensate by distributing booklets of prayer in the spirit of helping all gathering with a few discs of sacred music, which is well chosen to play in an amplifier unit that I installed for this very purpose. The number of participants is almost always totalitarian, both by officers of the Sailors, Oparai, militarized, first of all the admiral.
Christmas I've prepared a three days of preaching, I should say "night", for the Sailors. I was wearing, in fact, the place with their distance from the base during the day, where they sleep inside for security and one of the dormitories, climbing on a wooden bed on the second floor (the beds are double-decker to save space) I was talking about Jesus' Sailors, from this strange pulpit, then they all sang "You come down from the stars" and a song to the Madonna, Confessions independent until a late hour. The next morning, in a chapel of the Sisters of St. Vincent, near to us and courtesy, celebrated Mass with Communion for the group of Confess the night before. So for three nights decongestion of access to the sacraments on Christmas Day. The holy night celebrated at midnight, in a certain place, for all officers with the admiral, and there were a fair number of communions; dawn in another place for all Sailors, with a very successful ceremony, noon The third Mass for all united together. With the help of an officer and some sailors have built the crib, which I think (!) Really nice: like much: in these nights before we went to pray the Rosary and the singing of "You Come Down" in a big group of Sailors.
II Christmas lunch has seen in fraternal joy Ufficiali ed Equipaggi, e al pomeriggio c'è stata la distribuzione di doni molto ricchi allestita dal Comando stesso: cosi' è stato meno sentito la nostalgia delle famiglie lontane....
L'ora del tempo e la vostra pazienza m'inducono a por fine a questa mia lunga lettera; voglio soltanto dirvi che vi ho tutti sempre presenti in cuore e nella preghiera: Padri, Fratelli, Professiosti,Studenti; Pensionato, Scuola di Religione....tutti, tutti e vi raccomando sempre alla Madonna nostra Immacolata. Voi, tutti, ricambiatemi questa grazia. Ogni vostra corrispondenza mi sembrerà un poco di Pensionato e un lembo di cielo d'Italia...Addio
Vostro affezionatissimo Carlo Missori Roncaglia
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