Don Mario Lodi, a priest who wanted to honor me with His friendship.
At the end of the tragic war that brought mourning and destruction to our Apennines, he waited - unfortunately in vain - to see again, to meet again, his brother Pietro, his sister-in-law Abbondanzia, the two beloved nephews, Father Giuseppe and Vincenzo. But the ferocity of men who had driven any feeling of pity from their hearts wanted to destroy His loved ones.
All that remained of them were burnt skeletons and the rosary crown of Father Giuseppe, missing the final section with the cross, the final Nazi outrage against religion.
Not seeing his family return to Bologna, Father Mario began various searches. He came to Gaggio: the niece of Father Oreste, Maria Marchi, opened the door of the rectory and found herself facing a priest unknown to her. It was Father Mario. The news that Father Mario received was terrible.
Since then, for Father Mario, the village of Gaggio became the place to come and pray for all the victims in the Ronchidos area.
In the past, Marco Cecchelli handed him the remains of Father Pino's rosary, now kept in the church of Santa Maria Goretti in Bologna.
Even a piece of burnt tunic was recovered in Cason dell’Alta, but later lost.
Since then, Father Mario has engraved in his heart the name of our village: Gaggio Montano.
For Him, it was like a pilgrimage to return to us each end of September to pray for His relatives, united in the same death with about sixty or more people from Gaggio. Such was His emotion when He knelt before the three gravestones placed in the Shrine of Cason dell’Alta, when He prayed invoking God's mercy for all those killed in that sad September of 1944, He also prayed intensely for those from Gaggio who had lost their lives up there, even though He had never known them.
But the people of Gaggio wanted to give him a gift, knowing he would appreciate it. They wanted to dedicate a street to His nephew, the young Father Pino, the one around and in front of the parish church. He was not able to see and participate in the future installation of the road sign; but now from heaven, together with His loved ones, I know that He will be praying for us as well.
In June 1998, Father Mario Lodi wrote me a heartfelt letter in which he recounted to someone and for the first time that in one night in 1935, Pino and Vincenzo both had the same vision, that is, they had the sensation that a person, during a dream, had approached them with a small chest in hand. The unknown person opened the chest and showed that inside there was a red stole. The two brothers were surprised to have had the same dream on the same night. They decided not to tell anyone. After some time, Pino wanted to reveal it to Uncle Mario, even though Vincenzo did not want to. Was it a prediction? Was it a dream fantasy?
Goodbye, or rather, see you soon dear Father Mario.