Gaggio Montano, September 29, 2005
From the homily of Canon Don Gaetano Tanaglia, on the occasion of the Holy Mass in suffrage of the Lodi family, the Salesian parish of the Sacred Heart of Bologna and the 65 inhabitants of Gaggio, both killed on 9/29/1944 in the Ronchidos area.
“I am very pleased (I, among the oldest parish priests of the Diocese), to be able to concelebrate with the newly ordained Priest Don Federico Badiali, the youngest Priest of the Diocese, who celebrated his First Mass ten days ago, in the Church of Santa Maria Goretti in Bologna where he was a parishioner and collaborator of Don Mario Lodi, Don Pino's uncle!
Also concelebrating with me were Don Giacomo Stagni and Don Attilio Vancini.
We meet here in Gaggio, on time for the annual appointment with Don Pino, his brother Vincenzo, their mother Dina, their father Pietro and the many other innocent victims of the Ronchidos reprisal, to celebrate the anniversary of their “Dies Natalis” to heaven.
Just this year, if still alive, Don Pino would have celebrated with me a different anniversary : the 60th year of his first Mass!
But Christ wanted to unite him to Himself, directly to His bloody Sacrifice...... and we are here to remember his memory and to pray; “to pray to his soul eternal rest,” says the special agendas posted.
But I tell you the truth: right now I have the feeling that it is I, that it is we, who need his prayers, closer as he is to the good Lord !
Yes: let us pray for him, that he may pray for us, like all our dear departed ones.
In the dogma of the “Communion of Saints,” the Faith teaches us that our dead, in Christ, continue to be part in the exchange of prayers of their families, their communities, and remain ours.......comparish.
We are always comforted by Holy Scripture : “ The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God.... Their departure from us (... and in what a tragic way ! ) was considered a ruin, but they are in peace ! “.
And we Christians too little remember so many martyrs of our own house, in the face of too many who today go exalting.... “heroes” created so cheaply, in all fields !
He came from Catholic Action ... back then , our Don Pino.
Having attained classical maturity, he decided to enter the seminary, the “Regional” in Bologna, to begin theological studies and become a priest.
And he was assigned right to my “dormitory” in first theology. I assure you that in that torrid period of war he brought to the seminary a providential breath of fresh, new air, which helped our formation!
He was a handsome boy Don Pino, cheerful, jovial, always smiling and understanding, of easy and happy banter, very sociable.
He hid about being, he nephew , older than his uncle! Don Mario), open to dialogue, extremely humble.
We old men (as seminarians) were beginning to foretaste, through this “adult” vocation that came from the outside world, our optimistic dreams of apostolate,.....to take the measure!
He, gifted in our opinion, with a little more experience, made the practice touch!
At a distance we recognized in him a beautiful gift from God.
Mom, Dad, and his dynamic brother Vincenzo - a university student - when they came from their parish in Bologna (the Salesian Shrine of the Sacred Heart) to visit Don Pino in the seminary, they wanted to meet us too (there was no shortage of sweets and candy).
We honestly had a lot to learn from this young “acquisition,” who was also strengthening our vocation with his choice.
And he knew well, Don Pino, in his choice what the Apostle Paul forewarned: “ God has put us in the last place : as condemned to death ” (.... a hunch ?....)
In Jerusalem, in Rome , in Ronchidos, it matters little!
We foolish, weak, despised because of Christ; insulted we bless - persecuted we endure - slandered we comfort - like trash of the world.”
This was Don Pino's free choice, which confirmed that of all of us.
In third theology, on March 25, 1944, all of us together received in San Marino di Bentivoglio (in a country church because of air raids) what was then considered the first of the “Major Orders,” the Suddiaconate (now merged with the Diaconate itself), which even then imposed sacred duties, including daily recitation of the Breviary, celibacy, the title of “Don,” the pontifical dispensation for eventual withdrawal, etc.
But alas: the war front was advancing, breaking into our region (Porretta, Granaglione, Gaggio will be liberated by the year 1944.
On the “Gothic Line” the front would stop to winter).
And there was the “scattering” , some this way, some that way, not knowing which direction was the safest.
In the early summer of 1944 Don Pino, with his entire family, found himself displaced up here in Gaggio Montano, and here his tragic Calvary awaited him.
Captured, along with his family, with over fifty defenseless civilians, in a reprisal hostage raid, herded with others during the night into various cottages, he foresaw his Gethsemane, praying and comforting!
At dawn he had to climb, amid taunts and shouting and crying, the steep mule track that led up to Ronchidos (at the top : the pretty little Shrine of Our Lady of the Emigrants).
Says the aforementioned agendina : “Not the priestly garment appeased the greedy and hostile fury.”
I will tell you more: precisely because of the priestly robe he wore, he was most mocked, in the manner of the Divine Crucifix who was even “stripped” of his robes along the way of the Cross.
And with him, his mother, father , brother and many other civilian rakes.
Amidst the understandable crying, cries of despair, pleading or cursing, Don Pino's prayerful voice emerged, praying, encouraging, trying to comfort...
He was not yet a priest, Don Pino, but he courageously wanted to exercise his diaconal ministry (let's call it that) that he had received six months earlier in Sacred Ordination from the hands of Cardinal Archbishop G.B. Nasalli Rocca in San Marino di Bentivoglio.
And up there, as you know, in the locality of Cason dell'Alta, not far from the Shrine, Don Pino was slaughtered together with his whole family and dozens and dozens of innocent people, whom we all remember in this Holy Eucharist.
Their bodies were set on fire !
It was September 29, feast of St. Michael, Patron Saint of the Parish of Gaggio. On the same day similar carnage took place at the “Botte” in Salvaro.
Innocent victims of barbaric reprisal, originating from “unconscionable acts” : so it is written in the parish registers of Gaggio; useless acts, of false heroes, let us say with what Pope John Paul called “the audacity of truth” , victims to serve in blood and fire a crime they did not know.
Those who knew him, and implemented, kept silent (... and hid).
A few months later, in the month of March 1945, with a remnant group of brethren, still on this side of the front, I was ordained a priest in a crypt-shelter, to the sound of sirens and hallucinating roar of bombers.
We were all supposed to be there at this destination: instead, so many were missing!
Don Pino was missing, another of our comrade comrades and classmates, Deacon Don Mauro Fornasari, also slaughtered in October 1944 on the banks of the Lavino River, in Zola Predona, for hatred against religion and against the Pope. Other class colleagues were missing, missing who knows where, or already under the Allied front.
They were later ordained after the war, among them H.E. Msgr. Luigi Bettazzi, Bishop Emeritus of Ivrea.
And very little then could be known about what had tragically happened!
Today, Feast of your Patron Saint Michael the Archangel, what we read at the end of the Gospel passage “...you will see the heavens open and Angels ascending and descending...” is what Don Pino and his people saw that day.
And how much we love to see today, with the eye of Faith, among these Angels the figure of Don Pino, pearl of the martyrology and of the Bolognese clergy.
May the Archangel St. Michael still drive back to hell all forms of violence, terrorism, retaliation, etc., which are the fruits of the hatred that still continues to be spread.
The University of Bologna, in 1946 , granted Don Pino and his brother Vincenzo a LAUREA HONORIS CAUSA , to their memory.
And the Community of Gaggio, as far as I know, is about to commendably dedicate a street (this one, where the parish church is located) to the brave Levite DON GIUSEPPE LODI, to continue to feel him in its midst.
Noble gesture worth even more than an “honorary citizenship.”
Thank you, Mr. Mayor!
A name, a “shining candelabra,” a “cornerhead” that will be for future generations a great testimony and a divine reminder:
“ Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body, but do not have the power to kill the soul.”
Christ himself affirms this ! The blood of martyrs has always been the seed of Christians !
And a message of Faith left to us Don Pino : “ For You, Lord, we are put to death, esteemed as sheep for slaughter, but we are the Winners (not the vanquished) by virtue of Him who loved us.”
This is Don Pino.
St. Jerome consoles us : “Let us not weep for losing him, but give thanks for having him.”
And from Heaven bless and pray for this community, which has become “his.”
And from Heaven pray for his sick uncle, Don Mario, pray for the new Parish Priest, who will also be his Parish Priest - Don Angelo - who is about to take possession of this beautiful Parish.
Heartfelt thanks, also on behalf of Don Attilio, Don Giacomo and Don Federico, to all of you and to those who wanted and organized this devout and dutiful Concelebration.”
Don Gaetano Tanaglia
Canonical of Church Abbaziale of Sain Stephen and Unit - Labante
In the summer of several years ago, on two successive Sundays, over a hundred people from Gaggio with valid documents signed a petition, which I drafted, addressed to the mayor, requesting that the road around the church be named after Don Giuseppe Lodi.
And this was obtained as requested.