On 11th may 1925 Father Joseph Allamano wrote a letter to his missionaries who were scattered in different missions. By that time the Consolata missionaries were already in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Mozambique. The Founder was practically at the end of his life. The following year he would be on his way to paradise.
By Jonah M. Makau *
In that letter, Father Allamano expressed his joy for the beatification of his uncle Fr. Cafasso, whom he considered a special gift to the Institute due to his exemplary life of service. Fr. Allamano wrote, “I feel the need to open my heart to you, full as it is, of deep consolation for the solemn beatification of our Fr. Cafasso”. It was clear that Fr. Allamano was very joyful, given the effort he had made to see Fr. Cafasso beatified. That was the reason the Founder wrote, “You know how much I have longed for this day, and how much I have done to make it possible. At last, after 30 years of cares and work, I could see it, and in the fullness of my joy I must manifest my feelings to you, who are my crown and have always shared all my sorrows and my joys”. The words of the founder reveal not only his joy for their glorious event, but also his affection for his missionaries, to whom he refers as “his crown”.
Today, 99 years later, we are eagerly waiting for the canonization of the founder, the man who considered the beatification of his uncle as a deep consolation of his heart. Every Consolata missionary feels as the founder felt after that after that great event. His celebration of the event of Fr. Cafasso’s beatification was an expression of his desire to see him canonised. Of course, the Founder knew that that was impossible in his lifetime. That’s why he spoke of beatification as a consolation. It was a step that confirmed all that he had been saying for years: that Fr. Cafasso was a model of holiness. In fact, they beatification of Fr. Cafasso was also a consolation to him, in the sense that it showed to the world that Fr. Allamano’s effort had not been in vain.
For us, even before his canonization, the news of the approval of the miracle that would lead to his canonization was already a great event. If the founder was talking of beatification in such beautiful terms, imagine what terms he would have used for canonization. That is why without a doubt we feel consoled even before the event. We anticipate the joy of the event even before the day. That is the attitude that all Christians are called to have. In the epistles of John the evangelist we read, “Beloved, we are already God’s children. But what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed. We are however well aware that when it appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is (1 Jn 3:2).
We should live our Christian life as partakers of the heavenly banquet of the lamb. In other words, our life should not be one of postponed happiness. Even as we wait for the fulfilment of the kingdom of God in heaven, our lives should reflect the joy of those who are already enjoying being sons and daughters of God. This is what our Founder meant, when he used to say, “teach people about a religion which in addition of promising heaven, makes their life happy in this world”. The Founder himself lived that maxim. Holiness was his second nature.
Fr. Allamano’s words about how much he had done to see the beatification of his uncle come true, reflects the effort that many missionaries have put in the process of his canonization. Just as Fr. Allamano desired to see the beatification of his uncle, it has been our desire to see him canonised. Like him, we prayed, we meditated and even shared his spirituality to other people in the missions. In our effort first to make him known, and second to ensure that our Charism continues to shape the lives of the children of God, we incorporated the Consolata lay missionaries as part of the larger Consolata family. All these are a depiction of our conviction of his sanctity, just as he was convinced of Fr. Cafasso’s holiness. We are living in the shoes of our founder.
As Fr. Allamano emulated his uncle’s holy life, we his sons and daughters, have an added reason of emulating his holy life. Here, the words that Fr. Gottardo Pasqualetti wrote on 29th January 1993 come to life. Three years after the beatification of the Founder in 1990, Fr. Pasqualetti the postulator of that time wrote: “It is not enough to have the Founder beatified. It is necessary that his evangelical intuitions, his words, and his example of holiness, guide growth in spiritual life and in missionary dynamism”. These words should galvanize our resolution to walk in Fr. Allamano’s shoes (of holiness). The much involving activities that we are doing in preparation for the canonization day, should not end with the canonization. They should be a foundation of imitating his spiritual insights that demonstrate a particular manner of following our Lord Jesus Christ.
* Fr. Jonah M. Makau, IMC, is taking a course of postulation in Rome.
