Fr.Enzo Bianchi: Mamie´s First Spiritual Son
On September 1st of this year, Fr. Felix, Br. Jose Javier Martins de Passos, and myself celebrated Mass at 11:00 am in a room of an Italian hospital. The name of the hospital was, "Hospital de Borgo Trento," in the city of Verona.
The day before, at 7:00 in the morning, we had rapidly left Spain, upon receiving a phone call from some Italian friends who warned us of the gravity of the illness of Fr. Enzo Bianchi, a spiritual son of Mamie and a beloved friend of the Home of the Mother.
He was in the radiotherapy section. We entered his room and greeted those present: Fr. Enzo's superior, Fr. Giuseppe, two girls, a boy, Dr. Ana, a religious who also attended him, and the hospital psychologist.
After greeting everyone, we spoke a bit about his deteriorated state of health. When I entered they had told me that he had two months of life left, at the most. He could barely speak loud enough for us to hear him and I almost could not understand his words. They had to wet his lips before he could say anything.
We had brought everything to be able to celebrate Mass. We asked permission and they organized everything straight away. The religious brought a table for the altar and Fr. Enzo asked me to celebrate the Mass in Spanish. Fr. Enzo, from his bed, concelebrated. We placed a stole on his pillow, laying the two ends on him. He followed the entire Mass. At the consecration, he lifted up his arm to consecrate and he preached: We must be audacious in trust, in divine mercy.
I was deeply moved and the doctor and the psychologist also began to cry. The Mass was full of spirit. Afterwards, we stayed a while with him. We then gathered up everything and left.
The next day, September 2nd, we left Milan, where we were staying in Paolo Braghin's house, at 6:30 am and we spent the entire day travelling back to Spain.
At 2:40 pm, Andrea Bertotto, the son of a married couple whose spiritual director was Fr. Enzo, Silvano and Marco, called me and communicated to me the news that Fr. Enzo had died at 2:30. I gave thanks to God and to Our Blessed Mother for having moved us to make the long trip from Santander to Milan and from Milan to Verona in order to be present in the last moments of the life of this Pavonian priest, religious and spiritual son of Mamie. I thought in that moment that our presence must have been a motive of joy for him. I prayed for him and communicated the news to all the people I could so that they would pray for him.
What was Fr. Enzo's relationship with Mamie?
I met Fr. Enzo when I was studying in a Jesuit house in Villagarcia de Campos, Valladolid. He was a teacher in a school that the Pavonians had in Barrio del Carmen in Valladolid. He, a man with a Marian and Eucharistic spirit, possessed a great gift for helping the souls of young people, by whom we was constantly surrounded. He was very joyful, although he had a certain tendency to melancholy, due to the fact that he had lost his father while still very young.
He was Mamie's first spiritual son.
Mamie, in thanksgiving for the healing of a paralysis (caused by a surgical operation of an extrauterine pregnancy), went every year for at least one month to serve the sick in Lourdes. At that time, Mamie met this young priest. When she met him, she had begun to have a deep interior life. Mamie understood that her life should be dedicated to priests. This priest was the first for whom she should offer sacrifices and prayers. Mamie would have 99 spiritual sons, the last of whom would be Fr. Felix Lopez. Now, in that hospital room, three of Mamie’s spiritual sons were present: the first, whom Mamie received in Lourdes; the last, in the Monastery of the Victories in Cuenca, after being ordained deacon; and myself who am the number 43, and who would have wished to the number one and who could only be the 2nd number one.
I am amazed at Divine Providence and I adore the mysterious plans of God with which He governs our lives for His glory and for the good of everyone.
©HM Magazine No.127 - November/December 2005
