Italy – 25th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Bishop Orestes Marengo, SDB

01 August 2023

(ANS – Diano d 'Alba) – On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Bishop Orestes Marengo (Diano d 'Alba 29 August 1906 - Tura 30 July 1998), the Catholic community in Diano d 'Alba, his birthplace, organised a number of events to celebrate this anniversary and together commemorate the centenary of the departure of the young Orestes, just seventeen years old, as an aspirant to Salesian life for distant India, where he would remain for 75 years.

The events organised took place in simplicity and familiar style, just as the great missionary bishop would have liked. Both in Diano d 'Alba and in Albaretto Torre, a town where Bishop Marengo's brother, Fr Giuseppe was parish priest, there were some meetings to present Bishop Marengo's life and spirituality, by Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General, and Dr. Matteo Penati, collaborator at the Postulation and editor of the Positio of the Servant of God. There were evocative memories of some people who met Bishop Marengo and highlighted his simplicity of life, kindness, poverty and great sense of gratitude towards benefactors. Also significant was the meeting with the Vicar General of the Diocese of Alba, Fr Claudio Carena, and with the Director of the diocesan missionary office, Fr Gino Chiesa, in order to enhance and make known the missionary witness of Servant of God Orestes Marengo.

The testimony of Orestes Marengo was highlighted on Sunday 30 July, the anniversary of the death of Bishop Marengo, during the solemn celebration presided over by Fr Cameroni, concelebrated by Diano parish priest Fr Piero Racca and animated by the parish choir. At a very young age, he made Jesus the precious pearl of his life, renouncing everything to leave as a missionary and igniting the fire of the Gospel in the hearts of many pagans, animating Christian families and communities and giving rise to three new dioceses in North-East India: Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Tura.

"You are truly one of the missionaries who made Don Bosco's dreams come true! We are grateful to the Lord who made our Bishop Marengo a docile and effective instrument for the expansion of the Kingdom” said Fr Egidio Viganò, Don Bosco's seventh successor, regarding Bishop Marengo. However, in his humility the missionary bishop was aware that he was only an instrument of Providence: “A missionary has many experiences in his work, he learns many things, but the strongest of all is the experience that the fruit of his work is due to causes other than his work and preaching. Often he sees that he reaps more where he has sown less, and then he realises that the Grace of God that fertilises his labours, is recalled by the prayers of many unknown souls, who in the secret of their hearts offer God their daily trials for the effectiveness of the missionary's work.”

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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