Thank you, Father Cesare

You were born in heaven on the same day as Dom Luciano Mendes de Almeida (former President of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil), a friend of Ernesto and of all of us, our father in faith. For us, this is a sign that further strengthens the friendship that has bound us on this earth and will continue in heaven, from where you will certainly continue to watch over us and follow us.

We live this moment with a deep emotion and gratitude for your presence and for your encouragement, even before your ministry at the service of the Church in Turin. Love for the poor, their focus, has brought us together, made us grow in friendship, and driven us to plan new services. You did not hesitate to make part of your home available to welcome so many people who had nowhere to go.

As a Fraternity, we have always felt loved by you: you trusted us, you made us feel an important part of the Church, not just in Turin, you officially recognized us as a private association of the faithful, you accompanied some of us to the priesthood, ordaining them and personally overseeing their formation. October 3, 2015, is an unforgettable date for all of us and our friends: from that day, a new page in our history began, where we are today.

Then Superga, symbol of the city. You wanted us as new guardians, to renew around Our Lady of Grace a prayer that for centuries has sustained hope in the midst of suffering, illness, war, and injustice. It was August 2, 2021, the same day we entered the old military arsenal in 1983. That date touched your heart, so much so that you decided to dedicate it to Mary, Mother of Youth: thus you made her devotion not only ours, but that of the entire diocese. A great gift!

It is precisely with Mary that we wish to close this letter filled with grace. We have always felt protected and accompanied by her. In your frequent visits to the Arsenal, you perceived her love for the least fortunate and wanted to make our home "Mary's House," as in Nazareth, Ephesus, and Loreto. You also involved Cardinal Bassetti, then president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, who came here to Turin on September 21, 2019. A mandate for us: to make the Arsenal increasingly a home for many, increasingly welcoming and merciful, increasingly a place of hope and change. Like Mary.

Dear Father Cesare, bishop and friend, today heaven and earth are united, because in hope and faith our friendship is already eternity!

Today, a dear friend,
Bishop Cesare Nosiglia, left earth for Heaven.
A deep friendship bound us
and this depth
remains forever.
It strikes me that he passed away
on the same day
nineteen years ago,
Dom Luciano Mendes de Almeida died
and I am struck that these two friends of the poor
were both born on the same day,
October 5th.
We often said to each other
that they had passed the baton
to help us achieve
what the Lord had in mind Heart.
Let us continue to walk together,
dear Father Cesare,
and let us continue to love each other
forever, close to the poor and the young.
Thank you, Father Cesare! Ernesto Olivero


The Fraternity of Hope
NP August / September