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Fr. Aldo Vittorino Bona (1915-2006) Print E-mail
Written by Fr Pietro Trabucco, IMC   
Friday, 18 May 2007
Fr. Aldo Vittorino Bona, IMC
1915-2006

Fr. Aldo Bona, son of Felice and Maria Bona, is born in the Parish of St. Donato di Mango, Diocese of Alba, on 10th April 1915. On the occasion of the celebration of his 25th anniversary of ordination the bulletin of the Parish of St. Donato di Mango outline a lengthy biography of our confrere and amply describes the missionary activities of his first 25 years of priesthood. From this biography I draw many news and information.

Aldo attends his primary school in the village of St. Donato and he is noticed for his commitment to study and fidelity to the liturgical service in the parish. But the people of the village remembers him rather for his restlessness and for often being the leader if many pranks. His gaiety was such that he used to be called by all by a quite meaningful expression of the Piedmont’s dialect: “I desbela ‘d Sandunà”. But the restless boy had also a generous heart, says the Parish Priest, and God has placed his eye on his gaiety in order to lead it to do good.

Time of formation

In 1927, having concluded his primary school, Aldo enters the Institute as a seminarian. In the village every body is surprised and they are ready to bet that he will not last in the seminary more than a few days. On the contrary young Aldo remains for 5 years without ever returning home, attending with commitment and good results his high school studies. From the house of Favria he then moves to Torino to attend Lyceum. After his year of Novitiate spent in Rosignano Monferrato, he studies Theology for four years with commitment and good results, even though every year he has to change place of studies. I find in his file kept in the Archives some sheets of paper, made yellowish by the time, which report the short evaluations of his Educators (Frs Monticone, Durando. Fea). One can read quite complementary annotations on Seminarian Aldo Bona: “very hard working and intelligent”, “playful and pleasant”, “having a solid piety, sincere and enlightened”, he was Assistant for the students of class three of High School and proved to be an excellent educator”, “he gives excellent hopes and he succeeds in every thing”, “he is one of the best in every aspect, especially for his very religious spirit”. The restless boy of St. Donato, without any doubt, has come a long way.

Finally on 2 June 1939, in Torino, Fr. Aldo Bona is ordained a priest by Card. Maurilio Fossati and a month later he celebrates his first solemn Mass in his native village. Fr. Aldo has changed drastically and his violent dynamism is now well channeled towards pastoral work and the mission.

Educator of young people in Italy

Fr. Aldo begins his priestly and missionary activity in Italy:
1940-41: teacher in High School at Varallo Sesia;

1942-45: for four years he is Vice Rector in the same Seminary:

1945-48: for three years he is Rector of the Seminary in Vittorio Veneto Treviso);

1948-54: he goes back to Varallo Sesia to be Director of the Lyceum for the next six years.

Having a profound knowledge of pedagogy and psychology, during his 14 years of educational work among the young missionary candidates, Fr. Aldo does not limit himself to just teach and enforce discipline, instead he, in perfect harmony with his Superiors, rearrange the life of the Seminary, being always on the fore front in every aspect in order to better prepare the students for their future missionary life. His personality of a true apostle and teacher, expert of the sould of young people, he leaves a deep imprint in the formation of IMC seminarians in Italy.

In 1949 takes place the Institute General Chapter and Fr. Aldo is chosen as Delegate and afterwards, by the same Chapter, he is nominated Councilor of the Italian Region. Despite these acknowledgements and the esteem from his confreres from Italy, Fr. Aldo always dreams a bigger mission, outside his native land.

Missionary in Colombia

Assigned to the new region of Colombia, Fr. Aldo sets out by ship from Genoa towards Latin America, where a new and vast field of work is awaiting him. His first nine years in Colombia are still spent among young seminarians at St. Felix and Bogotá. His was not just a work of formation, but he also had to supervise the building of his seminary. Finally, in 1963 he is being offered for the first time the task of Parish Priest of a big parish in Bogotá. His dynamism and enthusiasm, his goodness and discretion with people, his openness and capacity to see beyond in confronting problems, gain for him the esteem and love of every body.

The annotation reported by the Parish Priest of St. Donato reveals, without any doubt, the deep feelings confessed by Fr. Aldo upon returning to Italy after 10 years of missionary work. “His Christians see in Fr. Aldo not only the apostle and minister of God, but rather a true Father who has made himself ‘every thing for all in order to save them all’. And Fr. Aldo is happy and goes on giving himself with enthusiasm to all, because he feels and knows that only in this way, with love, a man becomes great, with true love, the Christian one which makes everybody a brother and unites people into one family, as children of the same and only Father”.

The collection of his letters to the General Government does not offer many details of his activities in Colombia. Twice he underlines the difficulty in accepting tasks bearing responsibilities which his confreres or the Delegate Superiors place on his shoulders. He confesses that his only wish is to work among the people and for their good, or even offer himself unconditionally to the youth in the Seminary. He write on 1st April 1959 to his Superior General: “Now I come, with all the strength I can master, to ask a favor: let me be excused from the task of Councilor of the beloved Delegation of Colombia… Allow me to rest a little from having to worry about other people’s business, so that I may pursue the renewal of my spiritual life, while working in the Seminary. […] Very Rev. Father, do not think that this request of mine is the result of a true or false humility, or discouragement or pessimism or some other think…”. Fr. D. Fiorina, in a note at the bottom of the same letter, writes: “be counseled to remain in his office”.

Ten years later, at the end of the special General Chapter of 1969, Fr. Aldo is appointed to the Seminary John XXIII at Moraleja-Madrid. His task was to be of support to the work of the educators and to start mission animation in the city. Fr. Aldo, though obeying with “fear and trembling”, does not fail to manifest his doubts and perplexities to his Major Superiors. After a few month, in a letter of 12 pages to Fr. Cavallin, Secretary General, after having punctually described his experience, he concludes by saying that he does not have any thing against the Seminary, but that he feels to be inadequate for whatever job within this context, while realizing that his health is worsening. The intercession of Fr. Cavallin to the General Government produced its effect and shortly afterwards, on January 1971, Fr. Aldo returns again to Colombia.

His persona file reports his last stages in Colombia: Guaduas: 1971-73; Bogotá: 1973-76; Medellin: 1976-77; Bogotá: almost always there until his final return to Italy in 2006.

His departure

Fr. Aldo Bona dies on 18th October 2006, in the infirmary of Alpignano, being attended by Fr. Giovanni Genta. The funeral Mass is presided by the Vice Regional Superior, Fr. Saverio Garello, aided by Fr. Bosello and Fr. Carminati. His body rests in the cemetery of Alpignano.

Fr. Garello, in his homily, reads with emotion Fr. Aldo’s spiritual testament addressed to his confreres, relatives and friends. We report here some passages:

“God who is Love, created me out of love, and he has kept me for 91 years because of his love; he has constantly called me to manifest his love and he is now awaiting me in the joy and plenitude of his infinite and eternal love.

This is my vocation and mission: the call to love. While bringing to an end my mission in this magnificent and marvelous world, I cross the bridge that unites me to the other world, which is even more mysterious and fabulous: there God is waiting for me:

While thanking you all, I invite you to glorify God with me for his gift of life and the precious treasure of my vocation to God and neighbors, and for having kept me, minute by minute, in his infinite love. We should not talk about death, grief and tears! These are moments of celebration for my returning to the house of the Father; like the prodigal son, I too, welcomed, awaited and embraced, will participate in this solemn feast.

Dearest ones, I do not say to you ‘Farewell’, but many ‘Good-byes’; I assure you that I love you and I will always love you and that I am happy; I shall continue loving you from up there. Fr. Aldo”.

May he rest in peace.

Fr Pietro Trabucco, IMC
Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 May 2007 )