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Fr. Riccardo Ossola (1927-2006) PDF Print E-mail
Written by Fr Pietro Trabucco, IMC   
Friday, 18 May 2007
Fr. Riccardo Ossola, IMC
1927-2006

Fr. Riccardo Ossola is born on 2nd April 1927 at Barone Canavese (TO) in a numerous family made up of his parents and twelve children. One of his brothers will also become a priest. He attends grammar school in his own village and after that he applies to enter the Institute and he is accepted into the Seminary of Varallo Sesia. Once he has finished high school at Varallo, he moves on to Cereseto for his Lyceum and Philosophy studies. These were the difficult years of the second world war. In Certosa he does his novitiate year and his first year of Theology. From Certosa he goes to Rosignano Monferrato and then to Turin where he finishes his Theology. He is ordained to the prieshood by his own uncle Mons. Pietro Ossola, Bishop of Montalto.

The short reports of his educators during the years of Minor Seminary let us see his characteristic personality traits: calm, balanced and peaceful; rather dry and of few words. The Superiors during the Novitiate describe him as being of good temperament, jovial, silent, adaptable. As for piety he is solid and constant. Easy to live with, he is open to do any job and shows initiative. Hi is successful in his studies, but after a lengthy application. The educators conclude: He has a lot of good will and by continuing absorbing the good principles he has received he can succeed to be a good religious missionary”.

During Theology he continues his formation with commitment: he is excellent in his scholastic commitment, community services, and generous availability, so much so that his Director can affirm: “I consider him one of the best”.

After the ordination to the priesthood, despite his difficulty with studies, so often underlined by his educators, he is assigned to pursue further studies in South Africa in view of a task to be carried out in the schools of Tanzania. At Cape Town he spends three years until he obtains his B.A., a degree which is recognized by the English Government which will allow him to teach in State Schools. Study though is not an easy job for him. He manifests that in some letters sent to his Superior General. He writes on 28th July 1954: “My health, thanks God, is fairly well, even though I continue being thin. Study keeps me quite busy , and naturally is a hard work for me. I try my best according to my possibilities. […] For sure my desire is to finish once for all these blessed systematic studies and then do that type of work a priest and a missionary expects to do. I hope this day may not be too long in coming. But I am rather pessimistic that I may be able to finish the University course within three years period. Even English is a hard bone to chew. Anyway, you too pray for me so that the most may be done, that is God’s will, and that I may do my best in responding to his Will”.

Of a different style is the letter that he writes on 12th January 1956 in which he thanks the Superior General for having being present at his graduation and for his visit to his community. While waiting for his Visa to go to Tanzania, he studies Kiswahili and he already foretastes his future missionary work, away from his academic tasks.

Once he is finally in Tanzania, he plunges in his work and put aside pen and paper. In fact we do not find further correspondence in his file; therefore we must turn to his confreres in order to know something of his missionary work and life. Fr. Giacomo Baccanelli, Regional Superior of Tanzania, following the death of his confrere, writes the following report:

“Fr. Ossola has arrived in Tanzania on 20 April 1956, coming from Cape Town, South Africa, where he had obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1955. He carries out his work at the Seminary in Tosamaganga from 1956 to 1962, and in the Secondary School from 1962 to 1972. Then he becomes Administrator of the Diocese of Iringa for three years. From 1975 to 1987 he works in the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam, in the parishes of Kigamboni and Ubungo, and he is responsible of the plots which belonged to the Diocese. In 1976 he starts the Parish of Kigamboni, carved out from that of the Cathedral of St. Joseph. In 1987 he was chosen to be professor of history in our Seminary of Mafinga. Loving to be involved in pastoral work he usually would go to help in the Parish of Sadani.

He had the fiber of a “founder” and he was always ready to bear all the fatigue that such service entails. In 1977 he went to Heka and then to Sanza in order to start the last two apostolic fields decided by our Region.

In the year 2000, during his home holidays he is found with prostate cancer. It did not stop him. He returns to Sanza with even greater desire to continue his work there for the that Kingdom for which he had dedicated his whole life and so great a love. In 2002 he moves on to Sadani where he remains until his final return to Italy in 2006.

Fr. Riccardo was a missionary endowed with many talents. He uses them all for the mission. He has been a prayerful missionary, a hard working man, imbued with spirit of adaptation and love for the people.

Fr. Riccardo has fought against his cancer for six years. In his room I have found books on how to win this illness. Truly he has well succeeded, despite his proverbial indecision (haya, yes, we shall see). I admired him for the way he was bearing his illness. He was always with a smile on his lips, and I have never heard him complain, except his very last days. I was asking myself how he could do it and I was able to see his strong faith, his closeness to the Lord in prayer. He has been active all his life, until two months and 14 days before his death.

He left Sadani for the last time on 23rd September. He came to the Regional House to be cured and ease the pains which were spreading more and more to his legs and back. On October firast he is brought to our hospital of Ikonda where he can have more accurate tests and Doctors’ attention, but by now his illness is ever more aggressive. Due to his increased pains, the Doctors suggest to him his return to Italy. A sincere thank goes goes to Dr. Giorgio Cavagna who accompanies him up to his hospitalization at the Koelliker”.

Fr. Giorgio Belotti, colleague in the mission, adds his own personal testimony to that of the Regional Superior:

“At Dar es Salaam, Fr. Ossola has been Diocesan Administrator and as such he accepted a task that no one else had ever taken up before, that of bringing into conformity with the law the various plots owned by the parishes. He was helped in this task by the fact that many Government employees had been his pupils in the Tosamaganga Secondary School.

I wish to add one note: his attachment to poverty. We lived in the house of the catechist and the food was really not good. His principle was that, though we ate bad food, it was always better that that of the people. The car was used exclusively for pastoral activities. Because of his commitment to poverty, I have caused the crisis that has made me leave Kigamboni, but he preferred to remain without his Assistant rather than change his stance on utter poverty. I have really quarreled with him, but I have always admired his readiness to pay with his own skin.

And the people loved him. I remember his 25th of Ordination in 1977, under a huge tent, with the participation of the Cardinal, many government officials and really many people. Every thing had been organized by the people themselves, without any one of us had to spend a cent”.

Fr Riccardo Ossola dies in Torino at the age of 79, of which 58 were spent in the Religious Life and 54 in the Priesthood.

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