Condolences at the death of Fr Baruffi
(ANS – 22/2/2008, Vatican City) – “My Dear Confreres, Sisters, Members of
the Salesian Family, Friends, in the name of the Congregation, of the
General Council and my own personally, thank you for your messages of
condolence and of prayers for the death of our dear confrere Fr Helvécio
Baruffi.
I cannot hide from you that we are really dismayed. Humanly speaking it i
s
difficult to accept that he has really left us for heaven just a few hours
after his return to Rome; but the ways of the Lord are not our ways, His
thoughts are as far from ours as heaven from earth. What consoles us is
knowing that His will for us is always better than ours, and that He wants
nothing other than what is our fullness of life in Christ.
We entrust Fr Helvecio to the Lord. May He fill him with joy, with light
with love in eternal life, and accept this sacrifice as an offering to Him
for the success of our General Chapter. I assure you of a special
remembrance in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians at Valdocco”.
This is the message that the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez sent this
morning in response to the many that have arrived and that continue to
arrive from Salesians, members of the Salesian Family, and from Bishops. The
Rector Major himself is preparing to leave for Turin to begin the pilgrimage
of the 26th General Chapter, yesterday evening gave the news of the death of
Fr Baruffi to his relatives.
At the funeral to be held on Tuesday 26 February, the Rector Major will
preside in the presence of the Salesians members of the Chapter.
In the “Agorà” of the sdb.org site a space has been opened for messages of
condolence.