LETTERS OF COMBONI TO FR. GIUSEPPE SEMBIANTI [5865] Your short letter of the 26th which I have just received has cheered me up no end. Yesterday I had written to the excellent parish priest of S. Giorgio to ask him to accompany me to Bassano to visit you. But yesterday evening he sent me a message that I could cancel the trip because you are coming any day to Verona. So I have suspended my plans and impatiently await my dear Fr Sembianti’s arrival here. [5866] Words fail me to thank Jesus, Mary and Joseph for the most remarkable grace they have granted unfortunate Africa in choosing your Institute to co-operate so effectively and powerfully in the apostolate of Central Africa. I shall never be able to give the Very Reverend Provost, Fr Pietro Vignola, worthy heir of the Bertoni spirit which is none other than the spirit of Jesus Christ, the thanks he deserves for giving me you to assist me in the arduous and difficult task assigned to me by the Holy See of converting Central Africa, the most immense, challenging and important mission in the world. I am deeply convinced that the participation of your holy Institute, which is certainly one of the Catholic Church’s most perfect and venerable, will be the source of many blessings for the apostolate of Africa. [5867] The first mission house of the Vicariate Apostolic of Central Africa is the African Institute in Verona, which through God’s will you have been chosen to run and to direct to enable it to accomplish its mission. Be assured, dear father, that God will lavish upon you all the graces necessary for the Institute to achieve its aims. You are but doing God’s will, and God will reward you with immense aids and comforts. Then it is a matter of the pure glory of God and the salvation of the neediest and most deprived souls on earth; and all our strength is in Jesus, Mary and Joseph who will never fail us. The Child Jesus never grows old. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart commands the Heart of Jesus, and St Joseph, who never dies, is a gentleman. [5868] With the support of these three treasures, we shall fear neither the whole world nor hell. And then in Verona to guide us we have the venerable and most charitable Provost General and the most reverend Cardinal Bishop who have vast experience. In sum, you will not lack all the help and comforts you need to carry out the important mission God has entrusted to you. I too, in my smallness, will give you all my support to make it easier and successful. In the meantime I thank you with all my heart for your magnanimous willingness to do everything to glorify Jesus in this Work: God will give you his just reward. [5869] From now on, I shall never cease praying for you, as you should pray for me, and let the very sweet Sacred Heart of Jesus always be the centre of communication between us, so that together we may manage the interests of his glory in the best possible way for the good of our unfortunate and beloved Africa. As I intone the veni, propera, et noli tardare, I wish you a very happy New Year and please remember me in your Mass of the 31st because, 25 years ago on the feast of St Sylvester, I was ordained a priest by the holy Bishop De Tschiderer in Trent. In the hearts of Jesus and Mary, I remain yours affectionately in the Lord + Daniel Bishop and Vicar Apostolic My reverend and dear Father, [5891] Today the most worthy parish priest of S. Giorgio came to see me and confirmed the pleasant news that you will be doing your Spiritual Exercises after Epiphany and will then be coming to Verona. To the Child Jesus (who never grows old), to his Mother Queen of Africa and to my dear bursar St Joseph (who never dies and never goes bankrupt, but always administers things well with good judgement and is the perfect gentleman), to these three objects of our love I am now making a novena to obtain the grace that before the anniversary of the Nuptials of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the 23rd of this month) or on that holy day, dear Fr Sembianti may be installed in his important office as Rector of the African Institutes in Verona; and St Joseph, who is the perfect gentleman, has never denied me any temporal grace and together with Jesus and Mary, forms a most holy Triad that will certainly not deny me this spiritual grace that I ask. 1 [5892] In your Spiritual Exercises, please pray fervently that the Heart of Jesus may convert our one hundred million Hamite unbelievers to the faith, and that with the help of the prayers of all the worthy sons of the great Father Bertoni we may wage bitter wars and break the horns of the devil in Africa, renewing it, destroying him and establishing the kingdom of Christ there and making it triumphant. Pray also for me in a special way, because of all the Bishops of the world I am the most isolated (and I am in the middle of the world). I said this in Rome. For in Central Africa, if I wanted to seek advice from a confrère Bishop nearest to me or to my residence, I would have to travel for at least two months… But the answer I was given by holy and eminent persons was: “Do not fear, God will always be with you”. But you see that I need prayers. Pray, therefore, and never cease. In the hope of seeing you soon in Verona, I remain in the most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Yours most affectionately in the Lord, + Daniel, Bishop and Vicar Apostolic [5960] Having thought about everything, I judge it appropriate that you should add to the two Arab women the three Sisters, that is, Srs. Matilde, Casella and Benamati, and that all five should come to Sestri Levante where I have been courteously offered hospitality by the Sisters of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. [5961] Give Sr Matilde or Virginia the letters or dispatches addressed to me which have arrived in Verona, so that they can bring them to Sestri Levante for me. As regards the two catechists, Isidore and Sebastian, let them stay a few more days in Verona, that is, until the departure of the small caravan; we will have them leave to meet the Sisters in Rome and continue on to Naples shortly afterwards. [5962] Have the trunks of the two Arab girls and of the three Sisters sent express to Sestri Levante, and pay the railway company for them. Of course, you will receive some money either from me or from Rome in less than a week. Have the Sisters and the two Arab girls leave from Verona Porta Vescovo (the same station from where the trunks can be sent, and give the receipt to Sr Matilde, who has been appointed superior of the travelling sisters and the two Arabs girls); have them leave, I was saying, when I telegraphed on Monday at 9.55 am, all five in second class, buying the tickets as far as Milan where they will be met on their arrival at Central Station at 3.15 p.m. by my faithful and efficient manservant, Domenico, who will accompany them to their destination via Genoa. You can get Giacomo and Stefano to take them to the station. It will be enough for you to pay their tickets from Verona to Milan, and the trunks from Verona to Sestri Levante or Genoa: I shall see to the rest. [5963] With regard to Hanifan, anything you do will have my full approval, because the reasons you have given me personally and in writing are more than right. The moral is that he doesn’t feel like denying himself and adapting to the rule; and his attitudes today are a pledge for those he will have in the future when he will have to suffer more. Should it be appropriate to do him the kindness of recommending him to Canon Ortaldo of Turin, or to Fr Gennaro Martini where all sorts are received, then do so. [5964] If you receive no further telegram, let the five women leave with Sr Matilde in charge, the day after tomorrow, Monday at 9.55 am, as I explained above. However, if you receive another telegraphic message delay them for a while, because I might have to be absent from here for a day, to confer with the Bishop. [5965] I have just received your letter of the 22nd of this month. I have sent you all the things for Hanifan unsealed, to submit them all to your wise opinion; I have therefore given you the means to act: to deliver or not to deliver them as you see fit. As for Grieff, it would seem to me that you should test the ground gently to find out his real feelings. For it would be better to see whether our purpose can be obtained in gentle ways before having to resort to more stringent and stronger measures. I could use forceful methods with him or even threats and I have … no fear of doing so: but I should prefer him to be treated kindly and lovingly. The poor man hoped to act as superior and in his own way; with eternal hypocrisy he hoped to trap good men and simpletons, doing his own 2 most holy will in everything.