My cousin Alvaro celebrated his 30th anniversary of priesthood on September 15. He lives in Rome and is now one hundred percent Italian. He loves the movies of Alberto Sordi and Totò, the cannoli Sicilians and is a cornerstone in his EUR parish. He claims that the last six years of his priestly ministry have been the most fruitful.
In 2018 Alvaro was diagnosed with a degenerative neuromuscular type disease: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He started with one leg, which was unresponsive. From there he went on to carry a cane. Then parishioners gave him a motorized wheelchair. Then he drove a chair that he could steer with the finger that still had mobility. A few months ago, he switched to 24-hour ventilation. In November he will be 60 years old.
As long as possible, he continued to teach pastoral theology at a pontifical university and even managed, in the early stages of his illness, to publish a textbook on the subject, which became an important reference in the field of pastoral theology. best seller. Above all, he continued to exercise his priesthood without interruption. He has spent hours in the atrium of his parish, where people came to chat with him or go to the sacrament of confession. He has concelebrated Holy Mass: first at the altar, now from the nave. He preached when he had enough voice. Thinking of the good he could do for others in his situation with the help of a friend, he has recorded a few short Sunday homilies on his YouTube channel in Spanish and Italian, entitled "the gospel to the sick".
I too have been living in Rome for a few years now and I try to visit Alvaro frequently, in my role as the representative of a large family. His faith and sense of humor make my time with him taste like heaven, in spite of all the hardships. I feel very blessed.
