Posted by Recently I asked the readership to donate to the traditional parish in Rome, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, so that they could cover the expenses of burying a homeless man who had – like I have – made the place his adoptive home.
Thanks to the readership from the Pastor of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome | Fr. Z’s Blog
My appeal HERE
The Solemn Requiem and superb sermon HERE
Today I received this note from the pastor:
Dear Father Zuhlsdorf,
Once again, you and your many friends and readers of your blog were there for the important and beautiful events of our Parish. The response to the call you made on your blog for our dear Gaetano has been beyond all hope. Thanks to you, our young 33 year old friend who had been living on the street for years, and present every day in front of our church for the last three years, and who died like an angel, was rewarded with an almost princely funeral. We have been able to cover all the funeral expenses and the transportation of his body close to his family in Emilia Romagna. These are very poor folks, and they were literally blown away by the help and other expressions of love and devotion that they witnessed at the funeral.
Thank you very, very much, dear Father, for the help you spontaneously offered. For all of us here in Rome, your generosity is an admirable sign of the goodness and boundless mercy of God. I hope that I will be able to meet you soon, and in the meantime I wish to restate my gratitude, as Pastor, together with the gratitude of my brother priests, of all the parishioners of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, and of course of Gaetano’s family. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”.
In Corde Jesu,
Fr. Brice Meissonnier, fssp
Pastor of SS. Trinità dei Pellegrini, Rome