This month, we feature the journal of Father Anthony Cossavella that he recorded on a visit to the town of Bollengo in northwest Italy this past summer. Bollengo is the birthplace of his parents. Father Anthony is very proud of his Italian heritage. His father worked his way up to head waiter at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, where Yogi Berra was one of the occasional guests. Father Anthony was ordained a priest in 1981 and currently serves at the parish of St. Agnes in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Italian Catholic Online is extremely grateful to Father Anthony for sharing the details of his visit to Bollengo.
Tuesday July 29:
We have arrived! My mother and I flew from Philadelphia to Milan. Our cousin Gino then drove us due west to a small village called Bollengo in the province of Turin. My parents grew up in this little town nestled at the foot of the Italian Alps. We come here every few years to visit our cousins. I love the fresh air, the beautiful panorama, and the delicious food here in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy.
I have been to Bollengo over a dozen times. It is indeed the land of my ancestors. Here I can go to the town cemetery and see my name – Cossavella – engraved on countless tombstones. It all started here. And this particular grain of Cossavella will end with me. For, I am a Catholic priest and an only child. My father was an only child as well. He loved this little village of 2,000 souls. Even as we near the 20th anniversary of his death, I feel his presence, especially here. I thank God I still have my dear mother, Bruna, who is an only child as well.
It is now mid-afternoon of my first day in Bollengo. I just took a walk. My cousin Elide made lunch. I told her after the meal, “Now I know I have arrived!” Actually, I could have told her that after my first mouthful of risotto, which was then followed by some fish, salad, cheese, and plums. There is just no comparison between the food in Italy and America. Delicious is too mild a word. Sensational is more like it.
The first day of my vacation was going well – until my mother fell down the steps and broke her arm! We spent a few hours with Elide in the emergency room at the local hospital. All the doctors and nurses were very nice. Right now, as I write, my mother needs to have an operation later this week. I pray to God that all will go well and that she will be alright. I invoke the intercession of St. Eusebius, the patron saint of the town.
Wednesday July 30:
It’s noontime. We just returned from the hospital. Thank God for our cousin Elide, who is very helpful. We are also thankful for her husband, Gino, who spoke to the doctor by phone. The doctor was very nice. When he met my mother, he kissed her on both cheeks. The hospital is very clean. It’s a relief to see that mother looks to be comfortable.
This region is called Piedmont, which means “at the foot of the mountains”. As we left the hospital, the Alps were clearly visible. So was an old building with some towers. The hospital is located in Ivrea, an ancient city that served as a stopping off point for Roman soldiers heading into Gaul, which is modern-day France. In this northwestern Italian city, many of the streets still have the cobblestones from olden times. I imagine that the building with the towers was a fortress of some sort.
The whole region of Piemonte, as it is called in Italian, was also a passageway for pilgrims from Europe who were on their way to Rome. Signs entitled “Via Francigena” have been placed at different country sites marking the main routes taken by the travelers. The people from northern and western Europe came through France to Italy, hence the name “Francigena”. One route is near my cousin’s home.
I just took a walk past an interesting site on my way toward the Church of San Martino. It was the remains of a church that was built in the 5th or 6th century up in the hills, to avoid the barbarians who were down in the valley. Now, all that is left of the church is the bell tower. But it remains as a proud symbol of the faith of the locals from centuries long past.
Tonight I will concelebrate Mass with Don Piero, the pastor of our parish in Bollengo, at 6:30 p.m. Then, Elide and I will go to see my mother in the hospital.
Thursday July 31:
Last night, Don Piero told the congregation about my mom. Everyone sent their regards. It was good to see the townsfolk – good, faith-filled people. This morning, we were visited by Raffaella, a young cousin of Elide. She is studying English and wanted to practice. She speaks very well.
After lunch, Elide and I went to see Mom. She is doing well. Then, we went shopping to a Carrefour. I noticed you had to bring your own bag. There were no plastic bags. It seems Italy is ahead of us there.
Friday August 1:
My mother had her operation today. Everything went well. The doctor inserted a six-inch titanium rod in her arm. This evening, I again concelebrated Mass. Before Mass, we had a half-hour of Eucharistic Adoration. Tonight begins the celebration of the feast of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, the parish patron. He is really the patron of the whole region. Actually, we had Mass in a little chapel dedicated to St. Martha. I am amazed that for a small village, I believe there are a total of five churches! Some had been in disrepair, but people have cleaned them up, so the pastor is saying Mass in all of them. God bless these people! They take pride in their churches. St. Martha may only hold about 50 people, but it is a testament of the people’s faith that they do not let these chapels go to waste. Instead, they let God be praised – in all of them!
Saturday August 2:
My mother came home from the hospital and looks good. She stays down the street from me with our cousin, Mariuccia, another 84 year-old. Everything in Mariuccia’s house is on one floor, which is good for Mom.
Sunday August 3:
Today was the big celebration in honor of St. Eusebius. I concelebrated the Mass at 10:00 a.m. Before Mass, two girls entered the church, each carrying a tall arrangement of flowers on top of their heads! One had a picture of Jesus, while the other had a picture of Mary attached to the floral display.
After Mass, we had an outdoor procession through the town. The women walked together, while the men also walked together. A band played. Don Piero led prayers asking for the intercession of St. Eusebius. Then we returned to the church.
Our church is beautiful. There are very large, gold candle stands. There is also a very large crucifix off to one side. I believe they eventually want to hang it from the church ceiling.
Later, my mother and I attended a special lunch with Don Piero and about 20 members of the feast committee. What a meal! I cannot remember how many servings we had – prosciutto, risotto, ravioli, and more! A good time was had by all.
Monday August 4:
I have been writing postcards. One of them shows the Castle of Bollengo, which had been a Jesuit seminary and later a Salesian seminary until it closed in 1968. The present Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, was a student there. A few years ago, when my cousin Gino was mayor of Bollengo, he invited the Cardinal back to the village. Gino gave him an award and they had lunch together. If I can ever get to Rome to meet Cardinal Bertone, the first word out of my mouth will be “Bollengo”!
Tuesday August 5:
Tonight we had Mass in the chapel of St. Bernard. This is St. Bernard of Aosta, the region next to Piemonte. He died about 1081. There are new pews in the chapel, which was built over an underground stream. According to Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints, St. Bernard “visited the alpine regions. He built schools, hospitals, and two hospices for travelers in the mountains. Two passes in the Alps are named for him: the Great and Little Bernard. The monks that operated the hospices became Augustinians, and the famed St. Bernard dogs can be traced back to this saint as well”. St. Bernard is the patron saint of mountain climbers.
Wednesday August 6:
This morning I walked down to the town cemetery. There I saw my name, Cossavella, many times. I said a prayer at the grave of my maternal grandparents, Mario and Maria Gauna. I also saw the grave of my great-grandmother, Maria Pollono. She died before I was born. From what I heard, she always wore black. I do not know if I am related to the Cossavella’s buried there, but maybe we have some strands of DNA connected somewhere along the line!
Thursday August 7:
Last night we had Mass at the chapel of St. Rocco. I found out that he was French, but that he is known much better in Italy. People ask him to pray to the Lord to keep disease away from their livestock.
Today, Gino and Elide took me to Liguria to visit their son Ezio, his wife Flora, and their two year-old daughter Matilde. They are on vacation near Genoa, the home of Christopher Columbus. We went to a crowded beach, where I was the only person wearing a hat! Everyone there seemed to really like to soak up the sun! The Ligurian Sea was warm and calm. To the right, one could see France, and to the left, Genoa. It was a beautiful day.
Friday August 8:
Today I relaxed. Tomorrow I will go on the diocesan pilgrimage to Oropa, a Marian shrine and retreat center in the mountains. St. Eusebius brought a statue of the Black Madonna there. The body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is temporarily there. He is a patron of youth. He helped the poor and was very devoted to the Eucharist, as exemplified by the many hours he spent in Adoration. He died in 1925 at the young age of 24. He caught tuberculosis while visiting the sick. His body is usually at the cathedral in Torino. It was in Australia for World Youth Day. Now, it is in Oropa for a few weeks. Pier Giorgio came from this area and visited Oropa many times.
Saturday August 9:
It was a beautiful day in Oropa. Don Piero took me in his car. Around 25 people wearing blue scarves walked all night to get to the shrine. Even the bishop walked. It is about a 25 kilometer trek. It is part of a long tradition. Before the Mass, my cousin Gino introduced me to the bishop, whom I had met three years earlier. Gino had made the journey on his bike.
In the sacristy before Mass, the bishop told the large crowd of priests that there were two guests – Don Antonio Cossavella - an American from Bollengo – and a seminarian from Oregon. I talked with the seminarian after Mass. What a small world!
Right after Mass, the bishop and priests went over to the closed casket of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. For me it was an emotional moment. I have read a lot about Pier Giorgio. He loved to climb mountains. He came from a rich family, but he gave away most of his money to the poor. I have asked him many times to pray for me.
We had a nice lunch after Mass. We ate polenta, beef, and French fries. Don Piero and I then stopped at the original church where the statue of the Black Madonna is kept. It was a quiet moment of prayer for us.
The pilgrimage to Oropa and last Sunday’s feast of St. Eusebius have been the highlights of my trip.
Sunday August 10:
Today, I said the 8:00 a.m. Mass at the chapel of St. Martha. Don Piero preached. At the end of the Mass, I thanked him for everything and told him how much I enjoyed being in Bollengo. Mom and I went out to lunch with our cousins Mariuccia, Marinella, Marco, and Erica. A good time was had by all.
Monday August 11:
The doctor removed the stitches from my mother’s arm. I am now packing. It will be a long day tomorrow.
Tuesday August 12:
We fly back to America. Despite my mother’s accident, we have had a good time.
