On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of the Venerable Br Lino da Parma, the Minister General of the OFM, Br Massimo Fusarelli, addressed a letter to Br Enzo Maggioni, Minister of the Province of St Anthony of the Friars Minor (Italy), to the fraternity of the Convent of the SS. Annunziata in Parma and to all those who will participate in the celebrations to remember the friar declared venerable by Pope St. John Paul II in 1999.
“We know that Alpinolo Ildebrando Umberto Maupas', writes the Minister, 'better known as Father Lino Maupas or simply Father Lino (Split, 30 August 1866 - Parma, 14 May 1924), had a complex life path, that manifested his rich personality and was certainly outside the usual schemes. [...] The soul of this profound inner movement was certainly for Br. Lino the love for the crucified Christ, recognized, loved and served in the last of the last. The greatest proof is that it was they, the poor, who recognized him. The coffin in which Fr. Lino's body was laid to rest was made by the inmates he cared for. There is nothing to add”.
Arriving in Parma on 18 June 1893, Fr. Lino remained there for the rest of his life, carrying out his ministry in the parish of Annunziata, caring for the poor, those living on the margins of the law and the guests of the Prison and Juvenile Reformatory. He died in front of the Barilla pasta factory, while doing his best to get a young man employed. In his pockets were the rosary beads and a few crumbs of bread.
We read further in the letter: “Br Linus reminds us, Friars Minor, that Jesus Christ is at the center of our lives. And he reminds us that we would uselessly try to scrutinize the face of Christ if we avoided the gaze of his vicars, who are the poor. They are the test of our faith and our following of Christ. [...] May the beautiful occasion of the centenary of his death help Parma, and not only Parma, to remember Br Lino, to take up his legacy and to allow ourselves to be animated by his evangelical spirit.”
From May 11 to May 19, the city of Parma will celebrate the figure of Br Lino with a photo exhibition and other events linked to the friar who loved Christ and the poor.
