He was also the guide of the Salesian college in Tolmezzo for twenty years
Don Luigi Baldissera, a parish priest originally from the province of Venice, who was able, however, to leave an indelible mark in Friuli, died in the Salesian House in Mestre.
Born in 1930, after studying as a nurse, in 1955, he had decided to embrace the ecclesiastical life, becoming part of Don Bosco’s Salesians.
In the province of Udine he made himself appreciated from the mountains to the Bassa, directing the Salesian college in Tolmezzo for twenty years, then, for another twelve years, the Bearzi institute in Udine (between the end of the 1980s and the early 2000s).
Meanwhile he had put himself at the service of the parishes of Galleriano, Sclaunicco and Santa Maria for Sunday celebrations. He also directed the Alberoni holiday home in Venice, also run by the Salesians.
“He spent his Salesian life in particular in the school, as a teacher and principal for many years in the house in Udine – recalls the current director, Fr Filippo Gorghetto -. Those who met Don Luigi were certainly struck by his sensitivity, serenity, goodness that bordered on tenderness ».
In recent times, Don Luigi Baldissera had health problems linked to an incurable disease, which led to an aggravation of his condition.
His heart stopped beating on Sunday night. In 2015 he was one of the protagonists of the Day of Consecrated Life celebrated in the cathedral of Udine by Bishop Andrea Bruno Mazzocato, when he was celebrated for the 60th anniversary of his consecration as a priest.
“I got to know him at the time of the direction of Casa Alberoni – says Fr Loris Biliato, director of the Salesian college in Tolmezzo – and the memory I have of him is that of a person who is always very correct, precise, scrupulous in what he did and specifies “.
The head of the Bearzi family homes, Don Angelo Durante, adds: «Don Luigi has always been a shy man, but very attentive to others. Even after retirement he always spent in favor of the parishes and when help was needed he never pulled back, often putting his knowledge as a nurse into practice. Friuli undoubtedly has good memories of him, after having hosted him for almost 35 years ».
Those who knew him describe him as a generous person who never went to the fight. «For us he was like a“ tenured ”parish priest – says Diego Toffolutti referring to the experiences of Don Luigi in Galleriano, Sclaunicco and Santa Maria -. Everyone remembers him with great pleasure for the service he did but also for the person he was. In these hours many are contacting me to express their regret for his disappearance. He was a humble person, very well prepared, who always had pastoral work at heart. We are very sorry », concludes Toffolutti.