Having seen the lessons that Fr. Allamano’s communicative capacity can teach us, it is appropriate to note that the Founder showed that capacity also through his meditative silence. As they say, music is the interlude between beats. It is the silent intervals between notes. Whether you believe this or not, the point of these assertions is the emphasis of the importance of the silent moments between beats and notes as the ones that produce a tune or a melody. Basically, this means that while we consider music to be the beautiful words and the well-organized beats that we hear, the truth is that if there were no silent interludes between them everything would be noise. This applies to speech. The power of speech is silence, since silence has power. As a matter of fact, we discover the importance of our voices when we are silenced. And it is the silence of God that makes him mysterious. It is also the silence of great leaders that makes them revered and sometimes even feared. Of course, this is when silence is used as a weapon. This happens when silence is used to oppress people, to frustrate them by leaving them in suspense, or to hide the truth and that way suppress people’s voices and rights. Silence is therefore essentially a language, and a powerful one at that. If silence is a powerful language, then it is part of communication strategies. When used well, silence empowers speech. This explains why we pay attention when a usually silent man speaks. His silence makes his words (whether spoken or written) valuable. When silence is used inappropriately (e.g. when it lacks), it destroys speech. This is seen every day when a person keeps yapping nonsense, sooner or later people get used to it and no longer listen to what he or she says nor pay attention to him or her. It is due to negligence of silence that good things have to have noise (publicity) made over them to be appreciated.
The bombardment of people with information today (meaning the lack of silence) is the reason we are no longer interested with what is advertised, preached or sang. This is why the assertion that “negligence of silence has made speech sterile, impotent and useless” is true. Fr. Allamano’s silent character was a result of awareness of this fact: noise destroys our relevance. His silence was communicative especially because it was accompanied by industriousness and prayer. In other words, it was a noiseless application of his meditations; a noiseless implementation of his encounter with God. That is exactly what made his advice powerful to people’s lives: everything was a fruit of his encounter with Christ. On 20th September 1923, Fr. Allamano was celebrating 50thanniversary of his priesthood. At the Consolata, a solemn celebration for those who had been ordained in 1873 was held. Among those who were to attend the ceremony was Cardinal Richelmy who also had been ordained in the same year. Unfortunately, on 10th August the Cardinal died, a month to the day he was to celebrate 50 years of his priesthood, and 25 years of his episcopate. Fr. Allamano was once again touched by that tragedy. This was the 2nd time he was losing someone so dear after the death of Fr. Camisassa. At the time Fr. Allamano was 72 years old and therefore he took everything in silence and prayer as the wisdom of all those years dictated.
It was in the same wisdom of silence that he refused to accept the expansion of the Institute to Somalia in 1923. As usual, his reasons were genuine: he already had Kenya, Kaffa and Iringa to take care of, with the few missionaries that he had. In addition to that, he was not willing to enter into conflict with the Trinitarian Fathers who were working in the particular territory where Cesare De Vecchi wished the Consolata Institute to go. To Fr. Allamano’s surprise, in 1924, the Institute was heading to Mogadishu. The issue was that Propaganda Fide had found someone who was willing to take the Institute to Somalia: Bishop Perlo. On 22 October 1924, Msg. Gabriel Perlo, Fr. Giovanni Ciravegna, Fr. Vittorio Varetto, Fr. Giuseppe Prima, and Fr. Giacomo Cavallo landed in Mogadishu. Again, on 9th December, two months after, another group was heading to Mogadishu. They included Fr. Giuseppe Ferraris, Br. Guido Grosso, Br. Carlino Damiani, Sr. Angelica Ascheri, Sr. Silvia Coriasco, Sr. Flavia Boeri and Sr. Battistina Alessio. With them was seminarian Giovanni Bisio who at twenty-two was to assist in the construction of the cathedral of Mogadishu. As usual, when Fr. Allamano came to learn about it he did his typical thing: remained silent in prayer, leaving everything in the hands of God.
Today we know that things did not go as the missionaries expected, and as a result, after six years they had to leave Somalia, probably a confirmation that Fr. Allamano had been right in demanding postponement of that mission when Propaganda Fide requested it. Maybe also a confirmation that God had not willed it, especially given that it was done without Fr. Allamano’s blessings. Certainly, a sure confirmation that while humility pays, pride comes before a fall. In any case, with their departure, Propaganda Fide had to pass everything into the hands of the Franciscan Friars Minor of the Province of Milam. Nevertheless, Consolata Missionaries effort had not been a useless. They had managed to build the Cathedral of Mogadishu, Fr. Gabriele Perlo had been chosen as the Prefect Apostolic of Benadir (and later Vicar Apostol ic of Mogadishu), and a lot of witnessing through charity had been done. Immediately after the entrance to Somalia, in 1925 the Institute was heading to Mozambique. Fr. Allamano was at the time no longer playing active role in sending expeditions. In reality, Bishop Perlo was running the show. Fr. Allamano watched quietly as a new way of doing things was being done.
Bishop Perlo’s return to Italy revealed how he had achieved all that he had done in Africa: a spirit of urgency that gave no room for preparation. Even with those glaring mistakes, Fr. Allamano never lost esteem for Bishop Perlo. In 1925 for example, speaking to a group of seminarians he said, “Always obey Bishop Perlo; love him; he is younger than I am and has more experience than I have in what the missions need. He will be able to develop the Institute further and make it livelier yet”. In his heart, the Founder knew that he had to become an intercessor of many people who through the hurried style of Bishop Perlo had suffered. The Founder chose to remain silent and pray. First of all, out of respect for the new leader in the Institute, but also so that he may leave everything to the one who sees and acts through silence: God.
With the beatification of Fr. Cafasso, Fr. Allamano must have been relieved. Most of the big resolutions that he had made from the beginning had come to pass. The Institute was not only up and running, but also there were people who were sustaining the momentum of its activities. In addition, Fr. Cafasso was now a model of holiness in the Church. True, Bishop Perlo’s manner of doing things was an issue of concern for Allamano as far as the future of the Institute was concerned, but Fr. Allamano was convinced that God could not start a project that he could not sustain even with weak human beings. With that consolation, the Founder retired to silence and prayer. It was another way of teaching humility, obedi ence and respect for the leaders in the Institute. What a lesson to many of us who would have grumbled for years!
On Saturday 31st January 1926, our Founder appeared tired. His voice had faded and his legs were swollen. His difficulty in breathing pointed to the approaching end. The following day he managed to celebrate Mass, which would be his last. His health deteriorated in a matter of days and on 16th February 1926 at 4 am he left for heaven, joining his assistant, Fr. Camisassa, who four years before had gone there. On 26th September 1971, Seraphine Nyambura, a Kikuyu woman was miraculously healed as she lay dying at the Consolata Hospital in Nyeri after praying through the intercession of Fr. Allamano. Twelve years after his death, in 1938, his remains were transferred to the Mother House. In 1989 Fr. Joseph Allamano was declared venerable, and on 7th Oct. 1990 in a beautiful ceremony he was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II.
Fr. Allamano’s life, apostolate and his teachings are a valuable lessons for us. Amid many struggles, he achieved what could have been unimaginable to many people given his frailty from the beginning. Today, through his missionaries, he continues to be a beacon of hope and faith to many people, where his missionaries are working. To us his sons and daughters, Fr. Allamano is a firm sign of deep trust in God, determination and encouragement. Having overcome and achieved a lot in his life, today from heaven he must be encouraging us. I would not be surprised to know that given the Institute is rapidly becoming African, Fr. Allamano’s message is coded in an African proverbs: the same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. In other words, what matters in life is what we are made of, not the circumstances around us. As the Institute gradually takes a more African shape, we are bound to meet a lot of challenges – financial, lead ership, relationships, etc, due to the diversity of cultures in the Continent. Those challenges should be lessons through which we can take it (Institute) to higher heights. Having learned from him, our strength should not therefore come from what we think we can do, but from overcoming the things we once thought we could not. That will be the clearest sign that we have learned from our Father. As far as the goal of the Institute is concerned, we should try our best never to lose focus of his dream: consolation of humanity. That is, evangelizing the non-Christian through transformation of the environment in them and around. That is the only way we can be sure of hearing him one day telling us, “I am not interested in whether you stood with the great. I am interested in whether you sat with the broken”. May our Founder Fr. Joseph Allamano, through the intercession of Our Lady Consolata, help us to love the common people of God as he did. Amen.