My Dear Brother in J.C.,1
The day after tomorrow2 I leave for Turin and I am writing this quick note to you, to wish you a good morning and to offer my services for whatever needs you might have in the ex-capital. I advise you, however, to send me your response either here in time before Monday afternoon or in Turin in care of Mr. Giuseppe Bussi3 Via del Gallo, number 7.
So how is your career going? Courage – lower your head and move forward.
The confessional need no longer cause you difficulties – prayer and preaching. The Bishop expects great things from our class4. Poor Bishop. We need to comfort him with our help. He has so many beautiful intentions and he only wants the support of the zeal of his priests.
I would like to tell you so many more things, but my time is short and I will save them for the next occasion. I ask for your prayers – oremus ad invicem et salvemur5. Writing to me often and at great length is a great good that you do for me and for which I will search in some way to repay you – mutual encouragement.
Good-bye – I am in the dear hear of Jesus
Your must affectionate brother G.M.
Turn the page.
PS. I retract what I said above. If something comes to you, write to me directly in Turin because we are leaving right away on Monday morning; or try to come in person. We would have lots of time to talk, visit and pray, right? Try to find a way to make this trip and I assure you it will be money well spent. Good-bye, good-bye. May our Most Holy Mother always have you under her mantle.
One other thing to tell you: Let us write to each other often, but let us both do it in such a way that our letters can be essentially confidential and are not seen by whomever. We understand each other. Write to me with your heart and do not leave anything out. Good-bye.
Praised be J. C.
Though the letter does not have an addressee and was previously marked as “a priest friend”, the attribution to Fr. Stephen Delaude is based on the fact that only to him, also in the letters which follow, does he use the greeting “My Dear Brother in J.C.”: most certainly in the name of the pact that they had made together on February 23, 1868. Cf. Letters 29, 30, 41. ↩
Monday, November 16 ↩
A relative who was living in Turin (cfr. Letter 60). ↩
The class was made up of eleven priests: Giuseppe Barbero, Isidoro Ciattino, Sisto Crosetti, Stefano Delaude, Antonio Faggiani, Giuseppe Marello, Stefano Messidonio, Egidio Celso Motta, Giuseppe Riccio, Stefano Rossetti, and Antonio Vespa. ↩
Let us pray for each other in order to be saved. ↩