The Olona Valley hugs Angelo

Today, pain is the protagonist. The family’s pain, the whole community’s, a category of workers, and businesses in Gorla Minore. More than a thousand people surrounded the coffin of Angelo Canavesi, the petrol station attendant who was barbarously killed in the office of his petrol pump station that he has been managed for 41 years, with love, sense of service and professionalism. The parish church could not hold all of people who were there to bear witness to their affection and closeness to the entire family, grief-stricken for the inexplicable end of their relative. His wife Angela with their children Emanuele and his wife, and Sara were very composed in their sorrow. A large number of uniformed neighbouring stations’ attendants suspended their service in order to keep close to their colleague and doyen Angelo. In the village, the shutters were lowered to respect the civic mourning, desired by the Commune who was present also with the banner edged in black. Also a delegation of S.C. Canavesi’s athletes participated; a cycling society born to remember his father Severino, unforgettable two-wheeled champion who was born in Gorla Maggiore.

 

“Sadness, tears, anger, dismay”, Don Giuseppe said to describe the feelings that pervaded the row of pews in the church, “now only the word of God rings. Our words finish, although they are beautiful and full of feeling, the word of God is eternal”. The priest beared witness to the Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi who, even though he was not present, wanted to communicate to the family the closeness of the whole Catholic community from Milan. Furthermore, Don Giuseppe talked about the inhumanity of the person who committed the ferocious act “it’s wrong to die for little money, humanity is another thing, it is our hope nourished by the faith that makes us human”. The priest also reminded the congregation of when Angelo expressed the wish to be the godfather of Alessandro, his less than one-year old grandson who filled him with joy. Then, he talked about forgiveness and he cited a sentence that he learnt in seminary: “If you want to be happy for a moment, revenge yourself. If you want to be for ever, forgive” and to conclude, addressing to Angelo: “Take a place for everyone of us, there where you are, in the House of God”.

 

The mayor of Gorla Minore, Giuseppe Migliarino, who sent an important message was on the altar with Luca Squeri, national president of Figisc (manager federation) who saw his own brother die in a robbery, in 1981: “We are tired of counting colleagues that die in their work place”, Squeri said, “Angelo was a wonderful person, honest, in love with sport and full of a quiet experience that he would place at his colleagues’ disposal. Continue to watch how we will watch over your family. We will not forget you and greet our colleagues that are there with you”. The family was too full of sorrow to comment, so it was Don Giuseppe that thanked the whole community of Gorla, that had expressed their closeness and affection. Among the audience, there was the captain of the Carabinieri of Saronno, De Grassi, the mayors of the Olona Valley and the Honourable Marco Airaghi. The coffin of Angelo Canavesi was carried to the cemetery of Gorla Minore, his place of origin and where he will lie close to his dear father Severino, the champion that he did never equal but that inspired him constantly during his life.