English 
The moment of passage from this life to the future one in heaven and always a precious time to gather ideas about those who came before us, and to enhance the teachings….. Today we would like to give some time to the figure of Sr. Eleonora, at the baptism Vincenzina, who died in Monza on October 28, 2024.
Let’s start with some numbers: recently turned 90, 40 of which were spent in Bangladesh among the sick and especially the Hansenians. And then 10 years in Rancio of Lecco serving as a nurse for the elderly PIME fathers! She entered the novitiate in Monza in 1955 and made her First Profession in 1958, and then left for Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1963.
A few days before her departure, the young “missionary zealots” of her parish addressed a word of greeting and good wishes to her, defining her vocation, “one of the most extraordinary!”
Yes, Sr. Eleonora, it is like this for you who in a few days will leave to reach a leper colony in Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
And how can we not feel solidarity with you who alone face a thousand vicissitudes? A journey that will last about twenty days, going from ship to plane, from train to a cart pulled by buffaloes, to reach the leper colony of Dhanjuri in the jungle of Bengal. You are leaving happy, devoid of many things, to reach a place completely unknown to you. Isn’t this authentic heroism? Yet you were one of us: lively and mischievous as a child, noisy and jovial as an adult; but you also knew how to impose a bit of silence on yourself…and you heard God and followed him to continue his mission in the world”.
Furthermore, in a letter in which Sr. Eleonora talks about her journey to the mission, she describes her arrival in Dhanjuri as follows: “the girls from orphanage and the Christians came to meet me with songs, sounds and dances and welcomed me joyfully. The same evening, despite the late hour, Father Villa celebrated Mass and I received my first Holy Communion in the jungle of Dhanjuri, surrounded by my Pakistanis! (…)
“Everything is beautiful here and I’m happy!”. And commenting on the welcome she received, she added: “My only regret was not being able to say a word in their language. Pray for me that the Holy spirit may enlighten me and I may soon become a Pakistani with the Pakistanis, even with the word”.
In Bangladesh, Sr. Eleonora works with dedication welcoming and caring for the many sick, especially Hansenians, that come from everywhere; she dedicates herself to them with patience, competence and great generosity, accepting the sacrifices with courage and love and inconveniences arising from the environment and certainly also from the lack of adequate means for her work in the health field.
Of humble, attentive and jovial in character, through the care of the sick, Sr. Eleonora manages to establish with them those good relationships that allow her to enter their families to offer support and friendship and, when she can, also the Word of Jesus.
Sr. Emanuela D’Costa, a Bangladeshi, describes her relationship with the sick in this way: ‘Sr. Eleonora always had a smile on her face, everyone who approached her could feel and experience the joy that she emanated. She loved everyone, especially the poor and the suffering, and she listened to them willingly, with attention and care. Just by approaching her the sick felt already partially healed, while what was missing was made up for by the medicines that she gave them with care and attention. The sick came from far away to be treated by her, demonstrating a deep trust’.
In her long 40 years of mission in Bangladesh, Sr. Eleonora also carried out with serenity and dedication various roles of responsibility in the leadership of the Delegation and in some of our communities. She returned definitively from the mission in 2003 for health reasons. After treatment and a satisfactory physical recovery, she was transferred to the community of Rancio di Lecco where she spent 10 years of service as a nurse, but her health also began to fail. She was then transferred to Monza, in this community that welcomed and cared for the elderly and sick sisters.
The profile of Sr. Eleonora remains indelible for many Bengali sisters, in particular we want to report some of her traits told by Sr. Chondra Getrude Rebeiro, Bengali, now responsible for the girls who begin the training path as Mdi.
“I met Sr. Eleonora in 1981 when I entered the institute. From the very beginning she made a new impression on me, I immediately liked her smile and her open and free style, even if her name was a bit difficult for me and I couldn’t pronounce it, just like the people here, who used to call her Lellonina!
She always had a smiling face and I can say I never saw her with a sulk! Seeing her love and care for the sick was inspiring for me: she had a special care for people and was able to understand before others when someone was sick or in difficulty. She spoke spontaneously and affectionately with all the patients, explained the dosage twice if the patient did not understand and encouraged them with affection.
She loved listening, reading, praying, but also joking and cheerfulness…she was always with us when we watched football matches, even at the inappropriate hours!
Listening, service, joy, care, these are the four aspects of Sr. Eleonora that we will miss the most, but above all the four aspects that we will try to keep in mind, to put them into practice in life today in her memory!”
Sr. Lorenza Radini, provincia Bangladesh
