Don Carlo Gnocchi was born in S. Colombano al Lambro, near Milan, on October 25, 1902. After his ordination as a priest, he served as an assistant chaplain in youth centers at parishes in Cernusco sul Naviglio and S. Pietro in Sala in Milan. When appointed spiritual director at the Gonzaga Institute in Milan, he volunteered as a military chaplain to Italian soldiers at the outbreak of war. Having miraculously returned from the Russian front, he conceived the idea of founding an institution to serve war amputees. He sought out families of the fallen to bring them moral and material aid, and worked tirelessly to protect partisans and political prisoners. In 1945, he took charge of the Institute for War Invalids at Arosio. Four years later, the "Foundation for Maimed Children" received formal legal recognition—it would later become the "Foundation for Youth"—and in 1955 construction began on a Pilot Center in Milan. Struck by cancer, he died on February 28, 1956; in his final wish, he donated his corneas to two young people. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini initiated his beatification process, which continues to this day.
This collection of don Gnocchi's writings, published in a single volume by Àncora in collaboration with the Foundation for Youth, traces the spiritual and human journey of a priest who exercised his ministry during pivotal moments in Italian history—the fascist years, World War II, and the postwar reconstruction—and who lived the Gospel of charity with extraordinary intensity. The social and cultural landscape has transformed profoundly since these pages were written, yet they retain all the wisdom and prophetic spirit that inspired them.
From Cardinal Martini's preface:
«...I entrust this book to the priests of the Italian Church, and especially the Ambrosian Church, who serve the Gospel of charity; to people with disabilities and their families who have encountered—and continue to encounter—don Carlo's tenderness in the Centers of the Foundation for Youth; to Christians and to all citizens of our troubled nation...
And I hope that don Carlo's timeless message will stir our daily words, whether spoken on workdays or holy days, to be always words of charity—never empty, but rich with the testimony of a closeness that is lived and witnessed through our deeds».