EUROPE/ITALY - Sudden death of White Father Fr. Daniele Lattuada founder of Simba Ngai Youth Centre in Congo and tireless mission animator in Italy

Wednesday, 28 September 2005

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Rome (Fides Service)- “A tragic loss for all of us which only faith in the Lord can illuminate” said Fr. Luigi Morell Superior of the Italian Province of the White Fathers with regard to the sudden death of Fr Daniele Lattuada at the age of 44 on Sunday 25 September at his parents’ home in Gorgonzola, Milan.
“Fr. Daniele returned from mission in Congo in 2001 to work in missionary animation in Italy” said Fr Morell. “He organised photo exhibitions and held meetings with young people and children here in our House and in various different parishes”.
In Kinshasa, capital of D. Congo Fr. Daniele started Simba Ngai (“help” in Lingala) - a centre where boys learn to be carpenters, plumbers, wielders, electricians. They leave with the tool box they earn with jobs during the course at the centre and go out to earn enough money to live decently. “The idea came to Fr. Daniele seeing the number of young boys knocking at the door of his parish looking for work or money” said Fr Morell. “Initially the idea was not accepted by some of the confreres but in the end thanks to his hard work Simba Ngai Centre is a reality and it also offers help to poor children said to be “witchdoctors” and thrown out by their families for being an evil power. This scourge is widespread in Africa. Children and young people come from rural areas to towns to escape poverty and many are orphans of war of AIDS”.
“In Italy Fr. Daniele dedicated himself to missionary animation with groups and parishes all over the place” said Fr Morell. “Fr Daniele also collaborated with Educazione e Sviluppo del CELIM in Bergamo and in collaboration with the local university for animation in schools with students interested in other cultures”.
Fr. Daniele Lattuada was born in Gorgonzola, in 1961. In December 1991 he became a member of the White Fathers, Missionaries of Africa.On 27 June 1992 in Treviglio he was ordained a priest. He went on mission to Congo, in the capital Kinshasa. His work was intense at times frenetic he had prepared for it leaning the local Lingala language. The parish was large with numerous Christians. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/9/2005 righe 38 parole 421)