Eighteen months in the hospital, intensive care, the spinal unit, and then a long rehabilitation program that continues today. Don Bastianino Pirino, 51, a military chaplain, returned to La Maddalena a few days ago after the serious car accident two years ago that profoundly affected his life. On the island, he met with the faithful and military personnel, celebrated Mass, said goodbye, and gathered his belongings. His successor will be named in a few days.

" Today I'm quite well, I'm continuing my rehabilitation. Time will tell," he says. He's been through some very difficult months, faced " thanks to God, but also to the care of the doctors and all the medical staff," from the intensive care unit in Sassari to the spinal unit in Cagliari. Don Pirino emphasizes the support he received from the Navy during his illness: "They never abandoned me." Today he lives in the minor seminary in Sassari, supported by the presence of family and friends. His hope is to find a religious facility in the future where he can continue his physical therapy and, at the same time, carry out his priestly ministry.

Because illness hasn't erased his vocation. Don Bastianino has, in fact, begun celebrating Mass again. A return to the altar that is also part of his rehabilitation. "For 18 months I didn't touch the paten. My hands had to start over almost like a child's, relearning how to pick up a bottle, a glass, any object." Even holding the host in his fingers thus becomes an achievement. "I'm better with the large host, but I still need to practice with the small ones distributed to the faithful. For now, Communion is distributed by extraordinary ministers." Everything else during the celebration, however, has returned to his hands.

Don Pirino continues to place his hopes in medicine and research, especially for spinal injuries. But alongside science, faith remains: " I hope the Lord has a plan for me that can serve the good of the Church." A plan that could come precisely from the testimony of fragility. "I would like to bring my experience to parishes. Even in my condition, I can bear witness." And for this, he concludes, "I continue to pray."

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