HONG KONG (SE): Brother Giovanni Marasi (馬흼볏錦却) of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions [PIME] is slated to leave Hong Kong on August 29 and retire to Lecco, northern Italy, where PIME has a home for aged and sick missionaries.
Brother Marasi is the last of the PIME lay missionaries in Hong Kong, a lineage that goes back to Luigi Tacchini [達基尼 (1825-1870)], who was part of the first group that travelled, first to Papua New Guinea, then to Hong Kong in 1858. Other dedicated lay missionaries include Marcello Puricelli [貝修士 (1843-1897)], Luigi Brambilla [彭時沛 (1905-1982)], Mario Colleoni [高利安(1910-1988)], Vittorio Polo [包羅之(1915-1984)], Adolfo Radice [華裏志(1917-1969)], Andrea Hausa [裘浩生 (1922-1982)] and Enrico Polli [保 亨利 (1937-1996)].
Born in Gallarate, northern Italy, in 1931, Brother Marasi completed three-years at vocational training school then, at the age of 14, began working in a watch repair workshop. At the same time, he attended a five-year evening school in Milan qualify for this profession. He settled in Gallarate, setting up a private business for neighbourhood retail shops.
At the age of 29 he joined the PIME. In Busto Arsizio, near Varese, he began his internship with the aim of becoming a lay missionary. After a year, he continued his formation at another PIME house taking a course on spirituality, history and the charism of the institute. After the year of formation, he served at two PIME houses. He was assigned to Hong Kong in 1970, but first went to England to study English for a year.
Coming to Hong Kong in 1971, he studied Cantonese and was assigned to the Caritas Social Centre in Tsuen Wan, where he remained until 1979. He was in charge of the vocational training school, where young people trained in various fields: electricity, mechanics, carpentry, repair of air conditioning appliances, and others.
Later he became director of the centre, which included an evening school, a male hostel and other facilities.
In 1979 he moved to Caritas House, on Caine Road. He oversaw of the maintenance and repair work in the various Caritas centres. He was also in charge of the mechanical workshop, where young people trained in car repair.
A real jack-of-all-trades, Brother Marasi could to repair a car as well as to cultivate a garden, restoring an old coffee machine to working order, as well as picking up needle and thread. Above all, in the various places where he lived and worked, he continued his old profession of repairing watches.
After retiring to PIME House in Hong Kong, he made himself useful to the community, in particular by enriching the table with fresh tomatoes and tasty papayas.
We thank him for all he has done in Hong Kong. As far as he could, he made himself useful, living in simplicity like his predecessors, making no fuss, but serving to the end. We wish him a pleasant stay in Italy together with other retired missionaries.
