Caprino Says Farewell to Nuns Who Led Local Nursery for Over a Century
The Sisters of Mercy depart from Caprino, who were the protagonists of the battle over the nursery schools that erupted in the town when the first red administration broke the series of post-war Christian Democratic governments. A story reminiscent of Peppone and Don Camillo, now seen with a smile, as the town laments the farewell of the nuns, but at the time it sparked fierce passions.
Transformation of the nursery and local resistances
“In 1975, there was a political shift in Caprino,” writes Vasco Senatore Gondola in his Caprinese memoirs. “The leadership of the Municipal Council shifted fromDemocrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy) to a coalition of left-wing parties.” The town considered making the nursery, which till then was run by the nuns, a public institution. That year, the structure hosted 120 children divided into four sections.
It was a parent-led mobilization, guided by a teacher, that blocked the Municipality’s initiative. “In reality, the surprise was brewing beneath the ashes,” Gondola continues. “On October 6, 1976, news arrived that the nursery had been nationalized, and four lay teachers were ready to replace the nuns. It was a bolt from the blue, a sudden move.”
The parents protested and demonstrated, but there was little they could do. The Superintendent’s Office granted only a short extension, but the nuns would eventually have to leave. Frustrated, the parents, together with the parish priest and the nuns, decided to establish an alternative private kindergarten. Thus, the San Pancrazio kindergarten was born, which still exists today and has, in the past couple of years, also become a nursery.
History and activities of the religious order in Caprino
It was in 1895 when the first two sisters of the order founded by Lavinia Mondin arrived in Caprino to care for the sick and children. Over a hundred years, many anecdotes have emerged. The order experienced World War II, with raids. In 1944, the Germans invaded the basements of the then orphanage, suspecting there might be a partisan hiding there. Upon seeing the children eating, apparently startled, they apologized and left.
The town, after surviving the war, expanded and grew. In 1929, Adele Stringa, widow Spada, donated her villa to the Congregation to create an orphanage. The structure operated until 1969, when it was transformed into the current retirement home for the elderly, Villa Spada.
Yet, the nuns also cared for patients at the hospital, which was established in 1934 in a former Franciscan friars’ convent, later expanded and brought to its current dimensions. The four remaining nuns manage the kindergarten, nursery, and occasionally serve at the Villa Spada retirement home. They have been recalled to the motherhouse.
Current situation and farewell to the nuns
“A shortage of vocations,” explains don Pietro Maroldi, parish priest of Caprino. “A problem affecting all religious institutes in the Verona area, forced to use the few available nuns to manage the main institutions. For us, for our community, it is a significant loss.” The official farewell to Sister Liapierina Micheloni, Sister Liachiara Griggio, Sister Iva Plazza, and Sister Gemmina will take place today at 8 PM during a special mass at the parish church of Caprino, with the presence of local authorities.
During the ceremony, complimentary copies of Senatore Gondola’s book dedicated to the nuns will be distributed. “The various Mother Superiors have kept a diary, a sort of register, in which they recorded the significant events of the religious women’s lives and the community’s life,” explains don Maroldi.