Mario Pantaleo
Encyclopedia
José Mario Pantaleo was an Italian priest who lived most of his life in Argentina. He is known as Padre Mario. He was well known for the healings of thousands as well as for the construction of a foundation in González Catán
, Buenos Aires Province
, which includes among other things free health care and education up to college level.
, Tuscany
, to Ida Melani and Enrico Pantaleo. His father was a successful businessman, though much of the Pantaleo family's wealth was lost as a result of World War I
. In February 1927, Mario, who already had endured a terrible bout of pneumonia
that almost cost his life, and his family emigrated to Cordoba, Argentina
, where Enrico's brother had business interests.
Enrico's entrepreneurships didn't work out in Argentina, so in 1931 the family returned to Italy. At that time, Mario already knew his destiny: to be a priest.
On December 3, 1944, Jose Mario Pantaleo completed his studies in the seminary of Mattera.
Without a fixed destiny in his homeland, and bearing in mind that Cardinal
Antonio Caggiano, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina, had asked the Pope
for more clergymen, he went to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
for counsel. He encouraged Mario, saying, "Go my son, you're following your destiny. You have also been chosen for a singular mission."
Pantaleo returned to Argentina in 1948 and lived there the rest of his life.
. He would be the vicar
of the church San Pedro in Casilda; a year later he would be reallocated to the church of la Guardia in Rosario
and then to the small town of Aceval.
At the end of 1951 he was named chaplain
of the Hospital Provincial de Rosario. There he would meet three people who would have strong bonds with him for the rest of his life: Juan Lo Celso, director of the hospital, a young physician called Escalante de Larrechea and Perla Garaveli. Perla met Padre Mario when she went to see him because of cancer in her uterus
. That day, without asking Padre Mario for anything, he noticed her and cured her.
She recalls saying:
To which Padre Mario replied:
, an old passion of his. He wrote a letter to Antonio Caggiano asking him for the transfer. He was put in charge of the Hospital Ferrioviario. It was at this time that the legend began as he would cure people at a small apartment in the neighborhood of Floresta. People would line up long hours to be seen by the priest from Pistoia.
With his small savings (but huge dreams), he bought a piece of land in the Gonzales Catan area to build a house and a church. Gonzales Catan was then a forgotten place with small houses but that would change as the years passed.
Rich and poor would travel to Gonzalez Catan looking for Padre Mario to help cure them. There has been hundreds of testimonies during the years including high profile people as historian Félix Luna
, businesswoman María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat
, as well as former Argentine presidents Carlos Menem
and Arturo Frondizi
.
Always having a strong faith, he would say of himself (when healing others) to be a "guitar" to be played by the "guitarist" referring to his relationship with God in which he was only an instrument of God's will.
to college
level. In 2006 the college celebrated its first graduate. The Pantaleo school has the objective of giving González Catán youth the possibility to work at a higher level and thus help the whole community to develop.
, a well-known Argentine filmmaker, decided in 2006 to make a movie about the life of Padre Mario called Las Manos. Although it was not a biographical movie it strove to show the spirit of Padre Mario. It starred famous Argentinian actors Jorge Marrale
as Padre Mario and Graciela Borges
as Perla. The movie was very well received by the critics and spectators. It was the best Argentine movie that year and people who knew Padre Mario (including Perla) stated the fidelity of the movie in portraying his life and spirit.
of Padre Mario.
González Catán
González Catán is a city located in La Matanza Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The city is the second-largest by area in the county , and the second most-populous.It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conurbation....
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, which includes among other things free health care and education up to college level.
Childhood and studies
Jose Mario Pantaleo was born in PistoiaPistoia
Pistoia is a city and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno.-History:...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, to Ida Melani and Enrico Pantaleo. His father was a successful businessman, though much of the Pantaleo family's wealth was lost as a result of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In February 1927, Mario, who already had endured a terrible bout of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
that almost cost his life, and his family emigrated to Cordoba, Argentina
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, where Enrico's brother had business interests.
Enrico's entrepreneurships didn't work out in Argentina, so in 1931 the family returned to Italy. At that time, Mario already knew his destiny: to be a priest.
On December 3, 1944, Jose Mario Pantaleo completed his studies in the seminary of Mattera.
Without a fixed destiny in his homeland, and bearing in mind that Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Antonio Caggiano, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina, had asked the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
for more clergymen, he went to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Pio of Pietrelcina
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina was a Capuchin priest from Italy who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He was born Francesco Forgione, and given the name Pio when he joined the Capuchins; he was popularly known as Padre Pio after his ordination to the priesthood. He became famous for his ...
for counsel. He encouraged Mario, saying, "Go my son, you're following your destiny. You have also been chosen for a singular mission."
Pantaleo returned to Argentina in 1948 and lived there the rest of his life.
Early life in Argentina
His first destination in Argentina was the province of Santa FeSanta Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
. He would be the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of the church San Pedro in Casilda; a year later he would be reallocated to the church of la Guardia in Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
and then to the small town of Aceval.
At the end of 1951 he was named chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the Hospital Provincial de Rosario. There he would meet three people who would have strong bonds with him for the rest of his life: Juan Lo Celso, director of the hospital, a young physician called Escalante de Larrechea and Perla Garaveli. Perla met Padre Mario when she went to see him because of cancer in her uterus
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
. That day, without asking Padre Mario for anything, he noticed her and cured her.
She recalls saying:
To which Padre Mario replied:
Miracles and life in González Catán
In 1958 Padre Mario decided to travel to Buenos Aires to study philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, an old passion of his. He wrote a letter to Antonio Caggiano asking him for the transfer. He was put in charge of the Hospital Ferrioviario. It was at this time that the legend began as he would cure people at a small apartment in the neighborhood of Floresta. People would line up long hours to be seen by the priest from Pistoia.
With his small savings (but huge dreams), he bought a piece of land in the Gonzales Catan area to build a house and a church. Gonzales Catan was then a forgotten place with small houses but that would change as the years passed.
Rich and poor would travel to Gonzalez Catan looking for Padre Mario to help cure them. There has been hundreds of testimonies during the years including high profile people as historian Félix Luna
Félix Luna
Félix Luna was a prominent Argentine writer, lyricist and historian.-Life and times:Luna was born in Buenos Aires to a family originally from La Rioja Province, in 1925...
, businesswoman María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat
María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat
María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat is a prominent Argentine executive and philanthropist.-Life and times:María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat was born in 1921 to a prominent Argentine family; a grandfather, Federico Lacroze, developed Buenos Aires' first tramway line, in the 1880s...
, as well as former Argentine presidents Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
and Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ercoli was the President of Argentina between May 1, 1958, and March 29, 1962, for the Intransigent Radical Civic Union.-Early life:Frondizi was born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes Province...
.
Always having a strong faith, he would say of himself (when healing others) to be a "guitar" to be played by the "guitarist" referring to his relationship with God in which he was only an instrument of God's will.
Foundation
The Obra del Padre Mario foundation is known for its vast community services and social actions developed because of the extraordinary capacity to love its founder, Padre Mario. Its main areas of action are health, education, the handicapped, the community, culture and sports.Health
Seventy-two percent of González Catán's population lives in poverty, and public health can't cope with the estimated 550,000 requests for medical attention every year. In this context the Policlinic Cristo Caminante of the foundation has become an invaluable resource for the general population and especially poor people and young children.Education
As Padre Mario said, what children receive in a classroom is something that will last a lifetime. The Pantaleo school provides education from KindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
level. In 2006 the college celebrated its first graduate. The Pantaleo school has the objective of giving González Catán youth the possibility to work at a higher level and thus help the whole community to develop.
Movie
Alejandro DoriaAlejandro Doria
Alejandro Doria was a noted Argentine cinema and television director.-Life and work:Born in Buenos Aires in 1936, he first worked for Argentine television in 1965 as a writer for a local variety show, Show rambler....
, a well-known Argentine filmmaker, decided in 2006 to make a movie about the life of Padre Mario called Las Manos. Although it was not a biographical movie it strove to show the spirit of Padre Mario. It starred famous Argentinian actors Jorge Marrale
Jorge Marrale
Jorge Marrale is a well-known Argentine actor.-Life and work:Marrale was born in Buenos Aires' industrial Barracas section to a Spanish mother and an Italian father , in 1947...
as Padre Mario and Graciela Borges
Graciela Borges
Graciela Borges is an Argentine television and film actress.She has been working in the Argentine cinema and television since her first role in the film Zafra ....
as Perla. The movie was very well received by the critics and spectators. It was the best Argentine movie that year and people who knew Padre Mario (including Perla) stated the fidelity of the movie in portraying his life and spirit.
Legacy
Padre Mario's legacy lives on in his foundation and the thousands he cured. His foundation helps to improve the quality of life of the region. Devotion for Padre Mario has not faded. There are hundreds who prayed to Padre Mario for help in an illness and have been cured, and there are several books with testimonies. Perla Garavelli is currently seeking the beatificationBeatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
of Padre Mario.