Cantù – Mariano
Mercoledì 17 Gennaio 2024
Cantù. Many people close to the Tozzo family, who lost their daughter in the lake tragedy. Don Afker’s thanks on their behalf for their participation. She will rest next to her mother in Calabria.
Christian Galimberti
Pain and disorientation. The funeral: farewell to Tiziana. The crowd says goodbye to her. Family, friends, acquaintances. “There is a large participation of many people – emphasized at the beginning of the funeral mass by don Giovanni Afker – as a sign of gratitude, the esteem they had for Tiziana. This participation is happening in a sort of astonishment for the dramatic events that suddenly happened to a woman full of love for her son, full of attention to those close to her.”
The astonishment is for Tiziana Tozzo, 45 years old. Who tragically passed away on a Saturday evening with Morgan Algeri, 38 years old, from Brembate Sopra. A dinner at the restaurant, in Intimiano. And then to the parking lot at the end of Viale Geno, with a view of the lake. Where the car, due to a technical problem or mistake, started at full power from the parking lot and ended up in the cold water of Lake Como. On the day of the funeral – yesterday, from 3 pm – on the parvis of the Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Miracoli, it seems difficult to forget the marble bench moved by the recently purchased SUV. The iron railing knocked down. The vehicle in the water: Tiziana and Morgan unable to save themselves. Close to the 14-year-old boy, there is the family: brothers, sisters, the 14-year-old son. On the other side of Italy, in Calabria, there are those waiting for the arrival of the coffin. “The coffin – recalled don Afker, representative for the parish of San Paolo – will head towards the places of origin, where Tiziana will be welcomed by her father who could not see her, but who is welcoming her with all the possible anticipation.”
In the village where she was born, in Canolo, in Reggio Calabria, Tiziana will rest next to her mother, who passed away a couple of years ago. There are no words from the family. Only silence and tears. And truly a lot of gratitude for the many present. To the point that a thought is entrusted to don Afker: “The family thanks for the participation, for the perception of this closeness in such a dramatic moment,” says the priest. The colleagues from Bolton. There are colleagues from Bolton Alimentari in Cermenate, where Tiziana worked as a factory worker: they burst into tears. Colleagues. Lifelong friendships. Someone walks down the central aisle to reach the coffin and leave a caress on the wood under which Tiziana rests. Others repeat the gesture after the coffin has been placed in the funeral car. “Is God really on our side? A question that troubles us,” said don Afker. “The answer is that there is no greater love than giving one’s life for one’s friends. “I have called you friends”: I think Jesus will say the same to Tiziana. Love is only part of God’s plan: the other part is the empty tomb that makes us believe in someone who is alive, who has passed beyond death. Where we have not found answers with our minds, let us open our hearts: Jesus died and rose again.” And he concluded: “Let us continue to hear these words of Jesus: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” God, help us to begin to think of Tiziana within the very life of God. In this celebration of sadness and suffering, let us begin to receive something from above. Even when a life is interrupted like this, God has not stopped loving you.”
