Carlo Maria Gentile was born in the city of Turin in northern Italy on July 22, 1955, the fourth child of Renzo and Margherita. Among his siblings are his elder sister Beatrice, elder brothers Valerio and Gianni, and his younger sister Caterina.
When he was 15 years old, through his brothers, he came into contact with a lively group of young people, the Gen,1 in the Italian region of Piedmont who, as Christians, wanted to make their contribution to the wave of change that the year 1968 had brought about.
He immediately felt an inner drive to give himself to God as a focolarino2 and to commit himself, as he wrote to Chiara Lubich in 1971, to become “saints together.” He asked her for a “word of life” that would help him to “better give his life to Jesus Forsaken [on the cross],” and Chiara responded by suggesting that he make his own the words of one of the “Gen Sayings,” a booklet well known to the young people of the Movement at the time: “Sorrow is the only thing rejected by the world and the only thing with which one fills oneself with God.” The following year, Carlo confided to her that these words made him experience a special presence of Mary because he felt that “every encounter with Jesus Forsaken is an encounter with Her.” Chiara answered him: “It is Mary who leads us to God and guides us along His way.”
In the meantime, he continued to radically live the Gen adventure, working with his father and brothers in the small family sporting goods company and studying Economics at the university.
In 1981, he left for the formation school for focolarinos in Loppiano, near Florence (Italy). Writing to his zone director, he confided one of his reflections: “Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene because she was the one he loved the most… I have always had a special affection for this saint, because I feel she is very close to me, and I was born on her feast day.”
Many remember him “at work at the bar in Loppiano.” He was attentive to each of his companions, building profound relationships that have remained “always alive.”
At the end of the school of formation for focolarinos, he made a great leap into a reality unknown to him, that of the Asian continent. He stayed for 7 years in the Focolare center of Hong Kong, where he worked in a bank, and then from 1990 to 2019 in various Focolare centers in the Philippines, with different responsibilities and assignments, including the New City magazine and various social projects born from the spirit of the Focolare.
In 1984, he wrote: “Of course, I have a lot to learn from the Chinese people, from their way of doing things, but I have seen that the Ideal paves the way and makes everything easier. Then, living with three Chinese focolarinos, I’m more than ever in the right place…”
Giuseppe Arsì wrote from the Philippines: “If I had to define Carlo in just one word, I would say that he was a focolarino, a true ‘evangelical child,’ who knew how to make himself one with everyone, always lively, cheerful and smiling! This is how so many people from the Work of Mary in Asia remember him! Carlo also loved to speak his mind with frankness and sincerity, but he always knew how to reconcile with others, asking others to start again with him! Even the serious accident he had in Manila in October 2018, while descending the stairs of the Focolare center to open the gate for a visitor, was a consequence of his desire to love concretely. I was able to follow Carlo’s long hospital stay and his convalescence. It was touching to see with how much love, and sometimes even humor, he agreed to undergo all the treatments. One of his favorite phrases in those days that he repeated often, in Tagalog: ‘OK na lang…’ (It’s OK…’) to say that he was accepting anything that needed to be done! In the last phone conversation I had with him about a month ago, I sensed that he was really happy. Now I understand: he was ready to meet Jesus!”
Let us read a few more lines from his correspondence with Chiara during those years: “I have tried to overcome them (the difficult moments) by loving Jesus Forsaken, so that little by little He is becoming, I hope, everything for me...” (1995); “… due to various circumstances, many of the elements that had helped me to build unity with my people over the years have crumbled… I understood that the moment had come to leave everything to God…” (2002).
In 2019, Carlo spent time in the little town of the Focolare in Loppiano and, in the following year, he moved to the Center of the Movement in Castelli Romani (Italy), where he worked in the administrative offices of the international center.
On June 26, 2022, Ángel Bartol and other focolarinos staying with Carlo broke the news of his passing:
“Dear friends, this morning, Carlo Gentile left suddenly for heaven… This morning, after going for a walk and for Mass, we found him lying on the sofa. He seemed to be asleep but later, we realized that he had left for heaven. The doctors came and found that he had suffered from cardiac arrest while sleeping…”
We share the same sentiments of Ángel and the focolarinos of his focolare in the wake of Carlo’s passage to the next life: “Together, we believe in God’s love that has presented itself in a surprising way for Carlo and for all of us… We continue living together “You are our only good.”3 Surely, our Lady and Chiara have already welcomed him to Paradise.”
Carlos Mana
Here are some more testimonials that show us who Carlo has been for the people who knew him.
Those who have known Carlo know how much his personality attracted attention: open, joyful, outgoing, resolute… he always had something to say, to share… with a love for others that made him never give up any relationship, especially with those who were suffering or in difficulty. He did not miss an opportunity to communicate what he was living or what he had lived in so many years of giving his life as a focolarino to the countless people he met and who, for sure, felt loved by him.
After the serious incident in 2018, he would sometimes have some strong reactions that he could not avoid. He understood this, and we with him, and he would then always apologize if he felt he had lacked charity with such purity of heart.
Even the many questions he asked, driven by his natural curiosity that had been purified over the years, had become a method for deepening relationships with a sincere interest in others. He often said that when he went out to dinner with someone, the thing he liked best was to be able to share in depth about his own life, as when we celebrated the birthdays of three fellow focolarinos last March, also with the wives of our married focolarinos.
In the last few days, he seemed to be more serene and joyful than usual: he took every opportunity to thank us for the small gestures of care we could offer him, especially after the eye operation he recently had.
Since Ángel had returned from a trip to Latin America, we would stay a while at dinner time, talking about experiences, about the life of the communities he had encountered. Carlo would enjoy listening to each story and he would say “How beautiful, thank you.” One had the impression that Carlo took everything with great solemnity.
Thank you, Carlo. We thank you for your joyful giving of your life, your fraternal love, your overwhelming desire to share, your empathic closeness… Now you no longer need to ask questions; perhaps you already know the answers.
Angelo Spinosa
Carlo was an “angel” even while on earth. That’s how I can describe him when I speak about him in relation to the different moments we shared with the NetOne group here in Manila. In 2004, around 30 members of our national media which included journalists, directors, writers, and creative producers from different networks joined the NetOne conference in Castelgandolfo (Italy). Since then, we have become good friends and continued our get-togethers. Carlo was often present in those noisy and critically provocative dinners which were truly family moments of non-stop joking and hearty laughter. He cared deeply for what was happening to our country, and especially our people. Although some of his statements needed some digesting, he was actually providing us with insights into how we can view circumstances from the eyes of God. Carlo eventually became the go-to guy for our friends not only for communications or political discussions but for personal inspirational conversations as well.
I treasure my personal relationship with Carlo. During the encounters when I sort of reported to him what was happening to our country and what we were doing. He gave me the affirmation I often needed with a simple wave of his hand. His was a tangible support of a loving brother. And I want to thank you, dearest Carlo, for your love. I am so happy to have had the chance to say goodbye before he left for Italy. I remember telling Carlo that I’ve been on my knees praying for his recovery and that I was overjoyed to see him well after his accident because that night, he didn’t skip a beat — teasing and provoking as always. To our special “angel” now in heaven, thank you for practicing extreme patience with our rambunctious bunch while on earth. For that, our NetOne boys Billy, Eddy, Rey, Boy and Leo must have prepared a special welcome for you.
Jan Co Chua
Dear Carlo, thank you for being so thoughtful of the Gen, especially those who are striving to live a better life. You remembered me when Super Typhoon Yolanda swept over our province and, a year after that, you suggested that I go and make an experience in the Focolare’s school of formation for youth in Loppiano. I knew you cared a lot; you knew I needed that recovery. Every time we got a chance to talk, it would always end in laughter as you were always that joyful soul. You simply wanted to check if my trajectory was always for “growth.”
I remember how worried I was coming home to the Philippines and not finding a job, but then you listened to my pitch to make the New City website. You saw talent and desire in me, even if I never really was a developer yet. You gave me a chance in life. This is what I always try to pay forward… to always give a chance to other people… to always seek for the best in people and to always be better. You and I shared the same paradigm of “try it first and we’ll see…” You weren’t afraid to experiment and take risks. And I can say that if you hadn’t worked with me like that, we wouldn’t have possibly created anything significant. I also remember our coffee moments and “eat what’s inside the fridge” moments in the men’s Focolare center in Quezon City.
You didn’t only fill our stomachs but also filled our souls with your witty yet soulful stories while we had coffee and biscuits. It wasn’t scary to try and be a good person around you, and it wasn’t boring to be a good person because of your openness and humor. It’s sad that you won’t be around physically anymore. No more jokes or calls that felt like prank calls, or technical calls about new Internet technologies. You will be missed a lot. Anyhow, I know that wherever you are, you are bringing with you the joy you lived here with us. Our friendship will remain even if you’re far away… Thank you for all the fun and challenging moments together, capo! Till we meet again.
Edward Illustrisimo
Carlo was a great beloved friend, an elder brother, and a close companion with whom I lived together for some years. I’ve known him since 1981 and we immediately became best of friends.
When all of us would think the same way to solve something or to give the best answer we thought would have been the best, he would give us another option and another solution or idea that would be much better than what we thought was already the best.
He was a real radical person as he was all for God, with God and of God. He knew how to speak his mind yet, due to his many years of residency in Asia, he learned how to express his opinion in the Asian way so as not to offend anybody.
Every time I would have some discussions on the negativity of a person or a celebrity we both knew, he would always encourage me to find the positive in that person.
His generosity was unparalleled when our community would need something essential. Yet he could become harder than titanium and would not even move an inch or give a single centavo when the needs are superficial!
His compassion for anyone who might be suffering or simply in distress was unsurpassable. I always consider him as my measure when helping others, which is unconditional in loving and giving without measure.
His desire for God was such that it would seem that even his life was never enough, the life he had already given to Him.
Robert Samson
1 Refers to the young people of the Focolare Movement who are committed to living the charism of unity and sharing it with other youth.
2 A man who has consecrated his life to God, following Chiara in the vocation to the focolare, living in community in the midst of the world.
3 Refers to a sentence used by Chiara Lubich and shared with the members of Focolare, expressing a radical choice of Jesus Forsaken as the only Ideal in life. It is based on Psalm 16: 2, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
