"Dr Ecay, the hospital doctor, once asked him: "Mr Zatti, how do you always stay in a good mood?" To which Zatti replied: 'It's easy, doctor: swallow bitter and spit sweet.

Having a cheerful face and responding with humour, even in the most difficult circumstances, stems from a heart that is at peace with God and feels loved by Him, that knows how to relativise situations, identifying the essential.

Perhaps Mr Zatti could have responded with something focused on the theology of religious life to that person sending his greetings to his wife... but his response was different. He also understood that the vocation of the Salesian coadjutor is a little more unknown and misunderstood, sometimes even with a lack of social recognition given the value society has of the figure of the priest. But this neither worries nor saddens Zatti. He understands that the essential thing continues to be 'people' - Da mihi animas, caetera tolle - and their well-being, and he dedicates himself to them.

The nurses who sometimes caught him at 5.30 a.m., before prayer with the Salesian community, prostrate in the chapel with his face pressed to the ground in deep prayer, know where Zatti found the strength to continue along the sometimes bumpy and difficult path of service to others."

Source: Infoans