Milan declares day of mourning for Don Antonio Mazzi, founder of Exodus, dead at 96
Don Antonio Mazzi, the priest and educator who created the Exodus network of recovery communities, died on 31 July at 17:00 in his home in Parco Lambro, Milan. The city will hold a day of mourning for his funeral on 3 August.
Death of a father figure
Don Antonio Mazzi died on 31 July at 17:00 in his home in Parco Lambro, Milan, at age 96. The news was confirmed by the Exodus Foundation.
- Born in Verona
- Founds the Exodus project in Parco Lambro, Milan
- Launches the Carovana Exodus, a journey with young people
- Foundation Exodus officially established
- Dies at 96 in Milan
- Funeral at Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan
Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala declared Monday 3 August a day of city mourning, with the civic flag at half-mast on all municipal buildings. Council president Elena Buscemi said the priest had spent his life for girls and boys in difficulty, and that Milan lost an authoritative personality.
A priest who spent his life and his mission for girls and boys in difficulty. With the death of Don Antonio Mazzi, Milan loses an authoritative personality and a point of reference for many in the city and in Italy.
A life built for the streets
Born in Verona in 1929, Mazzi lost his father as a child. He was ordained in the early 1950s but quickly chose the streets over the sacristy. In 1984, faced with the heroin epidemic, he founded the Exodus project inside Milan's Parco Lambro, an area then synonymous with the drug emergency. The project began with a caravan journey in 1985, a long trip involving young people from deviance and addiction, symbolising his belief that change comes through shared effort. By 1996 the project had become the Exodus Foundation, coordinating a growing network of residential communities.
A pioneering educational method
Mazzi's approach moved beyond therapy. He saw addiction as a symptom of a deeper unease, so his recovery path centred on education, personal responsibility and rebuilding daily life through work, sport, music, theatre and volunteering. Between 1962 and 1965 he deepened his studies in psychology, psycho-pedagogy and psychoanalysis at Rome, Milan and the University of Bologna, and later visited rehabilitation models in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Israel. His work earned him three honorary degrees in pedagogy: from the Universities of Palermo (1994), Lecce (1996) and Macerata (2004).
Vice-president Franco Taverna recalled:
Don Antonio loved to repeat that it was not he who saved the kids, but that it was his 'difficult kids' who saved him. Today the whole Exodus family gathers around his memory. We do not weep for him with resignation, but we will celebrate him, continuing to carry forward his mission with that same passion, determination and that healthy madness that he transmitted to us until the last day.
A television pulpit and public tributes
From the 1990s, Don Mazzi became a ubiquitous presence on Italian television, especially on Domenica In, where his rapid, blunt style turned him into a familiar face. He used the screen not for fame but as a modern pulpit, talking about families and young people unheard.
Mara Venier, the Domenica In host, posted a heartbroken message:
Singer Renato Zero shared a long tribute on Instagram, saying that Mazzi had "restored hope to its true value" and had always opened his door to the young people Zero referred to him.You too have left, my refuge, my dad. Thank you for loving me and for saving so many lives.
Don Antonio Mazzi has embarked on his Celestial Journey toward new life. He who saved so many lives. He who restored hope to its true value. Every time I knocked on his door he always went out of his way to offer his hospitality and support to those young people I referred to him. Thank you Antonio for your constant presence. For your kindness. For being an unfailing beacon in the nights of hardship and suffering. May the Lord reserve a special place beside Him. From your Renato with love!
Farewell
The viewing will be held at Cascina Molino Torrette, the historic Exodus headquarters in Parco Lambro, from 17:00 to 20:00 on Saturday 1 August, and from 9:00 to 12:00 and 17:00 to 20:00 on Sunday 2 August, without formalities "just as he would have liked." The funeral will take place on Monday 3 August at 15:00 in the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, described by Exodus as "a living liturgy, animated by songs, music and the words of the young people and educators of all Exodus realities in Italy and the world." The burial will be strictly private at the Abbey of Maguzzano near Brescia.
