Don Antonio Mazzi dies at 96: farewell to the founder of the Exodus Community.

Don Antonio Mazzi, founder of the Exodus Community and one of the most renowned figures in Italian social work, has died at the age of 96. He died in Milan at 5:00 PM, as announced by the Exodus Foundation, which has lost its historic figurehead.

Born in Verona in 1929, Don Mazzi dedicated his life to the most vulnerable, becoming a symbol of the battle against addiction, youth hardship, and marginalization. A priest, educator, journalist, and activist, he was among the leaders in the emergence of a new approach to social recovery, based on listening, relationships, and the possibility of starting over.

In 1984, he founded Exodus in Milan's Parco Lambro, launching a traveling educational project with the "Exodus Caravan," which over the years has become a national network of communities, day centers, and facilities for young people and families in difficulty.

His mission was never simply to provide assistance, but to restore dignity and a future to those who had lost their bearings. To thousands of young people, he was a father, a guide capable of combining firmness and affection, always convinced that no story was definitively sealed.

"Don Antonio taught us to walk, often against the wind, but always together," recalled the children and educators of the Exodus Foundation. "He always told us that 'young people are not vessels to be filled, but fires to be lit.' Today, that fire is entrusted to us."

A phrase that encapsulates the thoughts of a man who transformed his vocation into a daily commitment in the field, close to the most vulnerable. "The truest way to say thank you will be to continue getting our hands dirty on the streets, welcoming everyone who knocks on our door with the same smile he welcomed us with," the community added.