Father Inestal, builder of the 90 years of the Diocese
Father Esteban Inestal is one of those priests who endure for his affection, joy and good advice. He was born in 1932 in Córdoba and died in 2010.
Due to a physical problem, he was five feet tall, short in stature but huge in heart. He was “a priest and a half,” as he is still called. He was the great protagonist of the 90 years of the Diocese, particularly in the time of Monsignor Angelelli.
Cordoban, mischievous, intelligent, sociable, he came to La Rioja because due to his height it was unlikely that he would be ordained a priest in his native diocese. Monsignor Reinafé, bishop of La Rioja, offered him ordination there where he was a true shepherd with the smell of sheep. His tomb is located at the entrance of the Sacred Heart Church of Chilecito. On the tombstone there is always a flower and in front of it some faithful prayer. There he was parish priest between 1988 and 2005 when for health reasons he was transferred first to La Rioja city and then to Córdoba where he died 5 years later.
From the communication area of the Diocese they summoned Father Roberto Queirolo, a friend and priest who shared the pastorate with Father Inestal, Ana María Martínez de Franceschi, Cursillista and Circulista from Chilecito and together with her husband, a great friend of his and one of his several nephews: Cecilia Inestal, so that they could tell us about this great priest, builder and protagonist of the 90 years of the Diocese of La Rioja.
Father Queirolo is the one who calls him “Priest and a Half”, joking about his tiny stature of half a man and affirms that it is impossible to communicate all the richness of his personality. Very good in every sense, a luxury of a priest, he was the vicar general of Angelelli, parish priest of the Cathedral and of Chilecito where he founded the Youth Circles Movement and accompanied everyone, mainly the weddings.
When Monsignor Angelelli was murdered he made the lucid decision to seal the door to his room and office to prevent the armed forces from entering. He was very close to the bishop.
“As a priest he exceeded his service, the first to get up in the morning to open the temple, helping the sick, a great friend of his brother priests, he lived his priesthood fully, he was faithful to the bishop, very helpful. He laughed at himself about his height, he told me that it had been difficult for him to overcome that situation and take it as something typical of his person, he laughed with me and Julio Guzmán because we were tall, we made jokes; When I was sitting he was a little taller than me. To drive his car they had put a supplement on the pedals. At the time of the military trial they went with Rafael Sifre and Carlos Di Marco to Mendoza and they were imprisoned, mistreated, insulted and then released. At the same time he interceded for the location and release of many missing detainees from La Rioja. For that, he used his capacity for dialogue and managed whatever authority there was to achieve that objective. He is a specialist in generating links or rebuilding links. Accepted by everyone,” Queirolo said.
His niece Cecilia names him Uncle Esteban, worried about his family and tells us that his arrival always generated joy among her, her brothers and cousins. Extremely generous and at the same time austere in his things, his clothing. When he was at his house in Córdoba he went to celebrate mass at the Community of the Slave Sisters, whose school Cecilia and her sisters went to, he also prayed in his room.
Cecilia has several objects and priestly clothing from her uncle that she keeps as a relic and it was her parents who took care of him in the last years of his life when for health reasons, affected by Alzheimer’s, he could not continue in La Rioja.
Ana María or Ani knew him since she and her husband were very young, along with many others, they were the closest in their shepherding in Chilecito. They also have elements that were of their use.
“He was “a character”, a firm and cheerful temperament at the same time, a priest through and through, very conciliatory, strategist, supportive, he always left a lesson, a teaching. He has been a great sower who has changed the lives of many for the better. In times when young single pregnant women were judged badly, he responded by saying “it’s one less abortion.” He walked around with two little notebooks as an agenda and notebook and that’s why his tasks overlapped. He was capable of going without food himself to give to others. When he got angry he was firm and his homilies sometimes sounded loud. He settled many marriages, family disputes, he got everything the poorest people needed. He required the couples to show affection towards each other. He always gave enthusiasm to the Family Ministry, mainly to the Cursillistas and the Circulistas. He worked at Cáritas alongside the others, it seemed that his time was multiplied by everything he did and he also promoted priestly vocations,” the woman contributed.
