«The difficulty - he wrote - facing us was when there were elderly of both sexes, poor and needy…. some­time also sick and above all abandoned, induced us to formulate our particular idea, to start a challenging but necessary work, to realize some social institution that Bronte did not have but particularly needed.»

To realize "his dream" he worked with tenacity and perseverance among economic difficulties, ostracism and obstacles of every kind, but he realized it only six years after: in 1965 the construction works were, in fact, completed.

In 1967, with the admission of the first seven elderly, was inaugurated the first unit of the Home dedicated to “San Vincenzo de’ Paoli” and, in subsequent years, with decision and tireless dedication, he brings it to the actual impressive and functional structure.

In 1984 his tireless social commitment obtains a small recognition: Giovanni Paolo II, in gratitude of his long and fecund apostolate at the Church’ service, nominates him his domestic prelate with the title of Monsignor.
At eighty three years of age, in 1989, he retired from his office of parish and archpriest and went to live for good in the Rest Home that he had founded. He chose to dedicate to the elderly the last years of his life.

He dies during the morning of the 14th of July 1997 struck by a heart attack.

The solemn funeral was celebrated in the Main Church with a great participation of Bronte’s inhabitants; the function was presided by the archbishop Bommarito and attended by all Bronte’s clergy and many priests of Catania’s Dioceses. He was buried in Bronte in the clergy’s cemetery Chapel.

With the decree of the 22nd of June 1997, mons. Bommarito de­cided to call the Rest Home “Casa di riposo Vincenzo de' Paoli - Padre Antonino Marcantonio".

On the 29th of June 2004, in the Rest Home’s garden, in the pre­sence of institutional authorities, Catania’s metropolitan archbishop, Mons.Salvatore Cristina, shall unveil an artistic and imposing monument in his memory.

The stages of the Home construction

19th of July 1959: father Marcantonio, years since he had been back in Bronte, on the occasion of San Vincenzo de’ Paoli‘s feast, launched the idea of realizing a house for the needy elderly.
His initial project was very simple: find “some well off family who would offer a house”, with his own commitment "to find what was necessary to furnish it and maintain all the daily needs”.

But the proposal fell on deaf ears, nobody offered a house.

He thought then to raise funds for the purchase of a plot whe­re to build it, pressing for the collaboration and solida­rity of everybody with a clever and very simple idea: The “Fio­re che non marcisce” (non decaying flower).

A simple printed card (the "cartella") with which, on occa­sion of funerals, would be possible to donate a small amount for the construction of the Rest Home “instead of the traditional and costly wreaths". His idea was well recei­ved and had success: very few the funerals with flowers and wreaths (to the point of dismissing its use), many in­stead the offers that relatives and friend of the defunct paid in favour of this initiative.

18th of July, 1962: There comes an occasion to purchase a plot in Colla-Zottofondo district, belonging to the late priest Giuseppe Margaglio.
At the price of L. 2.700.000, all the money raised in precedent years, selling funeral cards. Predisposed a Statute’s draft, approved by the diocesan clerical authorities, the name chosen for the structure was: “Casa di riposo per anziani ed inabili al lavoro “ (Rest Home for the elderly and the disabled).

One month later, after having paid what was due to the sharecropper who was hol­ding the property (L. 50.000), father Marcantonio gets possession of the land.

The 22nd of October, in the Zottofondo’s steep and stony land, a bulldozer starts to work.
There wasn’t enough money for the job and even among the clergy there were cla­shes, jalousies and concealed ostracisms. “They wanted to impose - writes father Marcantonio - the abandonment, as some­body was saying, of a dangerous project”. "….but they found on their hand a rather hard bone to nibble and one that they couldn’t easily digest”.

Father Marcantonio got a project drawn by the surveyor Luigi Catania and, on the 5th of January, 1963 applied for a contribute from the Region. "On our own, - he writes – and against the protester’s will, without a penny on hand we decided to start the construction….

Once he had in his hands the Decree related to the contribute of L. 10.000.000, the 1st of July, 1963 the work started.” "… We had to fight on a double front: on one side we had to look for the necessary money from banks and private donors, to be able to pay the workers , on the other we had to face the malicious gossip and the wickedness of the people hurled against us”.

At the end of 1965, at the cost of about 27 millions lire the works, (containing 20 beds), were completed. After the test, the Region supplied the promised sum of L. 9.980.000. But remained the debts, and the Home couldn’t start operating yet as heating and all the neces­sary equipment were not available.

The work wasn’t yet finished. “Father archpriest”, (as the people called father Marcantonio), kept on raising funds and sell burial cards.

At the end of 1966 he sends to Bronte’s families a copy of the books he had kept: income L. 20.096.015, expenditure L. 26.402.205, debit balance L. 6.306.190 (of which L. 3.260.105 bank interest!). The tireless archpriest get to work again: he wants the Home to be operating soon.

He creates a Committee and, on the 4th of May 1967, launches an “Appeal –Pro­clamation” to all the people of Bronte, addressing a warm and urgent invitation «to the generous souls so that everybody, according to each’s means, could give his contribute, large and generous, for purchasing whatever needed…,  …subscriptions in money or in things necessary to furnishing».

In the meantime, with courage and tenacity, continues to work for the Home: The beds are increased to thirty, the lighting and heating systems are completed, some furniture has been bought.

«During May, June and July, - writes father Marcantonio - the work is proceeding orga­nically, with no stops, always with the same method:  “First do the work and pay for it, then ask for contributions and pay the debts”». «… Not having money on hand, we had to approach the banks, ...and private donors to borrow some money and nobody ever ventilated any refusal».

Only the Archpriest Marcantonio took all the responsibility related to borrowings; to the other members of the Committee he had assured «that they would, never, or for any reason», be involved in economic matters. There were four months of hard work and collections from the generous people of Bronte.

With the comprehension, the solidarity and the liking of all the people, that grew day by day.

The 15th of October 1967, in the presence of Catania’s Archbishop Mons. Benti­voglio, The Home was finally inaugurated. The dream of  “father archpriest” was final­ly realized, the courageous work was all done and the social and welfare activity began with the admission of the first seven elderly people: Pecorino Nunzia of 87 years of age, Cristoforo Russo of 62 years.
The Home was built with the contribution of all the people from Bronte’s and other benefactors, the donations at the end reached nearly 90% of the total expenditure.

During the same month, with the usual bulletin sent to the families, father Marcan­tonio, while summarily remaking the “history of the Home”, addressed to the people his «hearth felt thanks», urging them again «not to forget the needy old people on occasion of feasts, as name days, christenings, weddings…»  and also on sad circumstances « to buy and urging friends and acquaintances to buy the funeral cards distributed by the “Rest Home” itself».

In only three months , by Christmas 1967, the number of the admitted reached twenty and, soon after, the foreseen thirty beds were all occupied.

Ten years later the available beds were increased to sixty.