Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Blessed Feast Day

Today is the feast of Blessed Timothy Giaccardo (for our Pauline Family--it's not on the Universal calendar). Born Giuseppe Giaccardo, he met our Founder during the brief time (less than a year!) that Alberione, newly ordained, was assigned to a parish. It was the little parish of Narzole, Italy, where "Joseph" was a fervent little altar boy. (The image of Giaccardo in priestly vestments is from a new side altar in that same parish Church.) The Giaccardo family could never afford to educate their son beyond the village school, so Alberione sponsored his tuition in the minor seminary--and the bishop assigned Alberione himself to be the spiritual director for the candidates and seminarians. Giaccardo was the first priest of the Pauline Family, even before the Founder himself. The Founder was already ordained, but was technically a diocesan priest; Giaccardo was ordained as a member of the Society of St. Paul--even though, technically speaking, the Society of St. Paul did not even exist as a recognized religious congregation! (The saintly bishop Re managed to overlook more than one canonical issue with regard to our Founder, whom he knew to be led by the Holy Spirit.)
There's a wonderful "coincidence" between today's feast and the first Mass reading assigned to this day in Ordinary Time. The emblem of the Pauline Family, in use since Giaccardo's day, features this Latin motto: "Ut innotescant per ecclesiam sapientia Dei. " It's from St. Paul to the Ephesians. And you'll hear it at Mass today: "That through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known." The very mission of the Pauline Family!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If my memory serves me correctly, I went to visit the tomb of Blessed Timothy Giaccardo with you in Rome. mom

Unknown said...

I love "religious family feast days" They give us one more chance to celebdrate God's abundant love for us...The story of Blessed Timothy is wonderful...Those were the days...a similar connection...Hecker, founder of the Paulists heard our holy Founder speak at Vatican I and was so taken buy St. Claret's (Octber 24 - tomorrow) missionary message he came back to the States and founded the Paulists! We are all so wonderfully connected by the grace of God! Happy Feast Day to the Pauline Family!
Fr. Fred, CMF
(Hi! Mom in Metairie)

Anonymous said...

Hi, Father Fred, God bless you abundantly, wf