Servant of God Giuseppe Girotti

On March 28, 2013, the Holy See announced that our brother, Fr. Giuseppe Girotti, OP, a Dominican priest from Italy, was recognized for his martyrdom: Servant of God Giuseppe Girotti, professed priest of the Order of Preachers. Born in Alba, Italy, on 19 July 1905 and killed in hatred of the faith in Dachau, Germany, in 1945. The stone marker above reads: “Here on the 19th of August 1944 was treasonously arrested Fr. Giuseppe Girotti, OP, for having aided the Jews.  Deported and died in Dachau on April 1, 1945.” The following description of the life of Servant of God, Fr. Girotti, is translated from the short Biography available on the Province of St. Dominic (Italy): Fr. Giuseppe Girotti was born in Alba on Juy 19, 1905 to a humble family, but esteemed for its hard work and good heart.  At thirteen years of age, he could realize his hope of becoming a priest by entering the Dominican Seminary of Chieri.  Brilliant in his studies, full of life, with a joyful disposition, in 1923 he made his religious profession at “La Querica”, at Viterbo, and on August 3, 1930, was ordained a priest at Chieri. He specialized at the famous “École Biblique” in Jerusalem, and was dedicated to the teaching of Sacred Scripture in the Dominican Theological Seminary at Turin (S. Maria delle Rose).  The fruit of the depth of his studies was the publication of a compete commentary on the Wisdom books and the Prophet Isaiah. Esteemed for his wide culture, he also loved to exercise the priestly ministry among the power and humble, especially in the hospital of the “Elderly Poor” near his convent.   But then came the years of suffering and trial, accepted in humility:  he was deprived of his teaching post and transferred to another community in the historical center of Turin.  Nevertheless, he continued his research in the biblical field, while intensifying the exercise of his charitable activities. All that I do is only for love, he said candidly once, leaving a glimpse of his continued progress in the virtue of charity. When the war broke out, he strove to assist the needy and  did not hesitate to aid in particular the persecuted Jews.  For these, he was arrested on August 29, 1944 and the stages of his incredible via crucis were: Le Nove, San Vittore, Bolzano, and eventually Dachau in Germany. Among the hardships in this camp, at the outskirts of Monaco, one also saw: humility, simplicity, prayer, conforting others, a spirit of sacrifice, and great altruism, guided by inexhaustible charity; he drew strength and vigor from the Eucharist and the holy Scriptures, which Fr. Girotti continued to deepen and to offer to his company of prisoners, as well as in the extermination camp. His holocaust was completed on Easter day, April 1, 1945, accompanied by a general feeling of both regret and veneration.