Blessed Joseph Giaccardo

Feast Day: October 22 Born: 1896 :: Died: 1948 Joseph Giaccardo was born at Narzole in Italy. His parents were hard-working farmers and Joseph grew up under their loving care. From his parents, he too learned to love the Catholic faith and the Church. Joseph specially prayed to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and to Mother Mary. He had a little statue of Mary on a shelf in his room. Joseph became an altar server at Mass when he was still in school. That is how he met a young priest who came to help at St. Bernard's church. The priest was about to begin a wonderful new religious order, the Society of St. Paul. His name was Father James Alberione. Joseph liked him very much. Father Alberione was impressed with Joseph too and guided Joseph in the spiritual life. Joseph told him that he would very much like to become a priest, but his parents were poor and could not afford to send him to the seminary. Fr. Alberione promised Joseph that he would help and with his parents blessings, the 18 year old Joseph joyfully entered the seminary in Alba to study for the priesthood. Ten years later, though still a seminarian, Joseph asked his bishop for permission to leave the seminary. He wanted to join Father Alberione's new order, the Society of St. Paul and the bishop halfheartedly allowed Joseph to go. Joseph took his vows and chose the name "Timothy" after the best loved disciple of St. Paul. Father Timothy was ordained two years later, the first priest in Father Alberione's new congregation, the Society of St. Paul which started in 1914. Father Timothy's work as a Pauline priest was to be a media apostle. He wrote, edited, printed and distributed the Word of God. They used modern ways of communication to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Some people did not understand the work of the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul. They wondered how priests, brothers and sisters could be publishers. How could they use media as their tools for communicating the Good News? Father Timothy helped people understand the marvelous vocation (work) of the Paulines. He carried out many responsible duties with courage and humility. He was also a great teacher of the priests and religious who joined their order. He served the Lord in northern Italy and in Rome as the Vicar General of the Society. He became Father Alberione's closest helper and friend. In fact, Father Alberione called Blessed Timothy "most faithful of the faithful." But he could not take over from Father Alberione as the founder had hoped. Father Timothy became very ill with leukemia and died on January 24, 1948.