SPEZIALE Luigi (Father)
11 December 1939 (Campo Tartano) - 15 March 2019 (Solbiate)
Fr. Luigi was born in Campo Tartano in Sondrio Province (Northern Italy), on 11 December 1939.
After entering the minor seminary of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Betharram in Albavilla (1951-1957), he was sent for the novitiate year to Monteporzio Catone (Rome) where he made his first vows (1956-1957). Finally, he studied philosophy and theology at the major seminary of the Congregation in Albiate (MB) (1957-1965).
He was ordained a priest on 12 June 1965 by Card. Giovanni Colombo, Archbishop of Milan.
From 1965 to 2015 Fr. Luigi lived in the Betharramite communities in the Holy Land, carrying out his ministry as Music and Latin teacher at the Latin Patriarchal Seminary of Beit-Jala.
Subsequently, after having obtained a degree in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University (1970-1972), he returned to the community of Bethlehem and carried out his ministry as professor of Canon Law, still in the Patriarchal Seminary of Beit-jala.
He remained in the Holy Land communities for fifty years.
In this long period Fr. Luigi held various ministries: for over forty years he was a master of patriarchal ceremonial, confessor of the community of Sisters, chaplain of the Carmel of Bethlehem.
He was for some years Superior of the Betharramite community of Nazareth and Superior of the Delegation of the Holy Land.
Fr. Luigi was in love with the Holy Land, the land of Jesus, and was a great connoisseur of this land. He wrote several books about the land he loved so much, the last of which: «The Holy Land of Mary of Nazareth. Here... where everything speaks of her» (Caritas Gerusalemme Editions, in Italian only) was published in 2016 when Fr. Luigi, though bodily frail, lived in the care home run by Hospital Order of Saint John of God in Solbiate Comasco (CO).
In recent years Fr. Luigi was lovingly supported by Fr. Alessandro Paniga scj, chaplain at the Care home of Solbiate, who witnessed to the closeness and presence of our Congregation. Let us entrust Fr. Luigi to the Lord. May he be welcomed in that dwelling that God gives to his faithful servants. May he listen to the voice of Jesus who says: “Well done good and faithful servant,... come and share in the joy of your master” (Mt. 25:23).
Fr. Luigi Speziale will rest in the cemetery of Campo Tartano, his hometown.
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