Giustino Russolillo, SDV (Giustino Maria della SS. Trinità in religion; 18 January 1891 – 2 August 1955) was an Italian Catholic priest and the founder of the Vocationists, the Vocationist Sisters and of the Secular Institute of the Apostles of Universal Sanctification.

Russolillo was a pastor at St. George Parish in Pianura, where he was born, and dedicated his life to promoting, cultivating and educating young people about God's call in their life. In doing so, he help young people to fulfill their religious vocation to priesthood and consecrated life.

Russolillo was beatified under Pope Benedict XVI on 7 May 2011 and the ceremony of beatification was presided over by the Pope's delegate, Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery of the Causes of Saints. On 27 October 2020, Pope Francis promulgated a decree approving a miracle attributed to Russolillo; this enabled for him to be canonized on 15 May 2022.

Life

Giustino Russolillo was born in Pianura in 1891 as the third of ten children to Luigi Russolillo and Giuseppina Simpatia. He was baptized the date after his birth, when an exceptional snowfall arrived in Pianura. While his name in the parish register was recorded as Giustino, his civic record had his name recorded as "Giustino Pietro Orazio". Giovanna, his sister, joined his female order and became the first Superior General, while his brother Ciro also entered the Vocationist and became a priest. His brother Michael became a doctor and helped him in his final month.

He received his first communion in 1896 and received private instruction from his paternal aunts as well as the priest Orazio Guillaro instructing him in Latin. Once he completed his studies in Pozzuoli to become a priest – he was there since 1901 – he was ordained as priest on September 20, 1913. On his ordination he vowed to establish a religious congregation for promoting vocations to the priesthood and to religious life.

Sainthood

The beatification process commenced on 15 December 1977 under Pope Paul VI after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the official "nihil obstat" to the cause and titled the late Russolillo as a Servant of God while transferring the location of the beatification process from Pozzuoli to Naples on 7 July 1978.

Theologians approved the dossier on 7 February 1997 while the C.C.S. did likewise on 18 December 1997. Pope John Paul II named Russolillo as being Venerable on 18 December 1997 after he confirmed that the late priest lived a life of heroic virtue.

The process for a miracle spanned from 16 March 2005 to 14 November 2005 and was validated on 9 March 2007 before receiving the approval of a medical board on 18 June 2009 and that of theologians on 12 December 2009; the C.C.S. followed suit on 1 June 2010. Pope Benedict XVI approved it on 1 July 2010 and Cardinal Angelo Amato beatified Russolillo in Naples on 7 May 2011 on the pope's behalf.

Pope Francis in 2020 confirmed a second miracle attributed to him (the healing of the Vocationist religious brother Emile Rasolofo in Madagascar). It was announced on 9 November 2021 that Francis would canonize Russolillo and several others on 15 May 2022.

Works

  • The writing of Blessed Justin have been collected in 27 Volumes of the "Opera Omnia", in Italian. Many books of the Opera Omnia have been translated in English as well. Some more prominent books are:
  • Ascension
  • Spirit of Prayer
  • Let us make man part I
  • Let us make man, part II
  • For Mental Prayer
  • Consecrations
  • Costuitutions
  • Letters, I, II, III
  • Journey toward the Espousal Union
  • Longing for love
  • Among the prayer books that he wrote and are now used by his religious congregations are:
  • Offertories of the Most Precious Blood
  • Devotional

References

  • Hagiography Circle
  • Blessed Justin Biography on the Official Vocationist Website - Multiple languages
  • Vocationist Fathers
  • Biography