The history of Father John Scalabrini Part 1

Father John Scalabrini (RIP) – A life dedicated to Serving God and Saving Humanity

Born 13 December 1934 – Died 04 October 2016

Father John Scalabrini was born on 13th of December 1934, at a place called Limido Comasco, in Italy, to Mr Tranquillo Scalabrini and Mrs Marie Pagani Scalabrini. Family and friends say that it was from a very early age that Father John Scalabrini was drawn to helping others in distress, dire straits, and those who were faced with hardships, and soon told his family and friends that his calling was to serve the Lord, and soon embarked on attaining this dream.

Early Childhood

Mr Tranquillo Scalabrini loved all his four children equally. But one of them was particularly dear to him: his third child, John. Father John Scalabrini would often relish the happy childhood he spent in his father’s protective arms. “He would carry me shoulder-high as we toured the fields. Sometimes taking me to the factory and asking me to observe and learn. I lived with my parents, two brothers, and a sister. My father owned a thriving textile business, and my mother always took care of the home, sometimes taking us children with her to cultivate in the fields. It was a happy, close-knit family. Then one day I returned home with some news for my family. I was joining the seminary to train for priesthood. I was only 18 years old.”

“My father was not happy; he was livid. And this marked the beginning of a protracted rift between me and my father. It strained the family. Even though he never said it directly to me, I believe that my father had grand plans for me. It showed in the way that he trusted and confided in me. Looking back many years now, I believe that I was being groomed to take charge of the family business, which I eventually did anyway. But my plans were completely different, and nobody was going to hold me back from this calling to serve God.”

Born into a staunch Catholic family, Father John Scalabrini picked up an interest in church work very early in his school days. He spent his spare time helping at the local Catholic Church and interacting with priests. His love for missionary work had been especially ignited by a visit to a Comboni Mission near his home, where a priest “showed me fascinating pictures of their work in Africa.” This would leave a lasting impression on young Father John Scalabrini. Initially, his family did not read much into Father John Scalabrini’s interest in church work; neither did he say much to them about his growing interest in a priestly vocation. Until he was ready to join the seminary.

“I had obtained my admission and was ready to leave for the seminary in Brescia. I was about to say my goodbyes when my father stopped me,” Father John Scalabrini recounts. “We went into long battles, which even drew in my mother. One time, I came back home late in the night, having spent time at the Mission. My father became agitated. He could not settle. He blamed my mother for not doing enough to discourage me from joining the seminary. My father had stayed up late to wait for my return. When I came in, he yelled out and said: “My son, where have you been? Why do you want to abandon me?”

The rift between Father John Scalabrini and his father would intensify as the days for his departure to the seminary drew closer. “He confiscated the small suitcase that I had prepared to take with me. He did not give me any money. I left home without anything, except the clothes I wore that day. There was no one to bid me farewell.”

Father John Scalabrini says that he convinced his cousin to accompany him to the train station. With only a fraction of the transport fare, he made half the journey. He was duly thrown out of the passengers’ line as he got on the next train to the seminary. “I was only saved by a stranger who offered to pay for my full fare to my destination,” he recounts.

Life in the Seminary

Despite a difficult start, Father John Scalabrini was happy to arrive at the seminary in Brescia. He started his studies in 1952. Two years later, he was sent to continue at the Comboni Novitiate in Florence. He left the Novitiate after three years and went on to Verona for his studies in Philosophy, from where he joined the Diocesan seminary in Milan for four years of studies in theology.

Throughout the ten years of his time in the Seminary, Father John Scalabrini says that he had very minimal contact with his family. “I went home only once or twice. And it was very difficult,” he recalls. Difficult because my father did not believe that being a priest would divert my attention from family responsibility, so he could not speak to me. This hurt me very much. Even as a young person, it made me cry,” he says.

Tranquillo Scalabrini was among the guests in attendance when Father John Scalabrini was ordained a priest in Milan on Monday, April 2, 1962 ,by Giovanni Battista, Cardinal Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, the Archbishop of Rome (later Pope Paul VI).

Father John Scalabrini frequently had an audience with the Pope when he visited Italy.  Here he meets

Pope Paul VI.

Father John Scalabrini spent his first two years of priesthood teaching at a Comboni Missionary Seminary in Italy. The difficult relationship with his father only got worse when he told them that he was going to start work in Uganda in 1964. “My father did not say farewell. Even when I went back home for holidays or to raise funds for our projects in Gulu, he completely ignored me,” Father John Scalabrini says. This went on for 23 years.

To be continued…