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The Disciple and the Master By Sr. Margaret Kerry, FSP Joseph Giaccado was born in Narzole, Italy on Saturday, June 13, 1896 and was baptized that same day. His parents consecrated him to Mary, enrolling him in the scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. When Joseph was just twelve years old, a young priest, Father James Alberione, was assigned to his parish. Father Alberione describes their first encounter: "I quickly noticed among the children who came to church little Joseph Giaccardo. He attracted my attention because of his piety, his almost adult seriousness, his love for study, and his liveliness…." Father Alberione had become pastor in the parish at Narzole by the time Joseph received his First Communion. The fervor of that communion remained with him. Young Joseph continued to serve daily Mass along with a friend who later became a missionary to Africa. Eventually Joseph entered the Seminary in Alba, the city which became the cradle of the Pauline Family. Joseph joined Father Alberione's fledgling Society of St. Paul in 1917. On October 19, 1919 he was the first priest ordained for the Society of St. Paul. On that occasion, Father Giaccardo wrote in his notebook: "Today is a memorable day for me. It is the most wonderful day of my life. Bishop Re has consecrated me a priest….It was an embrace of Jesus and losing myself in his heart." At the age of twenty-three, Father Giaccardo became a "Maestro" or teacher of those aspiring to the newly established Society of St. Paul. He was soon referred to as "Signor Maestro" for his ability to listen and guide others in the footsteps of Father James Alberione, the Founder. As the editor for "Gazette D'Alba,"' the diocesan newspaper, Father Giaccardo deepened his understanding of the importance of the press apostolate. Father Alberione's vision of the press as an antidote for the various errors spreading throughout Italy by the press was truly inspired by God. Not everyone understood this vision. Father Giaccardo once encountered a young fascist who slapped him for being editor of a Catholic paper. He took courage from St. Paul who, shipwrecked and stoned for spreading the message of the Gospel, still praised God in difficulty. These and other hardships only strengthened Father Giaccardo. And like Paul he would be called to Rome for the mission. In 1926 Father Alberione asked Father Giaccardo to open the first branch house of the Pauline Family in Rome. The authorities in Rome enjoyed getting to know this young priest who was dynamic in his obedience and true in his humility. On March 12, 1927, the Society of St. Paul received approval as a diocesan religious congregation. The next day Father Alberione pronounced his vows in the Institute. On March 16, Father Giaccardo traveled to Alba to pronounce his vows in the presence of the Founder. He was given the name "Timothy" after the beloved follower of St. Paul. Returning to Alba in 1936, Father Timothy's own spiritual life continued to become a foundation stone for the Pauline charism. He was an "obedient prophet,' listening to Alberione's every word and passing on the spirit of the congregation to all those in formation. Father Alberione considered him the "heart and the soul of the Pauline family." From 1936 until 1946, Father Giaccardo served as superior of the motherhouse. In his notes he wrote that he would treat everyone as his superior yet remain "decisive, firm and confident" in leadership. He considered diligence, rather than commands, the secret of authority. On May 10, 1941 the Society of St. Paul received pontifical approbation. The Constitutions were approved and presented as the guide to holiness for Pauline religious. Italy entered World War II in 1940. It was a time of trial for Timothy Giaccardo, who was concerned for the safety of all. Yet his experience of God's Providence for the apostolate of the press, even while war was raging, deepened his trust. The peacefulness of his demeanor made him sought after as a spiritual guide. "Merely to speak with him was to feel more serene," later attested one architect who had worked in building a Pauline church with him. Activity coupled with total trust in God's presence accounted for Father Timothy's ascent to his life's ideal: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." The title "Signor Maestro" took on even greater meaning as his life was conformed to his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Father Alberione would one day say of him: "He was a fitting representative of the Lord….He was an 'alter Christus,' (another Christ)." The source and path of Father Timothy's holiness was Jesus in the Eucharist. "The basis, the font, the method and the crown of the Society of St Paul's spiritual life, the center around which every Pauline gravitates, is the person of Jesus Christ, our Divine Master, present in the Eucharistic Mystery and considered under the special aspect of Way, Truth, and Life." Father Timothy entered eternal life on Saturday, January 24, 1948, on the eve of the Conversion of St. Paul. His nearly fifty-two years of love culminated in the absolute offering of his life. The Sister Disciples of the Divine Master credit him with the approval of their congregation. In 1946, when Father Timothy had heard that the Sister Disciples were not able to continue establishing themselves as a Pauline congregation, he had prayed: "Father, I offer my life to the Lord in order to obtain this grace, and I am sure that the Lord will grant this to me!" In fact, the Sister Disciples received diocesan approval on January 12, just a few days before Father Timothy's death. It was also a Sister Disciple who experienced a miraculous healing, which was accepted as the first miracle granted through Father Timothy's intercession. On the day of his beatification, October 22, 1989, Pope John Paul II called Timothy Giaccardo the "first disciple of Father Alberione who understood and lived the apostolic spirit of St. Paul." The Pope continues: "In the face of a world in which the faith encounters difficulties and insidious ideas of every kind which threaten the survival of many souls, Timothy Giaccardo, the first disciple of Father Alberione, interpreted fidelity to his own priestly vocation as proclaiming the Gospel and the Church's teaching through the modern means of social communication, which he saw as the principal and typical apostolate of the modern world. All this was to be in absolute fidelity to the official teaching of the church, in a spiritual life nourished daily through Eucharistic adoration and devotion to our Lady, in the persuasive meekness which made him so beloved by the entire Pauline Family. Today, seventy-five years after its foundation, this Family finds in him a model in continuing the mission entrusted to it.
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