Pietro Di Vitale

The life of Pietro Di Vitale is intimately linked to his journey as a seminarian and his apostolic commitment. His great desire is to become a "holy and learned priest" (prete santo e dotto). However, his formation is quickly hindered by serious health problems. In 1934, he must temporarily leave the seminary to seek treatment. In 1936, he returns to Castronovo di Sicilia, but continues to frequent the seminary where he is invited to reside in the infirmary to work as an assistant nurse, devoting himself to the service of other sick people.

In 1937, after a stay in a convalescent home for priests, he returns permanently to his native village. The chief physician of the Palermo hospital, Dr. Ettore Savagnone, monitors the evolution of his illness free of charge. The diagnosis is made: Pietro suffers from a painful syndrome linked to severe gastroptosis (sindrome dolorosa da enterogastroptasi). Due to his extreme weakness, no surgical intervention is possible.

Despite constant physical suffering, Pietro refuses to remain inactive. He invests himself fully in his parish of Castronovo di Sicilia, where he performs the duties of catechist and parish archivist. He continues to accompany the youth of Catholic Action spiritually and to bear witness to his faith to those around him.

After his early death at the age of 23, the reputation of holiness of Pietro Di Vitale spread rapidly throughout his diocese and beyond.

The diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation of holiness was opened at the archiepiscopal curia of Palermo on March 6, 1987, and closed on June 25, 1995. The postulator of his cause is Father Mario Torcivia. The cause was then transmitted to Rome, to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, where the Positio was deposited in 2000.

On July 5, 2018, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Pietro Di Vitale, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is required. To date, the cause is under investigation and no miracle has yet been officially promulgated.

The spirituality of Pietro Di Vitale rests on total abandonment to the divine will, obedience, and the joyful offering of suffering. Having been unable to realize his dream of becoming a priest, he offered his life and his missed priesthood for the sanctification of priests and the salvation of souls. His devotion to the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary was the pillar of his existence. His last words, spoken on January 29, 1940, in the presence of his mother, were: "Long live Jesus and Mary!" (Viva Gesù e Maria).

His mortal remains rest in the mother church of the Most Holy Trinity in Castronovo di Sicilia. In October 2018, the Archbishop of Palermo, Mgr. Corrado Lorefice, inaugurated a permanent museum space dedicated to him within the archiepiscopal seminary of Palermo, presenting him as a model of evangelical radicality and holiness for seminarians and young people today.