Fr. Justin: A Model for the Priests
(Deacon Babu Thelappilly, SDV)

The Lord does not create people just to occupy space. God has a plan, a vocation, and a mission for every human being. The modern world does not function properly today may be, because people are more concerned about finding a place, a profession, or a career, rather than their vocation and mission in life. A profession or a career is something that we do to live, to earn what we need to live. A vocation is something we do out of dedication and love. A profession can be shaped by our family, or by human considerations but a vocation comes from on high and invites us to disinterested service of our neighbor. Therefore our major responsibility is to realize our vocation and live with it. Prayers and sacramental life, spiritual direction, Spiritual readings etc. would be the best tool for the one who seek God’s will and live with his presence. Fr. Justin lived a life pleased to God being model to his faithful. His life was that of a good spiritual director. He taught and led people to Jesus by his life examples.

Fr. Justin was born and called to help every human being discover and follow his vocation in life, because each person only finds true fulfillment by discovering and following his calling. Therefore, all life, every activity, every ministry, every life-choice is seen as vocation.

Fr. Justin: A Martyr for Vocations - By Fr. Ignatius Fr. Justin: Model of Priests - By Rev. Babu Thelappilly, SDV My Vocation - Sr. Carolyn Vocation Work in the Life of S.D.V - Fr. James Butts, SDV

The most important thing in life of every human being is to discern their vocation.

Justin, born on January 18^th 1891 at Pianura of Naples, in Italy to Luigi Russolillo and Giuseppina Simpatia, from his earliest years, felt a strong and clear calling from God to the priesthood. When he was five years old he received his First Communion and fell in love with Jesus present in the Eucharist. At ten years old he entered the seminary at Pozzuoli, his native diocese. Justin never doubted his vocation but more than once he feared that he would be unable to follow it because of the poverty which gripped his large family and because of the bouts of illness that were to accompany him throughout his life. Once he had to leave the seminary, since there was no money to pay the seminary. As a result of his unsteady health Justin ran the risk on more than one occasion of being sent home from the seminary. But the superiors, who appreciated his holiness and his extraordinary intelligence, made some exceptions for him in the seminary. On the day of his priestly ordination, September 20^th 1913, Justin made his vow of Charity, promising always to do whatever would give the greatest glory to God.[1]

When he is ordained a priest, the young Justin took no part in the outward trappings of festivity; he thought of the grace of the sacrament and the only gifts he asked for was all the children of Pianura to receive Communion on the day of his First Mass. He became a parish priest of St. George in Pianura and set about celebrating and promoting a 4.30 a.m. Mass to give the farmers and workers the chance of receiving Communion before going to work. “Seek first the kingdom of God and its justice, and the rest will be given to you in abundance.” This principle became his motto. What attracted a lot of boys, generous benefactors and several priests who approached Fr. Justin and offered their assistance, was that interior fire that can be seen in this man of God who lived, and tried to get others to live, what he teached and enjoined on those he met along his path: “Be a saint … become a real saint because all the rest counts for nothing”. Fr. Justin is one of the glories of the Church because of his personal holiness, his charisma, his mystical and ascetic experiences.[2]

Less than a month after becoming pastor of St. George’s Church, Fr. Justin got the rectory premises ready and on October 18^th 1920 opened the first Vocationary – a place for the discernment for priesthood and religious life. Thus his dream came to fulfillment and first community of ‘Vocationist Fathers’ (Society of Divine Vocations) came into being.

Besides the trials of poverty and sickness, Fr. Justin, as founder of Vocationist Fathers and Sisters, had to confront and overcome the trials of misunderstanding, calumny and persecution. The trials he suffered were a sign of the Divine seal on his work. “Blessed are you when they insult you, persecute you and say all sort of evil against you for my sake”, Fr. Justin quotes. On August 2^nd 1955, Fr. Justin peacefully handed his earthly life over to the Lord, happy to enjoy the fullness of that divine union that he taught and experienced throughout all his life.

            Fr. Justin’s teachings and his spirituality spread beyond the boundaries of his human person and his place of origin. His tomb has attracted thousands of visitors in quest of guidance, help and peace of mind. As the devotion to the holy and humble pastor of Pianura spread and intensified, on January 18^th 1998 Pope John Paul the Second officially declared that Fr. Justin had practiced the Christian Virtues in a heroic manner, and therefore he was being raised to the dignity of Venerable.

Society of Divine Vocations (S.D.V.), the religious community of Vocationist Fathers and Vocationist Sisters; and Vocationist Apostles of Universal Sanctification founded by Fr. Justin, received its first Diocesan approval on May 26, 1927 and became a Congregation of Pontifical right on May 24, 1947. It has a special service in the Church to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially among the poor. By letting people become aware of God’s plan for their life, the Vocationist identify and guide those who believe are called to serve God as priests and religious members. The members take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and carry out the ministry in parishes, schools and missions. Today, the Vocationist family, made up of Vocationist Fathers and Vocationist Sisters; and Vocationist Apostles of Universal Sanctification; Vocationist Missionary Co-operators, Servants of the Living Christ; and Sons of the Light, works in twelve countries – Italy, Brazil, United States, Argentina, Nigeria, Philippines, India, Madagascar, France, Indonesia, Columbia and Ecuador – and continues to follow and develop both the charism and mission of the founder.

The appeal launched by Fr. Justin for union with God and apostolate for universal sanctification is received in today’s world not only through Vocationist men and women, but also through the witness and apostolate of ex-students, ex-parishioners, members of various groups and lay movements that take their inspiration from this far-sighted man with the hear of everyone. Fr. Justin cannot and does not want to exclude anyone at any form of being prayed for, from being taking care of and from being trained for holiness. Vocation to religious life and the priesthood remain important because in the present economy of divine grace they have to develop water and promote the vocation to holiness. The hopeful greeting that Fr. Justin used for his contemporaries as well as his future friends remains: “Become a saint”.

The Vocationist spirituality stems from Fr. Justin’s conviction that all people are called to holiness. They take as addressed to them the words of the prophet Hosea: “I will make you my spouse forever.” Their “first duty” is to be with God. Their ultimate goal is to achieve Divine Union. They are called to establish and live the relationship of “Child, parent and spouse” of God on the pattern of Jesus and Mary and Joseph. The Catholic Church, the Holy Family and the Blessed Trinity are the heart and the centre of their spirituality, which may be summarized thus: “Ascension to the Trinity with the Holy Family in the Church”. Therefore the special charism of Vocationist is to foster and promote holiness among all God’s people.

In order to fully understand the charism and spirituality of the Society, it will help to realize that the Society of the Vocationist Fathers has two names: An official one, Society of Divine Vocations, S.D.V., with which it is identified within the Church and society and through which it displays its active, social and ecclesiastical component; the other one, Society of Divine Union, which is designated to privately identify the Vocationists in their ascensional journey to the Lord and to designate the contemplative component of their vocation.

The Society of Divine Vocations is a society that ministers to the needs of all vocations to faith, priesthood, religious life and holiness. Society of Divine Union is the contemplative component of the society of Divine Vocations. It is spiritual vehicle that provides souls with all the means necessary for the achievement of a personal union with the Most Holy Trinity and for a highly fruitful service to the brothers. In the Vocationist, the exciting new personal journey thus begins: with the assistance of the SDU. The soul realizes that the most powerful means for its ascent towards the Divinity will consist in the establishment of a “Family Relation” with the Triune God. The Holy Family of Nazareth is the prototype to imitate and the instrument to use in this accessional trip to the Lord. Jesus of Nazareth will mold the soul into the relationship of the divine “sonship”, the Virgin Mary will mold the soul into the relationship of a divine “motherhood”; St. Joseph will mold the soul into the relationship of a soul-spouse of God.[3] Fr. Justin has thus reasoned: “every Christian in Baptism becomes God’s child because he receives the divine grace which is participation in divine nature. Through Sacraments, prayers and good deeds this relationship of “sonship” and other two relationships as well, are bound to grow more and more and eventually will lead the baptized soul to Divine Union with the Triune God. Therefore, it is not too much to expect, Fr. Justin says, that a Vocationist “achieve the same goal through an intense spiritual and ascetical struggle and through the unceasing imitation and support of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”[4]

Where does this long spiritual itinerary unfold? The Triune Church (Militant, Suffering, and Triumphant) is the ideal environment for this spiritual ascent. In fact, the Church is but the extension of the Holy Family destined to accept as its members all souls who find in it all the necessary elements for the achievement of Divine Union, namely ascetical struggle, purification and illumination. Therefore, the same Church that is the reflection of the Divine life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit becomes the nuptial chamber of Divine Union. If we sum up the Vocationist spirituality, we can do it in these words: “Ascension to the Holy Trinity through Holy Family in the Holy Church.”[5]

One day someone asked Fr. Justin this question: “practically, how can we reach Divine Union?” This was his approximate answer: “All souls who live in sanctifying grace do enjoy a certain degree of union with God and possess a certain degree of theological, cardinal, and moral virtues. If these souls endeavor to grow in their possession of these virtues, they will gradually reach that family relation, which in turn leads us to a real Divine Union with the Most Holy Trinity.”

Fr. Justin then continued: Let me be more practical: If we, with humility, generosity and faithfulness, establish ourselves in a loving obedience to the Divine commandments, we have already reached the first grade of Union with God.

If we establish ourselves with humility, generosity and fidelity, in the loving obedience to the approved divine inspirations, we have already achieved the third degree of Union with God.”  Then Fr. Justin concluded: “Needless to say, for those who are religious, the first approved inspirations are the constitutions, the Directories, the orders of superiors, daily schedule, etc.”

Another day this question was posed to Fr. Justin: “will we be able to achieve Divine Union in this life or do we have to wait for eternal life?” Fr. Justin answered: “we deem life as an engagement of our soul with our Divine Lover, the One God in Three Persons, and thus we prepare ourselves during this lifetime to the consummation of our Union in eternity.”[6] Another occasion he said, “We can reach Divine Union in this life also, but in an imperfect manner; the perfect Divine Union will be reached only in eternity.”  In this spiritual journey towards the Divine Trinity, one has to follow the footprints of Holy Family and with their great help live a strongly Christ- centered life. Fr. Justin recommended that a Vocationist receive Jesus every day in three different ways under the appearance of three different sacraments: (1) Jesus – Gospel; therefore he must read, study and meditate on the Holy Scripture in general and on the Gospel in particular. This is our communion with God’s Word, (2) Jesus Eucharist; in it he will find the strength and courage he needs for his work and ascension, and (3) Jesus Church, through which he unite himself with Him in his brothers and sisters, wherever he encounters them. For Fr. Justin Jesus is the gravitational force that should attract every soul and make interior life possible; if we do not feel this power of attraction, it is due to the fact that we are chained to other attractions that pull us in the opposite direction. These chains we must break in order for our soul to fall into Jesus’ gravitational pull.

 Tips for the Vocationists priests who want to live in ascetic life:

Ø      Do not accept invitations to preach any panegyric unless it was preceded by at least three days of spiritual preparation.[7]

Ø      Spiritual Direction is the most effective way of leading people up the ladder of Christian perfection, which Fr. Justin believed “Universal Sanctification”.[8]

Ø      Every Vocationist should have three items: a watch to sanctify time, a suitcase to remind us that we are always ready to move at the command of the superiors, and a pen to write down divine inspirations.[9]

Ø      Patience is the armed guard that kept watch over one’s purity. One should never insist on corporal mortifications. The greater mortification for the Vocationists must consist in liturgical modesty and continuous work. “The Vocationist,” Fr. Justin used to say, “should never have time to think of himself.” Once Fr. Justin suggested a very short and practical guide in the life of mortification, “Avoid any unnecessary glance, any unnecessary word, and any unnecessary thought.”[10]

Ø      Prayer is our first and greatest occupation. Pray all the time and everywhere; entering and leaving the house, going up and down the stairs; inside and outside the house.  Fr. Justin wanted endless, complete rosaries, offerings of the Most Precious Blood and acts of love; he wanted the entire day to be filled with thousands and thousands of short prayers – all these in preparation to higher forms of mental prayer and contemplation. Fr. Justin believed prolonged meditation is the measure of one’s spirituality.[11]

Ø      Prayer life should be fostered and made easier by one’s humility that is edifying and disconcerting at the same time.

Ø      Poverty must not be considered a hindrance to the practice of the corporal works of mercy,” Fr. Justin often said. What about the sick? “To cure them,” he used to say, “sell even the ciboriums, if necessary.”[12]

Ø      Regarding the exercise of authority, Fr. Justin says: service of love in the example of Jesus the teacher, is a vital task in the life of fraternal communion and of apostolic ministry of the Vocationists.[13]

Ø      The superiors should exercise their authority in a spirit of service toward the confreres in order to express that love with which God loves them. They should establish a rapport of friendly trust with the confreres and should promote their cooperation in seeking the good of the Congregation and the Church. The establishment of this duty requires constant prayer, meditation, and consultation; but also, courageous decisions in the awareness of one’s responsibilities before God, the Church, and all the confreres who expect this service of love.[14]

Ø      Every superior should give a good example in their Religious observance; should be the first to every community act without exception or dispensations from some of the community acts, it would be better for to resign, save always the approval of the Major Superior. The superiors, with the joy and sweetness of supernatural love, should be firm in demanding the observance and wise in allowing full freedom for every good initiative.[15]

Ø      Every spiritual director and counselor seems to agree that suffering is the seal of every virtue, Fr. Justin continues, “every sick member of our community must consider himself and be considered as a real treasure … treasure for the whole community and for the people among whom we live … treasure for the apostolate of his sufferings in union with Jesus crucified.”[16] Fr. Justin mentioned: “it is good to know that your internal status is very appropriate for the purification of the past, for the sanctification of the present and for the glory of eternity. If you are on the cross, do not try to descend from it before death and resurrection.”[17] He said, “A martyr is not only one who confesses God before man, but also one who confesses man before God.”[18]

Ø      Vocations should be centre and heart of one’s life; they are the secrets of one’s holiness, the inspirations of one’s apostolate, the goal of all his activities. Life, faith and holiness are general vocations addressed to every living person. Priesthood, religious life, marriage, service to the poor, caring for the elderly, educating the youth, etc., are special vocations in the sense that they are not given to everyone. The more special vocations are added to the general ones, the more precious and meaningful one’s life becomes.

Ø      Love leads to service; if we love, when we love, we want to assist, to help; we want to be useful. It is this love for vocations that led Fr. Justin to become the servant of the Divine Vocations. Fr. Justin always gave undivided attention to any candidate, religious, seminarian or priest that visited him.

What is calling in our life? Regardless of our vocation, status, or profession, our most important and highest calling is our vocation to holiness. Jesus tells us:

“Come follow me”;

“Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”;

“Live on in my love”;

“What good is it to gain the whole world if in the process you lose your soul?”

God made us for Himself in His own image and likeness, to live with Him, to be with Him in this life and throughout eternity. Our success and real, lasting happiness depends on our level of union with Him. “No more than a branch can bear fruit of itself apart from the vine, can you bear fruit apart from me.” God wants each one to be a saint, the Church and the world need us to be a saint, but only we can make it happen by accepting God’s love and cooperating with the action of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are with us, and within us.

Let us make it happen. Become a saint. This the God’s will. This is the very reason of our existence. 

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This article was a talk of Deacon Babu Thelappilly, SDV during the Birthday Celebration of Venerable Justin Russolillo,SDV in St. Nicholas Church, Palisades Park, NJ, USA.

The Sources Consulted: 

Muccitelli, Fr. Justin and the Society of the Divine Vocations. (Newark: NJ).

 Constitutions of the Society of Divine Vocations.

 A Life For Vocations: Fr. Justin Russolillo, Pub. by Vocationist Fathers and Vocationist Sisters, (Italy)

 Caputo Louis, A Servant of the Divine Vocations: Fr. Justin Russolillo. (Pub. In USA)

Fr. Justin Russolillo. Ascession. Trans. Fr. Louis Caputo. (Newark: NJ).

Fr. Justin Rusolillo, Spirit of Prayer. Trans. Fr. Louis Caputo. (Newark: NJ).

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Copyright © 2005  Vocationist Fathers
 All rights reserved
 Rev. Rijo Johnson, S.D.V.
 Last Updated: February 21, 2008