Willy Herteller, Homeless Man, Laid to Rest in Vatican Gardens

Willy Herteller is home at last.

Willy, a homeless man who had migrated from Belgium to the streets of Vatican City, died December 12, but no one came forward to claim his body.  He had no known family in Rome.  No one was certain of his age, although he appeared to be about 80.

But Willy was a man of prayer, and was a familiar face to many in the area surrounding the Vatican.  He attended daily Mass–by some accounts, twice a day–and received the Eucharist.  Father Bruno Silvestrini, pastor of Sant’Anna in the Vatican, told Vatican Radio that he had dedicated the Nativity Scene at Christmas to Willy, adding a homeless man among the shepherds.

“For over 25 years he attended the 7:00 Mass,” said Father Silvestrini in an interview with Vatican Radio.  He added,  

“…He was very, very open and had made many friends.  He spoke a lot with young people, he spoke to them of the Lord, he spoke of the Pope, he would invite them to the celebration of the Eucharist.  He was a rich person, of great faith… there were prelates who brought him food on certain days. Then, we no longer saw him, and subsequently we heard about his death.  I’ve never seen so many people knocking on my door to ask when the funeral was, how they could help to keep his memory alive…. He never asked for anything, rather he was the one who would strike up a conversation and through his questions of faith, suggest a spiritual path to those with whom he spoke.”

On a cold December night, Willy collapsed and was taken by ambulance to Holy Spirit hospital, near the Tiber River, where he died.  His body remained unclaimed in the hospital morgue until people finally noticed he was missing and traced him there.   

Now that he’s been found, Willy was buried on January 9 in the Teutonic Cemetery (the old German cemetery) in Vatican City-State, and the burial costs were borne by a German family.  The Teutonic Cemetery is located between St. Peter’s Basilica and the Paul VI Audience Hall.  There, Willy will lie at rest among a number of notable German Catholics including:

• Josef Anton Koch, landscape painter (+ 1839)
• Ludwig Curtius, archaeologist (+ 1954)
• Johann Baptist Anzer, first missionary bishop of the Divine Word Missionaries (+ 1903)
• Joseph Spithöver, key promoter of German culture in Rome during the 19th century (+ 1870)
• Stefan Andrei, writer (+ 1970)
• Johann Martin von Wagner, archaeologist and artist (+ 1858)
• Anton de Waal, first rector of the College (+ 1917)
• Engelbert Kirschbaum, S.J., Archaeologist, key colleague in the discovery of Peter’s tomb (+ 1970)
• Card. Gustavo von Hohenlohe (+ 1896)
• Augustin Theiner, Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives (+ 1874).

Rest in peace, Willy Herteller.  You were homeless here on earth.  May the God of the universe, Whom you served during your lifetime, welcome you to the home which He has prepared for you.