The 71-year-old grandfather who is also a priest: ‘The Lord called me, grabbed me by the hair, but I ran away’

A great vocation story: 

Speaking to the Italian television network TV2000, a recently ordained Italian priest named Giuseppe Mangano said, “Our Lord called me many times. I always say, joking, that the Lord called me, that he grabbed me by the hair, but I ran away.”

When he says he “ran away,” he’s referring to the fact that in his youth, Giuseppe studied in the seminary, but then felt called to matrimony. He got married, became a father, had grandchildren, and eventually was widowed. It was then that the call sounded again in his heart.

Last September, he was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 71. Deeply moved, during his first Mass he made point of remembering his love for his wife, who had already departed to the Father’s house.

“She died 10 years ago. She encouraged me to become a deacon, but she died before I was ordained. She had already been sick for a long time, and when she was dying, she also told me that I could become a priest. Then, I asked the archbishop to help me discern.”

Read it all. And check out the video (in Italian) covering his first Mass below.