Servant of God

Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo,

Priest, Mystic, Stigmatist

Brief Biography & The Surrender Novena

BY GIOVANNA INVITTI ELLIS

Don Dolindo Ruotolo, “Mary’s little old man”, as he

called himself. (1882-1970) Father Dolindo advanced

in years and weakened by many illnesses and paralysis

described himself as “the little old man of Mary Most

Holy”. Instead he had a quick intelligence and extraordinary

intuition, along with many virtues throughout his

life. He worked unceasingly for his beloved Church, torn

apart by disputes, accusations and desertions, (those were

years of world-wide controversy). He endeavored to speak

the Truth to souls disoriented and disheartened. In his

humility he felt always inadequate, but he found strength

in Mary Most Holy.

His body rests in the Parish Church where he served as

Pastor for many years, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Joseph

of the Aged, Via Salvatore Tommasi, Napoli, Italy.

Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo was born, in Naples, Italy on

October 6,1882. Ordained at the young age of 23 on

June 24, 1905, Don Dolindo dedicated every moment

of his long life to prayer and penance at the service of

thousands of faithful who asked for his spiritual direction

and turned to him for help and comfort.

He is the author of a most profound Theological and

Psychological Commentary, highly inspired by the Holy

Spirit, on the all Holy Scripture, in 33 volumes.

Beside his monumental Commentary, he left an

extraordinary number of theological, ascetical and

mystical writings.

He answered thousands of letters as well left thousands

of holy notes on holy images to offer spiritual direction

to people attending His Holy Masses and Retreats.

Twenty of his holy notes are in the book, “Meditations on

the Holy Rosary”.

Don Dolindo had a keen understanding of the human

soul, and he was always able to help people to see the

light of God. He worked tirelessly to help souls, in the

midst of unspeakable suffering of every kind, since

he had offered himself as victim soul for mankind,

sustained by a wonderful freshness of spirit that transformed

his life into a hymn to life.

For the last ten years of his life he was completely

paralyzed. Don Dolindo died in Naples on November

19, 1970, in the extreme voluntary poverty he had

chosen to live throughout his life. He told people

to knock at his tomb for their needs and he would

continue to answer. Now, more then ever, people flock

to his Church and knock at his tomb, confident of his

intercession and receiving healings and graces.

The testimonies of miraculous healing due to his intercession

before and after his death cannot be counted: tuberculosis

healed, limbs made well, suicide attempts stopped due to

his tempestuous intervention and so on. He never denied

his help to anyone pleading with Jesus for all who ask and

confide in him.

The wonders of his help can also be seen in daily needs

of many ordinary people such as the cure of a child

from his illness, a test to overcome, a job to be found:

miracles, in other words of getting through the day,

which can be most extraordinary in a city like Naples

always afflicted with poverty and even degradation.

Comforting those who were suffering was his everyday

toil and offering, which never ended even when his

own health was at stake. He prayed for everyone and

suffered for everyone. He ate very little and his clothes

were poor, but nevertheless, he withstood cold and

hunger and was seen walking barefoot in the snow.

In his very own home instead he was an undesired

guest, and he was despised because his poverty and

simplicity made the family uncomfortable. But didn’t

Jesus say that man’s enemies are often found in his own

family?

Don Dolindo was never afraid to

go near contagious sick people,

caressing them, kissing them; in cases

where disgust would have put off

compassion in many, in Don Dolindo

brought healing and mercy. He made

patience his heroic virtue; he knew

from inner inspiration that the evil

in the world is dispelled through the

charity of a patient heart.

Nothing was dearer to him more than

the Holy Church. He never allowed

anyone in his presence to speak evil of

Mother-Church. He professed that the

Church is Mother of Saints and only

through obedience to the Catholic

Church and the Holy Pontiff can

flowers blossom for Paradise; he also

believed that sainthood is “a goodness

bought through the bank of tears”.

That is why Don Dolindo found love

through suffering and the more his arthritis crippled

his body in knots, the more he felt joy from the fruits he

brought to the Church. He went on in his journey of love

towards the divine, suffering in his ulcerous, pus filled,

wounded legs, with a peace foreseen only in his grave.

If there were poor beggars at the door of his Church he would

kiss their hands and embracing them would ask them to

forgive him if they had any argument against him.

Don Dolindo’s heart was filled with joy feeling the

presence of the Virgin Mary, the saints, and the

Guardian Angel. The Eucharistic Communion was for

him a mystical union with Christ on the cross. In his

goodness he was able to aid people in distress even if

they were very far from him.

He is known to have covered sick people waiting for their

surgery next morning, with his cloak thus helping them

to pass the night without anguish or pain.

He is known to be at the site of patients in difficult near

fatal surgeries and restore them to health.

He is known to have given prescriptions signing with the

name “Doctor Cretinico Sciosciammocca” (Doctor Stupid

Fly-swatter) to people who had no doctors or medicines and

were left abandoned without remedies, and his therapy with

his out-of-the-ordinary remedies brought miraculous results.

His goodness was not arrogant,

the austerity of his routine

did not conflict with his joyful

Neapolitan nature in which

suffering does not necessarily

eliminate joy but rather shows it.

After all diagnosis and cure of

his own sicknesses failed, Don

Dolindo wrote a parody of a

prescription, to tell patients to see

their maladies as opportunities

of trusting the love of God and

Mary Most Holy: the prescription

sounded like this:

“Human remedy- cold kick (push

yourself/do not rest too long)

syrup, Supreme remedy- divine obedience

to the Will of God mixed with

daily drops of Hail Mary.

His goodness made even Hell

tremble. As demons subdued to

Jesus and publicly declared that He was the Son of God;

as Father Pio from Pietralcina in his fight against Satan

succeeded in defeating the devil with the wounds of

Christ; also Don Dolindo in the Name of Jesus, when

doing exorcisms, thrust out demons who cursed him,

from the bodies of the possessed.

Demons are known to obey only those who work by the

hand of God.

One day when a very resistant demon made fun of Father

Dolindo, refusing to leave the man he possessed, Father

Dolindo grasped a rope and began to flagellate himself

and his penitence and suffering as consequence inflicted

such a suffering on the demon to force him to abandon

his victim, leaving him finally free.

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