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| Vincenzo Dibennardo, ca. 1918. |
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In past blog posts, I have shared translations of my
grandfather’s diary, written during the school year of 1915-1916 – his fourth
year of high school. He was a boarding
student at the Istituto Salesiano di San Gregorio, hoping to become a novice and enter the priesthood. My nonno was born in 1900 and lost his mother
two days before his ninth birthday. In
those days, it was unusual for a man to raise children on his own, and my
grandfather did not have any living grandparents. My great-grandfather must have felt that the
best solution was to send my grandfather to the Salesian boarding school, where
he could still visit occasionally, and where his son with receive a first-class
education. Furthermore, my grandfather
had an aunt who was the Mother Superior of the Salesian order of nuns and could look out for him. I am not sure if
she was related to my grandfather on his mother’s side or his father’s side. Her name was Sister Filomena (Suor Filomena),
but nuns often take on new names, so it is likely her birth name was
another.
I have determined from my grandfather’s diary that he spent
four years at San Francesco di Sales in Catania but then moved to the Salesian
Institute of San Gregorio in 1915 due to San Francesco di Sales becoming a hospital
for those wounded in WWI. In fact, my
grandfather often visits his former institute in the diary and describes some of the
wounded.
Some genealogical research goals that I have had are to
visit both Salesian institutes to see if they have any records left from when
he was a student at either school, and also to research his aunt,
Sister Filomena. Unfortunately, I could
not go to Sicily this summer, but my parents are visiting relatives there,
right now, and they have promised to do some of the legwork for me. I have worked hard with my mother to
transcribe Nonno’s diary and publish it in book form with scans of the original
pages of his diary so I could donate the books to each institute (and share
with my relatives). My parents will have
to donate the book for me, and maybe they will receive information in exchange. My grandfather was only 15 when he wrote the
diary, and he is so descriptive of life as a student in the Salesian schools,
and of the teachers and priests, that I feel it would be of historical interest
to the schools. I am also
working on a translation of the diary, and I hope to create a new edition of
the book that will include the Italian transcription as well as the English
version.
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| Entrance to the Salesian school in San Gregorio |
The other day, my parents visited the Istituto Salesiano di
San Gregorio. I received some pictures
from them, which were wonderful.
They spoke to the director of the institute who also showed them the school –
where my grandfather would have eaten his meals; where he would have visited
with his father the few times he appeared at the school in the diary; the
church (attached to the school) where he would have attended Mass, as he often
describes; etc. The director was given
one of the published books I created, and when he saw the picture inside-- of
my grandfather dressed as a novice-- he recognized exactly where the picture
was taken. In fact, it was taken at the
school, in the garden. My parents and
relatives were taken to the spot and took pictures there as well. That was the highlight of their visit for
me! The bad news was that there are no
more old records. Apparently, they
disposed of them one or two years ago. This
is extremely upsetting, and I don’t know why they couldn’t have been preserved
somehow, but the director said they are in bad financial shape and hoping to be
able to stay open, so perhaps it was a financial decision. I just hope the
other school hasn’t destroyed its records.
I guess we’ll find out when my parents visit in the next few days.
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| My relatives in the same spot that my grandfather took his picture in 1918 (see above). |
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| The area where my grandfather's picture was taken is in the school's garden (above). |
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| This attached chapel is where my grandfather attended the Masses he describes in his diary. |
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| Where my grandfather would have eaten his meals. |
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| The school hallway |
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| Another view of the garden and the old well below |
