In Pace Christi

Fr. Giuliano Pisoni was born at Calavino, in the province of Trent on 19 May, 1942. He attended middle school (1956-1961) in our seminaries of Trent and Padua, and then went on to our house in Carraia (Lucca) where he studied for three years (1961-1964). He did his novitiate at Gozzano (Novara) where he took his first vows on 9 September, 1966. He went to Venegono for theology and was ordained priest on 4 April, 1970.

Immediately after ordination, Fr. Giuliano was appointed to Uganda where, to all intents and purposes, he spent all his 39 years of priestly and missionary life. During that time, he kept up frequent correspondence with his superiors showing his open personality and his desire to share with them news of what was happening in his mission and in his family.

He arrived in Uganda on 12 October, 1971 and carried out his missionary service in the diocese of Lira. He worked in almost all the missions of the diocese and, in some, for two non-consecutive periods.

Appointed to Alito, the year 1979 was a difficult and terrible year due to the war of liberation fought against the soldiers of Idi Amin Dada, whose aim then was to ransack and to flee. It seemed peace would never come. Among the many episodes which occurred, Fr. Giuliano wrote in his diary of how the soldiers came to steal from the home of the cook whose house was close to that of the community. They opened fire and killed his young daughter and injured another. The cook himself was wounded in the leg. “Fr. Egidio Ferracin immediately took the wounded to Aber and I was left alone as both the watchmen fled in fear.”

In 1982, Fr. Giuliano was assigned to the parish of Minakulu. At that time he wrote to his provincial: “I am sorry to leave Alito parish, as you will understand, after having worked and suffered there for almost three years. However, I am always ready to do the will of God.”

During his final years, having worked at Aduku up the time it was handed over to the diocese (2008), he was assigned to Alenga mission.

Fr. Giuliano died on 27 September, 2010, in a road accident near the village of Ibuje, jut a few kilometres from the district city of Apac. He was travelling by motorcycle, on transfer from Alenga to Ngeta, his new appointment. The accident was caused by another motorcycle coming from the opposite direction on the wrong side of the road. The accident was unavoidable and Fr. Giuliano died instantly, struck in the head by the handlebars of the other motorcycle.

His body was taken to the mission of Alenga and the following evening a prayer vigil was held, followed by another the following evening at Ngeta where the funeral took place the day after. The ceremonies were led by Mgr. Giuseppe Franzelli, Bishop of Lira, assisted by Mgrs. John Baptist Odama, Archbishop of Gulu, and Mgr. Giuseppe Filippi, Bishop of Kotido. Many confreres were also present with a great congregation of religious Sisters, diocesan priests and members of the faithful. The body was buried in the mission of Ngeta among the people for whom he had spent the greater part of his life and to whom he had given his charity and his commitment.
(Fr. Hategek’Imana Sylvester)