In the church of St. Peter and Paul in Lomagna, province of Lecco, the funeral took place today of Ven. Bailiff Fra’ Roggero Caccia Dominioni, Grand Prior emeritus, who passed last Monday aged 100. Born in Milan on 17 March 1921, Roggero Caccia Dominioni was one of the first knights to pronounce the promise of obedience in 1971 and subsequently to take solemn vows in 1990. He was Delegate of Lombardy from 1990 to 1999 and then Grand Prior of Lombardy and Venice from 1999 to 2013.

Present at the funeral were the Lieutenant of the Grand Master Fra’ Marco Luzzago, some Professed and officers of the Grand Priory of Lombardy and Venice.

The ceremony was officiated by Fra’ Giovanni Scarabelli, Professed Chaplain. “Fra’ Roggero leaves us his testimony of a deep-rooted faith nourished by a profound sense of charity,” he said in his homily, recalling that during World War II the young Fra’ Roggero had participated in the Italian campaign in Russia in which tens of thousands of Italian soldiers died, which left a deep mark on his life. “This experience guided him even further along the path of faith, creating – with the Servant of God Marcello Candia – major assistance activities.” One of the most significant of these is the leper colony opened in Picos, a municipality in the state of Piauí in Brazil and one of the most deprived areas in the country. An example for all the Order’s members: “He transformed his life into inner contemplation,” said Fra’ Giovanni Scarabelli.

Last March, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, in one of his last statements Fra’ Roggero recalled his devotion to the Order of Malta. “By age I stand at the threshold of the House of the Father; Divine Providence will decide when. But mindful of the mission I embraced as a Knight of the Order of Malta, albeit by now I only participate by praying, I am committed to endeavouring that the world and the Order improve and increasingly serve the faith and the poor.”