Msgr. Franco Luigi Troi, a former elite forces chaplain from Alpine Italy who skied with Pope John Paul II and befriended Pope Benedict XVI, a priest who spent most of his retirement years assisting at Oahu parishes, died Jan. 21 after a brief illness at St. Francis Hospice in Honolulu. He was ordained 50 years.
First coming to Hawaii 13 years ago as a tourist with an interest in Pearl Harbor, the Italian monsignor eventually stayed to serve the Diocese of Honolulu, providing sacraments for Oahu parishes including St. Elizabeth in Aiea and the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa.
Msgr. Franco Luigi Troi was born on Jan. 15, 1940 in the northern Italian town of Belluno. He grew up in the tiny village of Pieve di Livinallongo in the Dolomite Mountains in the Italian Alps where the residents speak Ladin, the language of the early Romans.
In 1945, when Franco was 5, his father was killed after being forced into the German army. His mother, a midwife, raised him alone with his brother Carlo who was three years younger.
As a child, Franco helped his grandfather herd cows. He also became a skilled skier. No one could beat him in the downhill races. A true champion on the slopes, he never broke a bone in 60 years of skiing.
At age 11, after hearing a Comboni missionary priest speak in his village about the African missions, he entered the order’s seminary in Trento, Italy. He attended high school in Florence and theology studies in Verona.
Msgr. Troi was ordained a Comboni priest in June 27, 1965. His first assignment was to further his studies at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Possessing a talent for languages, he spoke Ladin, Italian, German, French and Spanish, but not English. Two New York cousins helped him learn English in six weeks. Three-and-a-half years later the young priest graduated with an education degree in chemistry and biology with honors.
He was sent to Khartoum, Sudan, to teach chemistry and biology for four years at the Comboni College for Science and Technology. He kept in touch with some of his first students for four decades.
Msgr. Troi returned to Italy, leaving the Comboni Fathers to be a priest for his home Diocese of Bressanone. He became a chaplain for the police academy in Bolzano, Italy, during a difficult time in Italy when the left-wing Red Brigade Terrorist Group was active.
He then became a chaplain for the Alpini, the Italian army’s corps of elite mountain warfare soldiers. His first assignment was in Dolomite Mountains where he grew up. There he took the young soldiers skiing and taught them the ways of the mountains, often celebrating Mass among some of the highest peaks.
Several times he set up an altar for Mass in the Dolomites for Pope John Paul II who would fly in by helicopter and concelebrate Mass with the monsignor, before joining him and Italian soldiers for some skiing.
Msgr. Troi was promoted to chief of the Alpini chaplains and helped train other military chaplains throughout the NATO region. Upon his mandatory retirement at age 62 he was given the rank of general.
After he retired, Msgr. Troi returned to the city of Bressanone where he lived with his mother in a family-owned apartment.
Bressanone, a town nestled in South Tyrol in northern Italy where most of the people speak German, was for 30 years a favorite summer destination for Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and his brother and sister, before the cardinal became Pope Benedict XVI. Msgr. Troi’s cousin was the Ratzingers’ driver in Bressanone.
Through their Bressanone connection, Pope Benedict enjoyed an acquaintance with Msgr. Troi. When the monsignor became ill a few months ago, the retired pope wrote him a personal note to let him know that he was in his daily prayers.
Coming to Hawaii
Msgr. Troi first became interested in Hawaii as a student at Seton Hall when he wrote a paper on Pearl Harbor. Forty years later, in April 2002, he used his first retirement check to purchase a ticket to Honolulu to honor those who lost their lives during the Pearl Harbor attack of 1941.
He wrote to Sacred Hearts Father Thomas Choo, then pastor of St. Augustine Church in Waikiki, asking if he could help out with Masses in exchange for lodging. In Honolulu, the Italian priest felt immediately at home. He wanted to return as soon as he was able.
He returned to Oahu in 2004 again as a tourist. At Bishop Larry Silva’s invitation, he procured a visa allowing him to take a Hawaii parish assignment. He helped at St. Elizabeth in Aiea, and then was appointed parochial vicar at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa. He also assisted at Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou.
The monsignor was a humble, joyful priest with a most beautiful smile. He dearly loved his Hawaii parishioners and they truly loved him. Many sent greetings for his 75th birthday on Jan. 15. After he turned ill, many visited him at St. Francis Hospice in Honolulu.
Msgr. Troi died on Jan. 21. He would have celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination on June 27.
Msgr. Troi is survived by his brother Dr. Carlo Troi and his wife Roseanna, his niece Dr. Christina Troi and her husband Markus and their children Thomas and Lukas. All live in Bressanone.
Bishop Silva presided at his funeral on Feb. 3 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa. Msgr. Troi will be buried in Bressanone beside his mother and father.
Diane Wiggins is a longtime friend of Msgr. Troi.
Always smiling
Here are excerpts from the homily Father William Kunisch delivered at Msgr. Franco Troi’s funeral. The monsignor helped out at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa when Father Kunisch was pastor there.
Franco was always happy just to be of help, to be with people, and to offer the Mass. He was a very faithful priest.
What all of us will remember most about Franco, though, is his beautiful smile. It would light up a room and cheer any tired soul.
I can remember one Sunday standing in the back of St. Theresa and watching Franco celebrate Mass and wondering, “What is he so happy about?” No matter what was happening, he was at home at the altar, always at peace, prayful and smiling.
Franco never stopped following the Lord and was willing to go wherever he would lead. In a private conversation we had a few weeks before he died, and when it was obvious his time with us was short, I asked him if he was ready for heaven.
He thought about it and said, “Yes.”
I told him, “Now Frank, when you see the Lord, go ahead and run to him OK?” And he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I will jump in his arms!” And I said, “That’s it!”
We love you Franco, and until we meet again, Aloha! Ciao!
