Blessed Claudio Granzotto

Claudio Granzotto (23 August 1900 – 15 August 1947, born Riccardo Granzotto) was an Italian professed religious from the Order of Friars Minor and a noted sculptor. Granzotto's works were a conduit for his religious expression and are reflective of his dedication to use sculpting to evangelize to others. The fame for his personal holiness prompted the commencement for the sainthood process which opened under Pope John Paul I on 22 September 1978 before Pope John Paul II named him as Venerable on 7 September 1989 and later beatified him on 20 November 1994. Riccardo Granzotto was born on 23 August 1900 in the commune of Santa Lucia di Piave in the Province of Treviso as the last of nine children to Antonio Granzotto and Giovanna Scottò. The infant was baptized on 2 September in the names of "Riccardo Vittorio". His older brother Giovanni worked as a tradesman. His parents were peasants who required his help in working in the fields in his childhood in order for them to survive and this increased all the more after the death of his father in 1909. His poor parents were devout and instilled into their children a strong knowledge of their faith. The outbreak of World War I soon saw him drafted into the Italian armed forces in 1915 where he served until 1918 when the war concluded. Once he was discharged from service he was able to commence his studies and developed his talents as an artist with a particular liking for sculpture. He enrolled in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia in Venice and graduated there with honors in 1929; he entered at the encouragement of his older brother Giovanni and his parish priest Vittorio Morando. One of the major themes of his works was religious art. He soon felt a religious vocation after meeting the Franciscan priest Amadio Oliviero in 1932 (the two became good friends) and decided to become a professed religious – he later entered the Order of Friars Minor on 7 December 1933.