1904 – 1970 (December 18)
Claudio Fabrizi, son of Francesco and Antonia Fabrizi, was born on July 7, 1904 in Montelanico, in the Province of Rome, Italy. He was vested on October 31, 1919 and at profession on November 2, 1920, was affiliated to the Roman Province. He made his solemn profession of November 1, 1927, and was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on December 17, 1927. He served for a time in Viterbo, Italy, before leaving for the United States.
Father Fabrizi arrived in Philadelphia in January, 1929, at the age of 25, and was assigned to Saint Nicholas of Toletine Parish as an assistant in January, 1929. He was appointed pastor there on May 3, 1933. During his long pastorate of twenty-two years, he succeeded in paying off the parish debt of over $200,000, for which he received a very gracious letter from Denis Cardinal Dougherty thanking him for this accomplishment. He also remodeled the school in 1948, while making other improvements to the church and rectory. He purchased additional property, sufficient for the new convent of the Sisters, which was ready for occupancy in 1954. By this time, he had succeeded in obtaining the “Maestre Pie Filippini” as teachers in the school.
Father Fabrizi left St. Nicholas on February 11, 1955 to become pastor of Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Dobbs Ferry, New York. In the early 60s, he returned to Italy because of poor health and died on December 18, 1970 at Ostia Lido, Italy.
