75TH ANNIVERSARY OF FR. GIOVANNI BOTTON’S MARTYRDOM IN CHINA
” O Lord, look at millions of brothers who suffer from thirst of justice, truth, peace and love.” Saint Guido Maria Conforti
Fr. Giovanni Botton, “Gino” to his friends, was born in Carmignano del Brenta, Padova, Italy in 1908. He was the youngest of 10 siblings. His older brother Luigi became a member of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri and his sister Mary a member of the Dorothean Congregation. Giovanni entered the Xaverian Institute (Vicenza, Italy) when he was 12 years old. He moved to Parma for the Novitiate when he was 16 years old. There, he had the possibility to meet personally with the Founder three times. In 1929 he interrupted his theological studies (21 years old) to go to Vicenza to accompany and assist the little “apostles” or seminarians in junior high school. The following year he went back to Parma to conclude his theological studies. In 1931 (23 years old) he was ordained by the Founder, Saint Guido Maria Conforti. It was the last ordination of Mons. Conforti before his death (November 5, 1931).
For 3 years he served the Italian province as vice rector in Grumone (Cremona) and missionary animator in Parma. In 1932 (24 years old) with other 6 religious, he left Italy for Zheng Zhou, Henan Province, China. The mission entrusted to the Xaverians was located in Henan and comprised two apostolic vicarates: Zheng Zhou and Luo Yang. Fr. Giovanni was assigned to the Vicariate of Zheng Zhou. After one year of studying the language, he was sent to Ju Zhou, a mountain region of the Vicariate where there were around 20 Christian communities: more than 1330 Christians, mountain men, strong and determined, and many catechumens.
In 1936 started the war Sino-Japanese. The increasingly severe famine and the misery caused by the war started turning unbearable. In 1937 Beijing was totally under the control of the Japanese army. In 1938 also the city of Zhen Zhou was bombed. The Xaverian Mission compound was hit too. In 1938 an interminable procession of refugees arrived at the area of Zheng Zhou. In order to counter the Japanese advance, Chang Kaishek, ordered to burst the banks of the Yellow River (24 km far from Zheng Zhou) flooding more than 300.000 people. In 1940 (32 years old) Fr. Giovanni was called back from the mountains to Zheng Zhou city with the task of Procurator of the Xaverian Mission. Because of his many skills and good nursing education, he also took the responsibility of the Hospital founded by the Xaverians. There he announced the Gospel through the deeds of mercy, especially by taking care of those people with problems in their eyes.
In 1942 (34 years old), those Italian missionaries suspected of being in contact with the Japanese enemies were sent to the Concentration camp in Neixiang, close to NanYang (Henan). After 2 years Fr. Giovanni left the Concentration camp to go back to Zheng Zhou to take once again the responsibility of the Hospital.
April 30, 1944 (36 years old), due to the destructive bombing of the Japanese army, Fr. Botton and Fr. Ermanno Zualian hid many people in the basement-cellar-shelter of the Hospital. Fearing an imminent and brutal attack, he took a white handkerchief, and quickly climbed the little wooden stairs, weaving the small white napkin as a sign of surrender and peace. He shouted: “Catholic Church, Italy”. Before reaching the top of the stairs, two Japanese soldiers stabbed him with their bayonet. Fr. Botton slid on the wooden steps and died after some hours. Fr. Zulian exhorted the people gathered in the shelter to pray for the dying Fr. Botton saying: “Fr. Botton sacrificed himself for us. If he had not gone out, the Japanese army would have dropped bombs like crazy. We would have died instantly”. The Xaverian Bishop of Zheng Zhou, Mons. Luigi Calza, when informed about the death of Fr. Botton said: “He is a martyr. I lost a missionary, but I gained a martyr”. He was buried in the garden. In the chapel for deceased priests, in the cemetery of Carmignano del Brenta, a tombstone was collocated with the following Italian sentence: “Fr. Giovanni Botton, Xaverian Missionary in China. He died to save the life of his people”.
Before leaving for China, Fr. Giovanni wrote a letter to his parents saying: “It is unnecessary to ask you to be happy. It was you who taught me that we were not born for this earth, but for Heaven…It is from you that I also learnt how to sacrifice ourselves. I never forgot that lesson.” In fact, his last words before dying were: “I offer my life so that that Lord may save China”.
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