Lungro
The life and career of Donato Oliverio
Donato Oliverio is an Italian bishop born on March 5, 1956 in Cosenza, Italy. Belonging to the "arbëreshë" ethno-linguistic minority, he was raised in a family devoted to the Italo-Greek Catholic Church. His religious education led him to attend the Eparchial Seminary of San Basile in Cosenza and the Seminary of Grottaferrata, where he obtained his classical maturity and a Bachelor's degree in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. He then studied at the Oriental Pontifical Institute, where he obtained a license in Eastern ecclesiastical sciences.
After being ordained a priest on October 17, 1982 in the Eparchy of Lungro, he held various ecclesiastical positions, becoming director of the Eparchial Catechetical Office and general secretary of the II Inter-Eparchial Synod. In 2012, he was appointed bishop of the Eparchy of Lungro by Pope Benedict XVI and received episcopal consecration on July 1 of the same year.
Origins and education
Donato Oliverio was born in Cosenza in 1956 to a family of "arbëreshë" ethnicity, who are an ethno-linguistic minority of Albanian origin. His family has always been devoted to the Italo-Greek Catholic Church, of which many members of the "arbëreshë" community were part. After completing elementary school in Cosenza, he decided to pursue his religious vocation by entering the Eparchial Seminary of San Basile in Cosenza.
He then continued his religious studies at the Seminary of Grottaferrata, where he obtained his classical maturity. After this experience, he moved to Rome to study at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in philosophy and theology. He then obtained a license in Eastern ecclesiastical sciences at the Oriental Pontifical Institute, completing his education.
Priestly ministry
After being ordained a priest in 1982, Donato Oliverio was assigned as pastor and administrator of the church of San Giuseppe in the municipality of San Benedetto Ullano, in a fraction of Marri. In 1983, he was appointed director of the Eparchial Catechetical Office, a position he held until 2003. During his ministry, he had roles of great responsibility, becoming general secretary of the first Lungro Eparchial Assembly and general secretary of the II Inter-Eparchial Synod.
In addition to being Eparchial economist, Donato Oliverio also had teaching experiences at the Institute of Religious Sciences in Lungro, where he held the position of secretary from 1988 to 2003. In 2002, he was appointed moderator of the diocesan curia and pro-protosincellus, until he assumed the position of protosincellus in 2010.
Episcopal ministry
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Donato Oliverio as the new bishop of the Eparchy of Lungro after the resignation of Ercole Lupinacci due to age reasons. His episcopal consecration took place on July 1, 2012, by the imposition of hands of Ercole Lupinacci, assisted by the Company of Jesuits Slovakia Cyril Vasiľ, titular Bishop, personal title, of the Diocese of Tolmeto of Libya and by Salvatore Nunnari, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano. Since then, Donato Oliverio has continued his pastoral mission and commitment to the community.
Moreover, Donato Oliverio speaks Albanian, Italian, French and Greek fluently, having deepened his knowledge of the languages during his studies. Some of the projects that Oliverio has been involved in during his ecclesiastical career include the care of the Italian edition of the Apostles' Lectionary and the publication of catechesis and iconology articles.
