Hugh O'Flaherty: The Irish Priest Who Resisted the Nazis

by Fiorella De Maria

Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty was working in the Vatican when dictator Benito Mussolini fell from power and Germany invaded Italy in 1943. This courageous Irish priest who resisted the Nazi occupation was made famous by the movie, The Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck. The Monsignor O'Flaherty brought to life in this story is as intriguing and exciting as the film version.

Witty, brilliant, and fearless, Monsignor O'Flaherty helped escaped Allied prisoners of war and persecuted Jews to elude capture by the Germans. At great risk to themselves, Monsignor O'Flaherty and his equally brave friends--priests, nuns, and lay men and women, including a few aristocrats--saved thousands of lives. They constantly needed to stay one step ahead of the ever-persistent Nazis until their surrender to the Allies in 1945.

This is the 35th title in the acclaimed Vision Books series on saints and heroes for youth. Not just a thrilling adventure story, this book offers a portal into a real-life battle between good and evil. It also tells of the need after a war for forgiveness and redemption.

Genres: Childrens

196 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2023

About the author

Fiorella De Maria is an Anglo-Maltese writer, born in Italy and currently living in Surrey. She grew up in rural Wiltshire and attended Cambridge University, where she received a BA in English Literature and an MPhil in Renaissance Literature. A winner of the National Book Prize of Malta, she has published nine novels, specialising in historical and crime fiction. Fiorella’s novels have received endorsements from veteran author and journalist, Piers Paul Reid, and her most recent novel was described as “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie meets I Capture the Castle.”

Besides writing novels, Fiorella is a qualified English Language teacher and a respected bioethicist. She has delivered lectures and papers at conferences all over the world. Her book The Abolition of Woman was described by former Cosmopolitan journalist Sue Ellen Browder as “a daring revelation of the shocking exploitation of women around the world”. Fiorella has appeared on British radio and TV programmes such as ITN 24-Hour News, BBC Woman’s Hour and Premier Radio’s Woman 2 Woman. Fiorella lives with her husband, four children and a dog called Montgomery (Monty).

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I have stated before I have read nearly all the books written by Fiorella de Maria, I absolutely love her fiction but the three biographies of saints she has written are amazing. Her hagiography is very well done. This book is part of the Vision Books Biographies now published by Ignatius Press. And it part of Ignatius’s expansion upon the original titles called New Vision Books. It is the six in the series currently in print that I have read, and I have read a few of the older out of print volumes. I did some research on the Vision Books for Young Readers and from the books I have read can state that they are great reads for teens, young adults and adults. This was another excellent read and I understand that Ignatius has several other titles in the work to expand the series. But back to this volume. The description of the book is:

“Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty was working in the Vatican when dictator Benito Mussolini fell from power and Germany invaded Italy in 1943. This courageous Irish priest who resisted the Nazi occupation was made famous by the movie, The Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck. The Monsignor O'Flaherty brought to life in this story is as intriguing and exciting as the film version.

Witty, brilliant, and fearless, Monsignor O'Flaherty helped escaped Allied prisoners of war and persecuted Jews to elude capture by the Germans. At great risk to themselves, Monsignor O'Flaherty and his equally brave friends--priests, nuns, and lay men and women, including a few aristocrats--saved thousands of lives. They constantly needed to stay one step ahead of the ever-persistent Nazis until their surrender to the Allies in 1945.

This is the 35th title in the acclaimed Vision Books series on saints and heroes for youth. Not just a thrilling adventure story, this book offers a portal into a real-life battle between good and evil. It also tells of the need after a war for forgiveness and redemption.”

And the author bio states:

“Fiorella De Maria, an Anglo-Maltese writer living in Surrey, England, studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge. A winner of the National Book Prize of Malta, she has published eight other books with Ignatius Press, including A Most Dangerous Innocence, We'll Never Tell Them, and the Father Gabriel Mystery series.”

The chapters in the book are:

1. Winter 1943: Cat and Mouse
2. A Seminarian in a Troubled Land—1918
3. Life in the Eternal City
4. War Comes To Italy
5. A Tyrant Falls, and Rome Is Invaded
6. An Aristocrat and an English Butler
7. An English Pow Joins the Team
8. A Maltese Widow and a Hunted Princess
9. The Germans Target O’Flaherty
10. The Race to Hide God’s Chosen
11. A Kidnapping in Broad Daylight
12. Traitors and Collaborators
13. God’s Secret Agent?
14. Italy’s Darkest Hour
15. Breaking Point
16. Dutchpa Is Sent to Hell and Back
17. An Angel of Mercy for the Enemy
18. A Prophet without Honor
19. Kappler’s Conversion
20. A Final Prayer
Epilogue
Afterword

I have previously read about Hugh O'Flaherty, in passing, and have a couple of other books about him in my ‘to be read’ pile. But when this released it jumped to first in my queue both because of the author and the series, and it did not disappoint. I could hardly put it down, devoured it in three sittings over 2 days. This story is an amazing example of faith and service, of learning to follow God, and of loving our enemies. The work he did during and after the war was amazing. He lived with great personal risk, and risked all for helping to save others.

De Maria has written this life in a masterful way, readers will be hooked very early on. It is an absolute page turner. The only think I would have loved to see would be information about his possible cause. And a Prayer for that cause or to his intercession.

I plan on reading all the books in this series that are in print and as many of the out of print that I can track down. I returned to this series because I had finished the 38 books in the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media. Those books are geared for a younger audience, and these are written for older readers and go deeper into the subject matters of each volume. This is another excellent book in a wonderful series. My only complaint is that only about a third of the books are available in digital formats, with my dual form of dyslexia and my son’s eye tracking issues eBooks are our preferred format. Fortunately I was able to pick up the eBook of this one a few weeks after the print edition was released. These books are written for a Middle Grade or Teens in mind, but this one and the others I have read are excellent volumes for readers of all ages. A well written biography of an amazing Saint, I can easily recommend this book. And keep your eyes out for future books from the pen of Fiorella.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for young and old to read about a priest that saved many lives during WW2.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly remarkable man Father Hugh O'Flaherty was.
He was called to the priesthood as a young adult, and, by the time World War Two started, he was studying and working in Rome, at the Vatican.
Il Duce was in power, and took Italy into the war, siding with Hitler. Father Hugh, whilst not being a fan of the English, helped them and their Allies in the only way he felt he could. By the time the war ended, Father Hugh's organisation had helped save many thousands of people to escape from Rome. He hated violence, but continued his ministry in extremely difficult times.
Quite how Father Hugh O'Flaherty managed to keep his strong Roman Catholic faith, and remain a priest, I find truly amazing.
Although written in a style for readers younger than myself, this book fascinated me. Father Hugh O'Flaherty was such a wonderful person.

[Kambrie Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.