Giacomo Sichirollo. — Neothomist philosopher and sociologist, born at Arquà Polesine (Rovigo) on 17 April 1839, died at Rovigo on 18 May 1911. He studied at the Seminary of Rovigo, where, after being ordained priest, he remained for life as professor of philosophy, spiritual director and prefect of studies.
His publications exceed forty in number. The most substantial work is that on *I tre libri di M. Tullio Cicerone intorno alle leggi. Testo con la versione e commento* (Padua 1878–85). In this, with wide-ranging and sure learning, Sichirollo demonstrates, following Cicero, that the foundation of law is natural and therefore divine. In 1887 he published at Padua *La mia conversione dal Rosmini a s. Tommaso*, followed by two further works in which he defended himself against the attacks of his opponents. In the same vein is the work: *Lettre critiche sul libro «Scienza e fede» del p. G. Semeria* (Treviso 1904). He also wrote: *Il nuovo compendio della storia d'Italia nel medioevo* (Lendinara 1890), which, as soon as it appeared, was commended by Toniolo “to Italians solicitous for truth and the glory of their country”; and *Il concetto della storia in Cicerone* and a page from the *Leggende agiografiche* of Fr Delehaye (Rovigo 1906).
Sichirollo played a large part in the social activity of Catholics, notably with his *Conferenze sulla Democrazia cristiana* (Rovigo 1896). In 1869 he founded the Catholic Circle of St Francis of Assisi, the first in the diocese of Adria and among the first in Italy; in early March 1883 he founded at Padua the Catholic University Society, the first of its kind in Italy, which on 20 June of the same year received the honour of a brief of approval from Leo XIII. This society proved so fruitful that, later united in the F.U.C.I., it was to make the power of Christian thought widely felt in the life of the nation. Sichirollo exercised a profound spiritual influence on clergy and laity, who even during his lifetime revered him as a saint. Giuseppe Toniolo, some years after his death, wrote that he ought to be honoured as a national teacher.