He was born in Frascineto (CS) on 6-27-1920 of Agostino Giordano and Rosina Bilotta, grandchildren of father Bernardo Bilotta (1843-1918), parish priest of Frascineto, poet and scholar. After attending grammar school in Frascineto, in 1933 he entered the Benedetto XV Seminary of Grottaferrata (Rome), where he attended high school. In 1938 he transferred to the Pontificio Collegio Greco of Rome and he completed liceum, filosofical and theological studies at "Angelicum" Pontifical University, obtaining his License in Theology. Ordained a priest on November 18, 1945, he was nominated parish priest of Ejanina on May 30, 1946, where he celebrated the first mass on July 16, feast of the Virgin.

At that point, a long and fruitful pastoral mission begins for him. It has given him much satisfaction: under his guide, in fact, tiny Ejanina gave to the Byzantine Diocese of Lungro five priests. Father Emanuele for decades has contributed actively to the life of the Diocese: first, as tenacious supporter of introducing the Albanian language in Liturgy, and in addition, as energetic translator of texts, in the realm of the "Commision for Liturgy, Byzantine Music and Sacred Art". As a teacher at the Institute of Religious Sciences "Giovanni Stamati", he has taught in the past Liturgy, Christology, Ecclesiology, Greek and Albanian languages, and Byzantine Music. At Ejanina, even before the Albanian language was officially introduced into the Mass (1968), it was already sung in Albanian! In Ejanina, Byzantine, Greek and Albanian songs are present at every liturgical function.

The parish church, dedicated to S. Basil, already embellished with an Iconostasis in 1947, has recently been improved with a new roof and paint on the exterior, as well as marble pavement in the interior. The presbytery, also built in '48-49, has seen the growth of entire generations in this long period of time. Father Emanuele has nurtured them personally and lovingly, teaching catechism, songs and the Albanian language.

But father Emanuele Giordano is not only worthy in the religious field. He also has merits, among all of his talents, in the Albanian cultural field. Son of parents of spontaneous poetic vein, and great grandnephew of Bilotta, father Emanuele already in 1957 published a booklet, "Albanian Folklore in Italy", about the Easter traditions of Frascineto. And from there he began to contribute to Koliqi's magazine, “Shejzat”, and to the

In 1966 he went to Tirana, invited by the University, where he held conferences on Bilotta and where he met the most important Albanian linguists and literary figures, with some of whom he would maintain, through the years, an interesting epistolar correspondence. In 1967, still in Albania, he published the work of Bilotta "Shpata e Skanderbekut ndë Dibrët Poshtë" (The sword of Skanderbeg at Lower Dibre). In 1972, and for twelve years, he directed the cultural magazine "Zëri i Arbëreshvet"(The voice of the Albanians of Italy), in which he published linguistic, historical and literary articles, poems, reviews, folk songs, proverbs, commentaries; as well as the commedy "Dorëngushti" (The Miser) of Molière, condensed, revisited and translated by him into Albanian. He returned to Albania in ‘93, as a tourist, and in ‘94, for religious reasons.

For a few years he has also worked in... journalism: He has edited a religious column on the Montreal weekly in Italian "Il Cittadino Canadese", edited by his nephew Basilio Giordano. Always in the Albanian cultural field, father Giordano has published, in the year 2000, the Second* Edition of his "Fjalor"(Vocabulary), as well as – by the Eparchy of Lungro - the "Vangjeli i Shën Matesë" (The Gospel of St. Matthew) translated to Arbëresh: with the assistance of his nephew, professor Agostino Giordano. Also in the year 2000, father Giordano has contributed, with other authors, to the creation and production of the work "Alfabetizzazione Arbëreshe" - edited by the AIADI Association of Lungro - that will be distributed freely to all young people of the Arbëresh communities of Italy, who attend grammar and high school.

Agostino Giordano