FRIEND TO SAINTS, POPES AND THE POOR

In the previous Blog, we mentioned ST. LUIGI ORIONE, who was instrumental in Bl. Teresa Grillo Michel’s work in South America.

St Luigi was born in Piedmont, Northern Italy, at Pontecurone, a village near Tortona in 1872. His father was a road digger and his mother was a woman of deep faith and well-educated. 

The young Luigi felt he wanted to be a priest and joined the Franciscans, but had to leave due to ill health. He was welcomed by St. John Bosco, but left the Salesians after a few years to become a seminarian in his own Diocese of Tortona.

While still a student, he started his lifelong work for those he loved most, namely the poor. He catechized a small group of boys who readily followed him. Dom Orione drew people to himself throughout his life. They came to be with him; some to help him, others to be helped.

Dom Orione loved everybody but the poor, the young, the elderly, the sick and people with disabilities were his special friends.

At just 20 years of age, he had great insight into the problems and needs of his age. “There is a supreme need and a supreme remedy for healing the wounds of this poor country that is so beautiful but so unfortunate! Take hold of the hearts and affections of the people and enlighten the youth: pour into everyone the great idea of Catholic redemption with and for the Pope. Souls! Souls!"

At his first Mass in 1895, he prayed that those who came to him would always be granted “bread, peace and paradise”.

He established a number of religious and lay groups, each with a different charism. The Hermits of Divine Providence followed the motto of St. Benedict Ora et Labora, staffing agricultural schools in rural areas.

After the December 1908 earthquake that left 90,000 dead among the ruins, Dom Orione went to Reggio Calabria and Messina to help, especially the orphaned children and became a promoter of civil and religious works of reconstruction.  At the express wish of Pope Pius X he was appointed Vicar General of Messina diocese.

Three years later he left Sicily, dedicating himself to the formation and development of the Congregation. In December 1913, he sent the first expedition of missionaries to Brazil. He again carried out heroic activity aiding those affected by the earthquake of January 1915 that shook Marsica and left almost 30,000 victims. 

During the early years of the First world War, Dom Orione travelled the length and breadth of Italy many times to support various charitable activities, to give spiritual and material aid to people at all levels of society, and to support and nurture priestly and religious vocations. 

He had the personal esteem of Popes Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII and authorities at the Holy See who entrusted him with many delicate tasks for resolving problems and healing wounds both within the Church and in its relationship with civil society. 

He worked with prudence and charity on issues of modernism, promotion of Conciliation between Church and State in Italy, and taking in and rehabilitating “lapsed” priests in the Italian Church. He was a preacher, confessor and tireless organizer of pilgrimages, missions, processions, ‘live’ Christmas nativity scenes and other popular manifestations of faith.

 He had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and the ideal of his life was to live and to die for the spiritual welfare of people, serving Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother Church and its head, the Pope. His motto was, “Do good always, to all, evil to none”.

 He travelled far and wide, started new foundations at home and abroad and followed their progress. He died in San Remo (one of my favorite places in Italy)  March 12, 1940 after sending a loving message to the Holy Father. His last words were, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus". His body is incorrupt and can be venerated in Tortona.

 At his canonization on May 16, 2004, Pope (St.) John Paul II said of him,

Passion for Christ was the soul of his bold life, the interior thrust of an altruism without reservations, the always fresh source of an indestructible hope. This humble son of a man who repaired roads proclaimed that only charity will save the world, and to everyone he would also say that perfect joy can only be found in perfect dedication of oneself to God and man, and to all mankind.

His feast is March 12.