In the last Blog, we mention that Bl. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini was the mentor of Bl. Clilia Merloni.
BL. GIOVANNI BATTISTA SCALABRINI was the Bishop of Piacenza from 1876 until his death He was the founder of both the Missionaries of Saint Charles and the Mission Sisters of Saint Charles. His rise to the episcopate came at a rapid pace after giving a series of lectures on the First Vatican Council in 1872 and his staunch dedication to catechism which led Pope Pius IX to dub him as the "Apostle of the Catechism". Successive popes Leo XIII and (St. ) Pius X held him in incredible esteem and both failed to convince him accept archdioceses or the cardinalate.
Giovanni Battista Scalabrini was born in Fino Mornasco the third of eight children. Two brothers emigrated to the Americas
He first attended the local state high school where he demonstrated a remarkable intelligence that made him a top student held in high esteem and then entered the Liceo Volta college in Como where he often received prizes for his academic excellence; he had interests in both science and foreign languages.
Bl. Giovanni did his philosophy and theology studies in Como
After ordaination he expressed a strong desire to join the missions in the Indies but Bishop Marzorati had other ideas for him and said to him: "Your Indies are in In 1876 he was appointed Bishop of Piacenza by Pope Pius IX.
He made five pastoral visits across his diocese which proved to be an exhaustive but effective mission of evangelization and his efforts at reforming seminaries and pastoral initiatives earned him praise even from the secular detractors who criticized him for his strict obedience to the pope.
The bishop's episcopal tenure resulted in the establishment of the "Saint Raphael Association" dedicated to the care of Italian migrants which proved to be a cause he held close to his heart. This solidified through the actions of his twin religious congregations and his visits to both Brazil and the USA
His holiness was well-renowned across the Italian peninsula and there were countless who attested to his saintliness in an ensuring canonization process. St.John Paul II beatified Bishop Scalabrini in Saint Peter's Square on 9 November 1997. His feast is celebrated June 1.