September 20: Blessed Clemente Marchisio

Blessed Clemente Marchisio
1833 – 1903

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 20th, 2008 at 5:15 am and is filed under Catholic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to September 20: Blessed Clemente Marchisio

  1. Nan says:
    September 21, 2008 at 4:26 am

    The earthly life of B. Clemente Marchisio is a clear sign that major projects often arise in the most humble. From the heart of a simple Piedmont dell’Ottocento priest, pastor of a small hill country, rose a still thriving.
    Clemente Marchisio was born in Newport on 1 March 1833. He was the first of five children of a shoemaker. Kind of lively, received an early education in his hometown. Lived near the church of the Dominicans and went there every day to serve Mass. Since the child got a great devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary. While he was initiated to take the profession of his father, a day showed how long felt in my heart: consecrate to God as a priest. Parents, though surprised, not opposed even if the first problem was the lack of money for study.

    Divine Providence was blessed to meet the future: Don Giovanni Battista Sacco helped him, supporting also economically. Bra seminar imposed a very demanding life, centered in prayer, study and work. With papal dispensation, because it failed to reach twenty-four years, he was ordained priest on 20 September 1856 to Susa from the hands of Monsignor Oddone. The bishop of Turin was in exile in Lyon.

    After his ordination in Turin attended the Biennio further at the boarding of St. Francis. Joseph Cafasso, then transferred to the Santuario della Consolata. Clemente was so distinguished that he was chosen by “the Holy Rollers” as companion in frequent visits to prisoners and sentenced to death. The two years at the side of Cafasso profoundly transformed his mood. He said: “I uscii completely different, fully aware of the dignity of the priest.” Subalpine in the capital were the years of Don Bosco, S. Leonardo Murialdo, del B. Leonardo Murialdo of B. Federico Albert, del B. Albert Federico, of B. Michele Rua, del B. Michele Rua, of B. Francesco Faa di Bruno, del B. Francesco Faà di Bruno, of B. Giovanni Maria Boccardo; vivo era il ricordo del Cottolengo. Giovanni Maria Boccardo, was alive the memory of Cottolengo.

    In 1858 he was named assistant to change, but the frankness in denouncing certain situations, the attorney for expulsion. After a short period in Vigone, his ultimate destination was Rivalba Torinese, a small hill to where even thousand inhabitants made his admission on 18 November 1860 just twenty-seven years: stand the parish, spending without reservations, for forty-three years.

    The Church of Rivalba was not in good condition, one of the first initiatives thought of putting hand to build a new building. He gathered the necessary materials, but not getting the necessary authorization calendar, is limited to its restructuring. It was the first in a long series of complications that some of his parishioners the prosecutor. At that time the poverty of peasants in the hill was worse than the plain. A portion of the population was hostile and he replied in a sometimes impulsive. It came to complaints and physical threats and acts of extreme disorder were even interrupted the homilies. Don Clemente, discouraged at first, rather than give in, accentuated the fervor of his pastor. Preaching more effective had it by example. He rose at 5 and after two hours of prayer celebrated Mass. The recitation of the Rosary opened and closed his day. The principal was devotion to the Eucharist. One day he made this confidence: “I also find sometimes accasciato under the weight of tribulations, but you assure that, after five minutes with a living faith before Jesus Sacrament, I feel fully revived, so that all that I first seemed too hard and I became unbearable light and easy. ”

    As Paul said, Faith without works is dead. They were the years of crisis campaign, we emigrated to cities in search of fortune. To meet his parishioners Don Clement gave life to different initiatives. The unused building materials for non-construction of the new church was used to build a kindergarten and a textile workshop for young people who were not forced to travel to Turin in search of work as domestic servants (1871). He also redesigned the millennium castle (now the cradle of his foundation).

    A turning point came when the Albertine nuns, who had managed the first laboratory, left the country. On the advice of the Archbishop of Turin Mons. Gastaldi, Don Clemente gave him some of the best girls involved. It was the nucleus of a new religious family: the Institute of the Daughters of St. Giuseppe (1877). Rosalia Sismonda known two years before a Sciolze, will be his right arm.

    The nineteenth century saw an extraordinary flowering of religious institutes dedicated to various works of charity Christian from the poor and the sick, shelter and education to children and adolescents. In particular the Piedmont became a land of saints, although, as in the rest of Italy, not absence of persecution against the Church, even by the state. For several institutions to Rivalba added. A few years later, however, Don Clemente was the original inspiration. His sisters have worked to make worship more worthy of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, dedicated to preparing the hosts and wine. Their task was also pack vestments and served as priests to officiate. The small village, even for thousand inhabitants, became the center of a work that would soon cross regional and national borders. In 1883 he opened a house in Rome and Pope Leo XIII joyful said: “At last our Lord, with this congregation, he thought to himself.” Were the “Sisters of the hosts.”

    His parishioners realized that their pastor had really uncommon quality. His attention to the poor and the sick were continuing, the doors of the rectory were always open to everyone. During the day, every hour of sound, recommended to entrust to the Virgin Mary for the grace of purity. He went to Lourdes in 1875, before the foundation of his institute. Each time was in Turin he went to Consolata, for special thanks visited Oropa, when you went to Rome leg was Loreto.

    In 1894 he collected his thoughts and his meditations on the Eucharist, and the fight against it, in the book “Eucharist fought by Satanism. ” The hand of their distributed during the Second National Eucharistic Congress in Turin, which was held in the presence of fifty bishops and numerous priests.

    Commenting on the Apocalypse, Don Clemente illustrated the continuing attempt of the devil to remove the man from the sublime moment of his union with God on earth: the Communion. Bringing God to man was the center of his thoughts. To achieve this goal was important that the Eucharist was celebrated so unexceptionable. The bread and wine had to be prepared with a careful selection of flour and grapes. For this reason, the Daughters of St. Giuseppe aprirono diversi laboratori in tutta Italia: il lavoro da fare era immenso. Joseph opened several laboratories throughout Italy: the work to be done was immense.

    Clemente was intense, pilgrims in many parishes for missions to the people. To disseminate his work he traveled all over Italy, collecting certificates estimate anywhere from bishops and cardinals. Among these was the Patriarch of Venice, the future Pope S. Pius X.

    Reached the age of seventy years he was ripe for heaven. Celebrated his last Mass on the morning of 14 December 1903. Throughout his life he said “Mass is my life.” He died in his Rivalba December 16, muttering the names of Jesus, Joseph and Madonna. He had done in practice, until the last, as had often repeated to his sisters’ Next, faith, humility, obedience and never any sadness. Never despair. His “daughters”, scattered across the peninsula, were over six hundred. S. Pius X officially recognized the Institute in 1907 and wanted it for the sacristy of S. Peter.

    Today, as well as the preparation of the hosts and wine, the Daughters of St. Giuseppe deal with catechesis and liturgical animation, even in a land of mission.

    He was Beatified by Pope John Paul II with Richard Albert, a priest in Turin, September 30 1984, his remains are venerated in the parish of Rivalba.

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