Bruno Marchesini (8 August 1915 – 29 July 1938) was an Italian Roman Catholic

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

who studied for the priesthood in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, but died before he could be

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. He was declared to be

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

in 2001 after

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

recognized his life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...

. The miracle that is required for his

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

is now under investigation.

Life

Bruno Marchesini was born on 8 August 1915 in

to parents rich in Christian virtues. As a child he was eager to engage in acts that enabled him to profess the faith and provide service to others. His vocation came as a child and he decided that he wanted to become a

. Cardinal

Archbishop of Bologna The Archdiocese of Bologna (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Italy. The cathedra is in the Bologna Cathedral, cathedral church of San Pietro, Bologna. The current archbishop is ...

Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano (27 August 1872 – 13 March 1952) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Bologna from 1921 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1923. Biog ...

came to his village and was captivated at Marchesini's intelligence. He asked if he wanted to become a priest to which Marchesini replied in the affirmative. Marchesini commenced his studies for the priesthood in Bologna - under the guidance of Bishop Cesare Sarti - and in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

until 1934 when he switched educational facilities; he completed his theological studies there. His teachers and his classmates admired his piousness and his meekness and admired him for being an honest and modest individual. He gained excellent results in his examinations and was in competition for a free place at a major educational institution in Rome. He contracted

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

at the age of 23. His journal in mid 1936 revealed that he consecrated himself to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Mother. He knew around

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

of 1937 that the end was near and so he offered himself to

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. He died in 1938 due to his illness. On 21 October 1949 Cardinal Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano allowed for his remains to be transferred.

Beatification process

The beatification process commenced on 28 June 1955 in a local process that spanned until 1964 and granted him the posthumous title

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

. The formal ratification of the process in Bologna was granted on 1 June 1990 in order for the process to continue to the next phase. The

Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...

- documentation on his life and his virtue - was submitted to the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...

in 1993 for further evaluation.

conferred the title of

upon him on 20 December 2001 after the recognition of his life of

. The miracle required for beatification was investigated in a diocesan tribunal and was ratified on 3 June 2000. The medical board in Rome met to discuss the miracle and approved the healing as such on 1 December 2011.

References

External links

Hagiography Circle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchesini, Bruno 1915 births 1938 deaths 20th-century venerated Christians Neurological disease deaths in Emilia-Romagna Infectious disease deaths in Emilia-Romagna Deaths from meningitis Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II Clergy from Bologna