Gaspare Luigi Bertoni (9 October 1777 – 12 June 1853)
/ref> was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and the founder of the

Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata The Stigmatines officially named the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata ( la, Congregatio a Sanctus Stigmatibus) is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (Priests and Brothers). The Stigmatine Congregation was fo ...

, also known as the Stigmatines.

Life

Gaspar Bertoni was born in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

on 9 October 1777 to Francesco Bertoni (whose profession was the law) and Brunora Ravelli. His sister died when he was still a child. Bertoni received his initial education from his parents. Bertoni later studied under the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

and the Marian Congregation at Saint Sebastian's School in his hometown of Verona. He commenced his studies for the priesthood in 1796. On 1 June 1796 - around the time of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

- troops from

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began a two-decade occupation of the northern Italian cities. Bertoni joined the Gospel Fraternity for Hospitals and worked to help those wounded and ill while also focusing on those who were displaced or otherwise harmed due to the effects of the occupation. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

as a priest on 20 September 1800.Agasso, Domenico. "San Gaspar Luigi Bertoni Priest and founder".Santi e Beati
/ref> Bertoni served as the chaplain to the Daughters of Charity, founded by

Magdalene of Canossa Magdalena di Canossa (1 March 1774 – 10 April 1835) was an Italian professed religious and foundress of the two Canossian congregations. Magdalena was a leading advocate for the poor in her region after she witnessed first hand the plight of ...

,Kempf SJ, Constantine. ''The Holiness of the Church in the Nineteenth Century: Saintly Men and Women of Our Own Times
translated from the German by Father Francis Breymann, SJ, 1916] while also serving as the Spiritual direction, spiritual director of the seminary. He was also one of the leaders to offer prayers and support for

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a ...

when he was imprisoned by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

. His pastoral work was marked with the establishment of the Marian Oratories and the devotion to the

Five Wounds of Christ In Catholic tradition, the Five Holy Wounds, also known as the Five Sacred Wounds or the Five Precious Wounds, are the five piercing wounds that Jesus Christ suffered during his crucifixion. The wounds have been the focus of particular devotions, ...

and establishment of schools to the poor. He founded the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ (the Stigmatines) on 4 November 1816. As of 2012 there were reported to be 94 houses with 422 members including 331 priests. Bertoni was a rather frail and average looking man,Saulnier CSS, Donald. "Our Founder", congregation of the Sacred Stigmata
/ref> beset with fevers and a continuing infection in his right leg during the last two decades of his life. Over 300 operations were performed on his leg in an effort to stem the infection. However he continued to serve as counselor and spiritual director from his hospital bed until his death in 1853. Gaspare Luigi Bertoni was buried in the Veronese church of the Stimmate.

Veneration

Venerable

The sainthood process commenced in Verona with an informative process and the collation of his writings. Theologians approved them as being in line with the magisterium in a decree of 9 August 1905. The introduction of the cause came on 2 March 1906 under

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

in which he was accorded the title of Servant of God as the first formal stage in the process. The apostolic process was held not long after this. Both processes were validated on 18 December 1929 in

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at the discretion of the

Congregation of Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was charged with the ...

. On 15 December 1966 he was proclaimed to be

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cat ...

after

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

acknowledged his life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it ...

Beatification

The process for the miracle needed for his beatification commenced in 1946 and concluded in 1950 after which the process was validated in Rome on 11 November 1967.

approved it on 3 October 1975 and beatified Bertoni on 1 November 1975. The miracle involved the cure of Giuseppe Anselmi - a priest of the Stigmatines - who had severe stomach complications and was cured in Brasilia on 28 May 1937.

Canonization

The second miracle required for sanctification received validation from 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, pa ...

on 30 November 1984 while it received the papal approval of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

at the beginning of 1989. He canonized Bertoni on 1 November 1989.

References

External links

Kasper BertoniSaints.SQPN: Gaspar BertoniCatholic Online: Gaspar Bertoni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertoni, Gaspar 1777 births 1853 deaths 18th-century Christian saints 18th-century venerated Christians 18th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Christian saints 19th-century venerated Christians 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Beatifications by Pope Paul VI Canonizations by Pope John Paul II Founders of Catholic religious communities Italian Roman Catholic saints Religious leaders from Verona Venerated Catholics