Stefano Gobbi (22 March 1930 – 29 June 2011) was an

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

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' re ...

. He founded the worldwide Catholic movement, the Marian Movement of Priests following what he reported as an

interior locution An interior locution is a mystical concept used by various religions. An interior locution is a form of private revelation, but is distinct from an apparition, or religious vision. An interior locution may be defined as "A supernatural communica ...

in 1972 at the shrine of

Our Lady of Fatima Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" Places * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France Other uses * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a governm ...

Life

Gobbi was born in the

Province of Como The province of Como (; Comasco dialect, Comasco: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It borders the Switzerland, Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grisons, Grigioni to the north, the Italian provinces of Province of ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and was ordained as a priest in 1964. He later obtained a doctorate in sacred theology from the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

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, ...

. On 8 May 1972 he was on a pilgrimage to

Fátima, Portugal Fátima () is a city in the concelho, municipality of Ourém and Santarém District, district of Santarém in the Oeste e Vale do Tejo Region of Portugal, with 71.29 km2 of area and 13,212 inhabitants (2021). The homonymous Freguesia, civil ...

and was praying in the shrine of

. He reported an

from the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. He did not claim a

Marian apparition A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus. While sometimes described as a type of vision, apparitions are generally regarded as external manifestations, whereas visions are more often understood as ...

, but a locution, an inner voice. This inner voice urged him to gather other priests who would be willing to consecrate themselves to the

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Catholic devotion which refers to the view of the interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for ...

and be strongly united with the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

and the Roman Catholic Church. According to Gobbi, he prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary for a confirmation of the inner voice, which he reported as receiving in May 1972 while praying in the Church of the Annunciation in

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

. On 13 October 1972, on the 55th anniversary of

he and two other priests formed the Marian Movement of Priests in a church in

Gera Lario Gera Lario () is a (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 942 and an area of 6.7 km².All de ...

near

Como, Italy Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

Growth of the movement

The Marian Movement of Priests grew and by September 1973 included over 80 priests when it held its first national meeting at San Vittorino, near Rome. In 1974, Gobbi started to hold prayer

cenacle The Cenacle (from the Latin , "dining room"), also known as the Upper Room (from the Koine Greek ''anagaion'' and ''hyperōion'', both meaning "upper room"), is a room in Mount Zion in Jerusalem, just outside the Old City walls, traditionally ...

s in Italy for priests and laity, and later held prayer cenacles all over the world. During the cenacle Catholics pray 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 ...

through

Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, since it was through her that the Church, the Body of

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

, was born. The Marian Movement is now based in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, with branches worldwide. The Marian Movement of Priests in the United States was established in 1975, is based in St. Francis, Maine. In July 1973, Gobbi began to write his reported

s as messages which he attributed to the Virgin Mary. The messages from July 1973 to December 1997 were published in Gobbi's book ''To the Priests, Our Lady's Beloved Sons''. Cardinal

Bernardino Echeverría Ruiz Bernardino Echeverría Ruiz (born 12 November 1912 in Cotacachi (city), Cotacachi, Imbabura Province, Imbabura, Ecuador and died on 6 April 2000 in Quito Ecuador) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal. Biography He joined the Franciscan order in 1928, ...

, OFM, Cardinal Ignatius Moussa Daoud and Cardinal

John Baptist Wu John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung ( zh, t=胡振中, cy=Wu Cheng-chung; 26 March 1925 – 23 September 2002) was the fifth List of Roman Catholic bishops of Hong Kong, Roman Catholic bishop of Hong Kong and the first Cardinal (Catholic Church), ...

provided their

imprimatur An imprimatur (sometimes abbreviated as ''impr.'', from Latin, "let it be printed") is a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement. The imprimatur rule in the Catho ...

for the book. The messages have a pronounced apocalyptic tone. As to the writings of Father Gobbi, the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

has advised "that they are not the words of our Blessed Mother, but his private meditations for which he assumes all the theological, spiritual and pastoral responsibility". Prior to his death, Gobbi was officially based in Milan, but continued to travel worldwide to hold prayer cenacles and promote the cause of the Marian Movement. He died on 29 June 2011 after suffering a heart attack earlier that month.

Cause of beatification

On 28 March 2024, an official communique of the Marian Movement of Priests informed on the fact that the

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 ...

process of Gobbi has not yet been opened and preliminary procedures require time. The faithful are "kindly requested to be cautious in not disseminating news that could give the impression that the cause for beatification has already begun".

References

External links

Catholic Answers article about the Marian Movement of Priests
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gobbi, Stefano Visions of Jesus and Mary 2011 deaths 1930 births People from the Province of Como 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Place of death missing Pontifical Lateran University alumni