Luigi Guanella
Encyclopedia
Luigi Guanella was a Catholic priest from Northern Italy
. He is the founder of several religious institutes: Daughters of St Mary of Providence, 1890, Servants of Charity
in Como
on March 24, 1908, with his friends David Albertario and Giuseppe Toniolo
, and the Pious Union of St Joseph in 1914 with his supporter and first member Pope Pius X
. He was sensitive to the needs of the poor and this gave birth to his religious communities who provide for their needs throughout the world. The Servants of Charity motto reads In Omnibus Charitas – In all things Love.
Father Guanella was beatified in 1964 by Pope Paul VI
and canonized a saint on October 23, 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI
. According to Catholic News Service
(CNS), the miracle needed for his canonization was the healing of a young adult male, William Glisson (who was 21 at the time of the accident and is now 30 and married), from the United States who had fell over a hole and hit his head while skating backward without a helmet, rollerblading down the Baltimore Pike
in Springfield, Pennsylvania
. He needed two separate skull surgeries and was in a coma for nine days with a grave prognosis. However, after a doctor who was a family friend (and who worked at a rehabilitation center run by the Opera Don Guanella) gave Glisson's mother two relics of the future saint. According to the Opera's website, Glisson was released from the hospital less than a month after the accident and returned to work just seven months later.
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
. He is the founder of several religious institutes: Daughters of St Mary of Providence, 1890, Servants of Charity
Servants of Charity
The Servants of Charity or 'Opera Don Guanella', is a male Catholic religious institute...
in Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
on March 24, 1908, with his friends David Albertario and Giuseppe Toniolo
Giuseppe Toniolo
Giuseppe Toniolo was an Italian Catholic economist and sociologist.-Life:He was born in Treviso in the parish of Sant'Andrea to a middle class family. During his early life he moved with his family from town to town in Veneto while his father, an engineer, sought work. Giuseppe attended scuole...
, and the Pious Union of St Joseph in 1914 with his supporter and first member Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
. He was sensitive to the needs of the poor and this gave birth to his religious communities who provide for their needs throughout the world. The Servants of Charity motto reads In Omnibus Charitas – In all things Love.
Father Guanella was beatified in 1964 by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
and canonized a saint on October 23, 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
. According to Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service is an American news agency covering the Roman Catholic Church. CNS was established in 1920 and is a leading source of news for Catholic print and broadcast media throughout the world....
(CNS), the miracle needed for his canonization was the healing of a young adult male, William Glisson (who was 21 at the time of the accident and is now 30 and married), from the United States who had fell over a hole and hit his head while skating backward without a helmet, rollerblading down the Baltimore Pike
Baltimore Pike
thumb|[[SEPTA]]'s [[SEPTA Route 34|Route 34]] streetcar line runs through the 4500 block of Baltimore Avenue in [[West Philadelphia]]The Baltimore Pike was an auto trail in the United States, connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in Springfield, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township, or simply Springfield, is a township and a Census Designated Place in Delaware County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 23,677 at the 2000 census...
. He needed two separate skull surgeries and was in a coma for nine days with a grave prognosis. However, after a doctor who was a family friend (and who worked at a rehabilitation center run by the Opera Don Guanella) gave Glisson's mother two relics of the future saint. According to the Opera's website, Glisson was released from the hospital less than a month after the accident and returned to work just seven months later.