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20110829 Holiness through abandonment to divine providence 完全信賴天主照顧而成聖

This Oct. 23 Blessed Luigi Guanella will be canonized, along with Blessed Guido Maria Conforti and Blessed Bonifacia Rodriguez de Castro. Father Luigi (also known as Aloysius) Guanella died Oct. 24, 1915, at the age of 72. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI Oct. 25, 1964.

Father Guanella founded two Congregations: the Servants of Charity and the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence.

Spiritual fatherhood

Luigi Guanella was born Dec. 19, 1842, in a little town called Fraciscio, and grew up in a very devout family. From his father Luigi learned about the paternity of God, Who cares for and loves His creatures.

Father Guanella had great devotion to St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. He reminded his priests and sisters that St. Joseph was the administrator of all their homes. Members of his religious congregations continue to experience the providential care of God the Father through the intercession of St. Joseph.

Father Guanella was a spiritual father of the poor and the sick. He established homes for the mentally deficient, and refused to call them “retarded.” Instead, he called them his “good children” and his “treasures.”

These impaired people were assisted by Father Guanella and his followers to the end. His motto was “Let us give them bread and paradise.” Father Guanella had a great love for the dying, and he founded the Pious Union of St. Joseph for the Suffering and Dying.

Pope St. Pius X was a close friend of Father Guanella and shared his devotion to St. Joseph. When he heard about the Pious Union, the Pope asked Father Guanella to make him its first member.

Culture of saints

Father Guanella was a friend of a number of saints who manifested great trust in Divine Providence and great love for the poor: St. John Bosco (1815-1888), St. Joseph Cottolengo (1786-1842), and St. Louis Orione (1872-1940).

St. Joseph Cottolengo was the founder of the “Little House of Divine Providence” which housed the poor. He once invited the young St. John Bosco to join him, saying, “You are an excellent man; come into the Little House of Providence and work will not be wanting to you.”

Though greatly edified by the works of Father Cottolengo, Father Bosco did not stay at the Little House, for he felt called by God to save young boys from vice through works of education. When Father Bosco was departing, Father Cottolengo held his sleeve and prophesied: “The cloth of your cassock is too weak and thin. You must get a cassock of stronger and better-wearing cloth or it will be torn. The time will come when many people will be hanging on by it.”

From 1875 to 1878, Father Guanella stayed with Father Bosco at the Turin Oratory. During these three years he was able to observe the works of both Father Bosco and Father Cottolengo. He wrote, “The Lord saw to it that I should meet Father Bosco and Father Cottolengo, whom I admired and grew to love the more I learned of them.” These two Turin saints became the greatest examples for his priestly life.

Father Bosco invited Father Guanella to stay at the oratory, but Father Guanella felt that he was called to initiate other works in his own diocese of Como. He called the houses he established “Houses of Providence,” in imitation of Father Cottolengo.

St. Louis Orione was a favourite student of St. John Bosco. In 1899 he initiated the Little Work of Divine Providence. In January 1915 there was a great earthquake in Marsica, Italy. Fathers Orione and Guanella were among the first who came to aid the people.

A few months later, when Father Guanella was dying, Father Orione had a private meeting with him. Upon leaving, Father Orione said, “A saint is dying.”

十月二十三日,真福類斯.關訥諾神父將和基道.瑪利亞.郝福定總主教及博麗花.卡詩洛修女,一起被教宣聖。類斯.關訥諾神父於一九一五年十月二十四日逝世,享齡七十二歲;他是「仁愛侍僕修會」和「聖母聖祐孝女會」的創辦人。一九六四年十月二十五日,教宗保祿六世把他封為真福聖人。

靈性的父親

類斯.關訥諾在一八四二年十二月十九日,生於小鎮法濟斯的一個熱心家庭,自少受父親教導,深感天主慈父對萬物的關愛。

關訥諾神父其中一個特色,是非常恭敬耶穌的養父、大聖若瑟。他常言道:「聖若瑟是我們會院的管理人。」他創辦修會的會士們,無不感到藉大聖若瑟的轉禱,得到天主莫大的眷顧。

關訥諾神父是貧病者靈性上的父親。他為智障的人設收容所非但不以這些人為負累,反而把他們看作自己的子女,稱他們為「寶貝」。聖人及他的弟子,照顧了不少的殘障人士,以「提供他們麵包和天堂」為格言,讓他們得到照顧之餘,亦得到善終。由於他特別愛護彌留的人,所以成立了幫助受苦和臨終者的聖若瑟善會關訥諾神父深交的教宗聖碧岳十世,成了這善會的第一位成員。

聖賢的「文化」

關訥諾神父與幾位聖人惺惺相惜,他們的共通點是「棄絕自己,完全交託在天主上智的安排中」,亦是善待貧苦的人:聖若望.鮑思高(1815-1888)、聖若瑟.高登倫哥(1786-1842) 和聖類斯.奧利鄂里(1872-1940)

聖若瑟.高登倫哥是「主顧會」會祖,專務照料貧苦。他曾邀請年輕的聖若望.鮑思高加入他的服侍行列,對他說:「你是優秀的,在我們這裡,你能善加發揮。」鮑思高沒接納他的好意,而循天主另一種召叫,以教育去拯救青年的靈魂。當離別時,聖高登倫哥手執鮑思高的衣袖,帶有預言地說:「你的道袍太薄了,經不起太多的拉扯,你要有更堅軔的道袍,時間一到,它將要有很多人結伴同行。」

一八七五年至一八七八年的三年間,關訥諾逗留在鮑思高神父都靈的聖堂內,分別觀察聖若瑟.高登倫哥和聖若望.鮑思高的工作。他寫道:「天主要我認識高登倫哥神父和鮑思高神父,在更了解他們後,對他們敬愛有加。」兩位富聖德的都靈神父,成了關訥諾鐸品生活的芳表。

鮑思高神父雖曾挽留關訥諾,但關訥諾感到天主的召叫,返到高莫教區服務。他設立了幾個貧病收容所,稱之為「主顧蘆」,以效法聖若瑟.高登倫哥。

聖類斯.奧利鄂里是聖若望.鮑思高神父的得意門生。一八九九年,奧利鄂里成立「主祐的小事業」。一九一五年一月,意大利馬息加發生強烈地震,奧利鄂里和高登倫哥的組職,是最先到達現場救災。

數月後,奧利鄂里探訪彌留的高登倫哥;離開時,奧利鄂里說:「一位聖人正處於臨終狀况。」