St. J B Cottolengo and Blessed James Alberione
My very Dear brothers and sisters,
In these days we've been reflecting on the life of our Founder, St. J B Cottolengo, a man of God chosen to be a priest for the poor. We surely have heard of the singular event of September 2, 1827, when Fr. Cottolengo witnessed the death of Maria Gonnet, a death which was surrounded by so much pain and confusion that we too still need to reflect on it to unveil its impact. We know it is after that fateful day that all the Cottolengo enterprise came to be. My dear loved ones,we follow Christ by following St J B Cottolengo, who chose to follow Christ, the friend of the poor and the smallest.
Of the many people who have been fascinated by St. J B Cottolengo is Blessed James Alberione. Blessed James Alberione (4 April 1884 – 26 November 1971)was an Italian priest and publisher, the founder of the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul, besides other orders and institutes of the Pauline Family.
He was born on 4 April 1884 in San Lorenzo di Fossano, near Cuneo, northern Italy.
He was a seminarian in Bra and Alba and was the spiritual director for youth and altar servers in the Alba seminary. While doing nightly Eucharistic adoration in Alba on 31 December 1900 he suddenly felt that he was called to do something for the people of the new century.
He was ordained on 29 June 1907 and became a parish priest in Narzole. He was a director of the weekly publication Gazzetta d'Alba from September 1913. In 1914 he founded the Society of St. Paul, and in 1915 the Daughters of St. Paul, with the support of Mother Thecla. These congregations use modern media technology and published materials to spread the word of God, and help in personal devotions. Later in his life Blessed Giacomo also founded the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (1924), the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (1938) and the Sisters of the Queen of Apostles (1957), all communities applying Pauline spirituality in various fields. He also founded four lay institutes and the Union of Pauline Cooperators.
Alberione died on 26 November 1971 at 6:26 p.m. in the Generalate House, Rome, of natural causes.
He was declared venerable on 25 June 1996 and beatified on 27 April 2003 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II.
Fr. Alberione talked about St. J B Cottolengo willingly and happily, quoting him as an example to be followed by his own sons and daughters. "St Cottolengo never kept records of accounts because he trusted in God," Fr. Alberione insisted. He wanted that faith for his followers too.
In 1923, Fr. Alberione did his spiritual retreat at the Little House of the Divine Providence, in Turin. As if to assimilate the spirit of that Colossal of Charity, he took in the spirituality of Cottolengo. There are several Key elements that are directly shared between the Pauline Family and the Cottolengo Family in the world. I enlist them here: Trust in Divine Providence, the spirit of gratitude [Deo Gratias!], Perpetual praise [Laus Perennis], Simplicity, and all the evangelical counsels.
To conclude, I wish to note that James Alberione met Joseph Benedict Cottolengo spiritually. At Bra there is a Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Flowers. All the mothers of Bra used to offer to our Lady all their sons before birth. Among these mothers is Angela Chiarotti, the mother of Cottolengo, and Teresa Alocco, the mother of James. Is there any doubt that Mother Mary has united these two priests way before they were born? The harmony between the two is something to treasure, continue and celebrate!
In these days we've been reflecting on the life of our Founder, St. J B Cottolengo, a man of God chosen to be a priest for the poor. We surely have heard of the singular event of September 2, 1827, when Fr. Cottolengo witnessed the death of Maria Gonnet, a death which was surrounded by so much pain and confusion that we too still need to reflect on it to unveil its impact. We know it is after that fateful day that all the Cottolengo enterprise came to be. My dear loved ones,we follow Christ by following St J B Cottolengo, who chose to follow Christ, the friend of the poor and the smallest.
Of the many people who have been fascinated by St. J B Cottolengo is Blessed James Alberione. Blessed James Alberione (4 April 1884 – 26 November 1971)was an Italian priest and publisher, the founder of the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul, besides other orders and institutes of the Pauline Family.
He was born on 4 April 1884 in San Lorenzo di Fossano, near Cuneo, northern Italy.
He was a seminarian in Bra and Alba and was the spiritual director for youth and altar servers in the Alba seminary. While doing nightly Eucharistic adoration in Alba on 31 December 1900 he suddenly felt that he was called to do something for the people of the new century.
He was ordained on 29 June 1907 and became a parish priest in Narzole. He was a director of the weekly publication Gazzetta d'Alba from September 1913. In 1914 he founded the Society of St. Paul, and in 1915 the Daughters of St. Paul, with the support of Mother Thecla. These congregations use modern media technology and published materials to spread the word of God, and help in personal devotions. Later in his life Blessed Giacomo also founded the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (1924), the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (1938) and the Sisters of the Queen of Apostles (1957), all communities applying Pauline spirituality in various fields. He also founded four lay institutes and the Union of Pauline Cooperators.
Alberione died on 26 November 1971 at 6:26 p.m. in the Generalate House, Rome, of natural causes.
He was declared venerable on 25 June 1996 and beatified on 27 April 2003 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II.
Fr. Alberione talked about St. J B Cottolengo willingly and happily, quoting him as an example to be followed by his own sons and daughters. "St Cottolengo never kept records of accounts because he trusted in God," Fr. Alberione insisted. He wanted that faith for his followers too.
In 1923, Fr. Alberione did his spiritual retreat at the Little House of the Divine Providence, in Turin. As if to assimilate the spirit of that Colossal of Charity, he took in the spirituality of Cottolengo. There are several Key elements that are directly shared between the Pauline Family and the Cottolengo Family in the world. I enlist them here: Trust in Divine Providence, the spirit of gratitude [Deo Gratias!], Perpetual praise [Laus Perennis], Simplicity, and all the evangelical counsels.
To conclude, I wish to note that James Alberione met Joseph Benedict Cottolengo spiritually. At Bra there is a Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Flowers. All the mothers of Bra used to offer to our Lady all their sons before birth. Among these mothers is Angela Chiarotti, the mother of Cottolengo, and Teresa Alocco, the mother of James. Is there any doubt that Mother Mary has united these two priests way before they were born? The harmony between the two is something to treasure, continue and celebrate!
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting Bits of the Gospel. We appreciate your comments and support.