St. Ludovico Pavoni

Ludovico Pavoni was born in Brescia on September 11, 1784, the first of five brothers, Alexander and Lelia marriage Poncarali.

He lived in a time of profound political and social changes: the French Revolution (1789), the Jacobina (1797), the Napoleonic rule with different names and finally, since 1814, the Austrian. But the 'political' Ludovico Pavoni, ordained in 1807, was always and only the politics of love. Renouncing achieve high church officials, who seemed to be called when the Bishop Bishop Gabrio Maria Nava loves him as his secretary (1812), was able to engage creatively generous who had more need: young people and the poorest among them. For them he opened a training center, his "Oratorio" (1812). At the same time, surrender, as highlighting the bishop, "in support of the pastors to teach, catechize through homilies, catechesis, spiritual exercises, especially the youth and especially the poorest who had greatest need, with very good results. " On March 16, 1818 he was appointed Canon of the Cathedral and was entrusted with the stewardship of the Basilica of S. Barnabas.

Noting, then, that many of the kids in his oratory, especially the poor, decaying in their efforts and led astray when they had to enter the world of work, which unfortunately did not guarantee a healthy moral and Christian atmosphere Ludovico Pavoni decided to establish a "School of the Arts Institute or a charitable and private sectors, where at least the orphans or abandoned by their own parents were received, maintained, free, Christian educated and trained to perform some art, in order to form ones for religion, and useful to society and the state. " Thus was born in 1821, the Institute of S. Barnabas.

Among the arts, the most important was the typography, dear Pavoni as "Printing School" can be considered the first school in Italy chart and soon becomes a real publisher. With the passage of time multiply trades taught in S. Barnabas, in 1831, eight offices Pavoni existing lists: typography, book binding, paper, silversmiths, locksmiths, carpenters, turners, shoemakers.

The Institute of S. Barnabas first joined the educational aspect, the care and professional, but the deeper features "the idea feature" of the new Institute was that "poor boys abandoned by their parents and their closest relatives, they found everything they had Lost: ... not only ... bread, clothing and education in the humanities and the arts, but also the father and mother, the family, whom misfortune has deprived them, and the father, mother, everything a family could receive poor and enjoy. "

During the cholera of 1836, "with a simple invitation Municipal, and without the hope of receiving any financial contribution, are hosted for free on the Pius school, fed and educated with true fatherly love. ... many, many boys still unable. " Thus we read in the minutes of the extraordinary meeting of the Municipality of Brescia's August 21, 1841.

Pavoni also thought farmers and projected an Agricultural School. In 1841, the Institute welcomes the Deaf.

On June 3, 1844 was decorated by the Emperor of Austria with the title of Knight of the Iron Crown.

To sustain and continue the Institute, Ludovico Pavoni and walked for a long time to mature the idea of ??forming their most fervent youth "a congregation, which together with the close ties of love, and based on the evangelical virtues, devotes himself to accept and educate abandoned children, and also expand their care for free for the Houses of Industry, perhaps for lack of teachers and scholars working in the arts, felt prejudices and grievances ": so early as 1825 wrote to the Emperor Francis I, visiting Brescia.

Retrieved praise the end of the Congregation, by decree of March 31, 1843 by Pope Gregory XVI, arrives at last the imperial approval December 9, 1846.

Luchi Bishop, Vicar General Chapter, using the authority granted by the Holy See erected canonically the Congregation of the Sons of Mary, on August 11, 1847. After giving the formal resignations November 29th Chapter of the Cathedral, December 8, 1847, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, her perpetual profession Pavoni issues.

About the appearance of the new religious family, contemporaries are unanimous in recognizing the novelty and originality, it is composed of religious priests for spiritual guidance, discipline and administrative work of religious and laity to conduct workshops and education young people. Looks like the new figure of the religious worker and educator pavoniano coadjutor brother, inserted directly into the specific mission of the Congregation, with equal rights and duties of priests.

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The day after the outbreak of the insurrection against the Austrians, called "Ten Days", Saturday March 24, 1849, Ludovico Pavoni boys accompanied her Salan Hill, twelve miles from Brescia, to make them safe from looting and fires caused by the revolt, right on the square of S. Barnabas had set up a barricade. Not very good health, aggravated March 26 and at dawn on April 1, 1849, Palm Sunday, he dies.

The beatification of Ludovico Pavoni decree confirms that the June 5, 1947 emanated Pius XII on the heroic virtues, which is called "other Philip Neri ... precursor of John Bosco ... perfect emulator S. Joseph Cottolengo ".

Biography Provided By: The Vatican