Biography of Blessed Andrea Giacinto Longhin

Blessed Andrea Giacinto Longhin

Also known as

• Andrea of Fiumicello
• Andrew Longhin
• Andrew of Campodarsego
• Bishop of the Catechism
• Hyacinth Bonaventure Longhin

Profile

The only son of Matthew and Judith Marin, poor and pious tenant farmers. He early felt a call to the priesthood. Against the wishes of his father, he became a Capuchin novice, taking the name Andrew of Campodarsego at Bassano del Grappa, Venice on 27 August 1879 at age 16. He studied at Padua and Venice in Italy, made his solemn profession on 4 October 1883, and was ordained on 19 June 1886.

Spiritual director for young religious for 18 years. Taught at the Capuchin seminary at Udine, Italy. Director of Capuchin teachers at Padua in 1889. Director of theology students in Venice in 1891. Capuchin Provincial Minister at Venice on 18 April 1902 where he came to the attention of the future Pope Saint Pius X. Bishop of Treviso, Italy, consecrated in Rome, Italy on 17 April 1904, a see he would hold for 32 years.

He entered the see with reform in mind, and spent five years travelling from parish to parish, preaching and becoming close to his parishioners and clergy, many of whom resisted his reforming efforts. He reformed the diocesan seminary, improving the quality of teaching and spiritual formation. He promoted spiritual retreats for the clergy and worked with lay groups, especially those involved in the Catholic social movement, supporting the right for workers to organize. He encouraged religious orders to work in his diocese; male institutes went from 7 to 12, women's from 10 to 24 during his bishopric, and these included houses of Franciscans, Passionists, Salesians, Carmelites, Somaschi Fathers, Camillians, and Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. A friend of Saint Leopold Mandic.

During the air and ground attacks that destroyed Treviso in World War I, Bishop Andrew stayed at his post and told his priests that they could leave if they were ministering to refugees. Andrew became the centre of work in the community, organizing help for soldiers, the wounded, the sick and the poor. Because he refused to ally himself with any of the war parties, he was convicted of defeatism and was imprisoned with several of his priests. Upon his release, he resumed his work of ministering in his diocese, and rebuilding the city and the 47 parishes that had been destroyed, and was eventually awarded the Cross of Merit war decoration.

During the post-war years, Bishop Andrew worked with many lay groups to help keep the Catholic social movement as Catholic as possible. He insisted on non-violence and loyalty to the Church, which put him at odds with the growing Fascist movement. In 1920 he supported Leghe Bianche, a Christian union movement. Pope Pius X chose him as Apostolic Visitor to Padua in 1923 and then Udine in 1927 to 1928 in order to return unity between the priests and bishops of those dioceses.

Born

22 November 1863 in Fiumicello di Campodarsego, province and diocese of Padua, Italy as Hyacinth Bonaventure Longhin

Died

• Friday 26 June 1936 in Treviso, Italy of natural causes following an eight-month illness
• interred in the cathedral of Treviso

Beatified

• 10:00 am Sunday 20 October 2002 by Pope John Paul II
• his Cause began on 21 April 1964
• his beatification miracle involved the 1964 cure of Dino Stella from diffuse peritonitis

Readings

Today families, parishes, the nation, the world are in need of saints. - Blessed Andrea

With joy and edification, I see in him a copy of the Good Shepherd in the Gospel, very, very true to the original. - Servant of God, Pietro Cardinal La Fontaine, 1929