At Brescia in Italy, Blessed Joseph Antonio Tovini, who, a teacher, established many Christian schools and saw to the building of public works, always, in the affairs he conducted, bringing forth proofs of prayer and of the virtues.
Lifespan: 1841–1897
Beatified: 20 September 1998 by Pope John Paul II
Memoria liturgica: 16 January
“Our Indies are our schools”
Joseph Antonio Tovini was born on 14 March 1841 in Cividate Camuno, in the province of Brescia, the eldest of seven brothers.
He grew up under an iron discipline, both at home and at school. In 1852, at the age of eleven, he entered the municipal college at Lovere, where he remained for six years; his family’s financial circumstances, however, made it impossible for him to continue his studies there. A priest uncle came to his aid, securing for him a free place at the college for poor young men founded in Verona by the Servant of God Don Nicola Mazza.
Fervent, loyal, and active in social and political life, Tovini proclaimed the Christian message through his life, ever faithful to the directives of the Church’s Magisterium. His constant concern was the defence of the faith, convinced — as he declared at one congress — that “our children without the faith will never be rich; with the faith they will never be poor.” He lived at a delicate moment in Italian history and in the life of the Church itself, and he saw clearly that it was not possible to respond fully to God’s call without generous and selfless dedication to the social questions of the day.
He possessed a prophetic vision, responding with apostolic boldness to the demands of the times which, in the light of new forms of discrimination, called believers to a more incisive work of animating the temporal order.
Aided by his legal expertise and the professional rigour that distinguished him, he promoted and led numerous social organisations, also taking on political responsibilities at Cividate Camuno and at Brescia, in the desire to make Christian doctrine and morality present among the people. He considered commitment to education a priority, and among his many initiatives the most notable was his defence of the school and of freedom of teaching.
With modest means and great courage he laboured tirelessly to preserve for Brescian and Italian society what is most its own: its religious and moral patrimony.
Tovini’s honesty and consistency were rooted in his deep, living relationship with God, which he nourished constantly through the Eucharist, meditation, and devotion to the Virgin. From listening to God in daily prayer he drew the light and strength for the great social and political battles he had to wage in defence of Christian values. His piety is witnessed by the church of San Luca, with its beautiful image of the Immaculate Conception, where his mortal remains now rest.
He was a great social apostle, who knew how to give hope to those who had no voice in the society of his time.