Aloisius Versiglia

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Aloisius Versiglia, c . 1921

Aloisius Versiglia SDB (Italian Luigi ) (born June 5, 1873 in Oliva Gessi , † February 25, 1930 in Li Thau Tseui ) was an Italian religious priest , China missionary , Roman Catholic bishop and martyr . He was canonized in 2000 .

Life

Versiglia joined the oratorio “San Giovanni Bosco” by Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco (Don Bosco) in Turin at the age of 12 . In 1889 he joined the Order of the Salesians Don Bosco (SDB) . He studied philosophy and theology at the Roman Gregoriana . In 1895, at the age of 22, he was ordained a priest .

The following year he became director of the novitiate in Genzano di Roma . Seeing his real calling in mission, he went to China in 1906. In the Macau office , he was initially spiritual director. In 1920 he was appointed by Pope Benedict XV. Appointed Vicar of the Shiu Chow Apostolic Vicariate in the Guangdong region of southern China and titular Bishop of Carystus ; a year later he was ordained bishop by Bishop Jean Budes de Guébriant .

On May 23, 1930 Versiglia set out with the young missionary Callisto Caravario , two masters, their younger sisters and a catechist for the mission in Lianzhou , a region devastated by the civil war . On February 25, 1930, they were attacked by bandits, the women abducted and the missionaries murdered. Her death is considered martyrdom.

Beatification and Canonization

Handkerchief with blood of the martyrs, relic in Valdocco

1976 they were by Pope Paul VI. officially declared martyrs of the Church, beatified on May 15, 1983 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on October 1, 2000.

The liturgical feast day is February 25th. The Catholic feast day is July 9th, which is also a feast for the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Web links

Commons : Luis Versiglia  - collection of images, videos and audio files