Giacomo Costamagna

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Giacomo Costamagna SDB , later also Santiago Costamagna (born January 2, 1846 in Caramagna , Cuneo , † September 8, 1921 in Bernal , Buenos Aires ) was an Italian religious priest . Titular Roman Catholic Bishop and Vicar Apostolic in Ecuador .

Life

After entering the Valdocco Oratory on December 8, 1858 , he decided to become a Salesian of Don Bosco . He also studied music in particular, which is why, after his first profession, he initially worked as a music teacher in the college of Lanzo . After he had also completed his philosophical and theological studies, he was ordained a priest in June 1868 . In 1875 he was appointed spiritual director of the Don Bosco sisters in Mornese . In 1877 he went to Argentina with the third missionary expedition sent by Don Bosco. In 1878 he arrived in Patagonia . The following year he accompanied Monsignor Espinosa and the cleric Luigi Botta, who tried to evangelize the Patagonian Araucani Indios in the wake of the Conquista del Desierto (Conquest of the Desert) of General Julio Argentino Roca .

In 1880 he was appointed director of the San Carlos College of Buenos Aires and provincial of all houses in Argentina. In Almagro he initiated the Don Bosco Sisters' institute for the education of young women. In 1882 he began with the Argentine edition of the Bollettino Salesiano and in 1884 with the Letture Cattoliche founded by Don Bosco . In 1887 he opened the Salesian factory in Chile with the establishment of the Talca College . As vicar of Don Rua for all Pacific provinces, he visited various countries in South America with a view to possible further foundings.

On March 18, 1895 he was by Pope Leo XIII. Appointed Vicar Apostolic of Méndez y Gualaquiza in Ecuador , combined with the appointment as Titular Bishop of Colonia in Armenia . The episcopal ordination took place on May 23 of the same year. He is considered to be the apostle of the Jivaro Indios, with whom he lived for many years, despite the duties of Vicar Apostolic and the difficulties that the Ecuadorian government caused him. Only in 1902 was he allowed to travel to Ecuador for a few months for the first time and only in 1912 was he able to settle permanently with the Indians and founded the missions in Indanza and Santiago di Mendèz .

For health reasons he resigned his office in 1918/19 and became rector of the novitiate and seminary of Bernal in Buenos Aires. He died there two years later in 1921.

He was the author of liturgical, ascetic, musical works as well as spiritual director of various religious communities, especially the Don Bosco sisters .

Works

  • Conferencias para los hijos de don Bosco. Valparaiso 1897.
  • Conference ai figli di don Bosco. Santiago del Chilì 1900.
  • Scritti di vita e di spiritualità salesiana. ed. by Eugenio Valentini , Rome 1979.

literature

  • R. Tavella: Vita del Missionario Mons. Giacomo Costamagna. Turin 1929.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Costamagna, Giacomo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Costamagna, Santiago
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian Salesian Don Boscos, religious priest, Roman Catholic titular bishop and Apostolic Vicar in Ecuador
DATE OF BIRTH January 2, 1846
PLACE OF BIRTH Caramagna , Cuneo, Italy
DATE OF DEATH September 8, 1921
Place of death Bernal , Buenos Aires, Argentina