25 November 2024 marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Luigi Bellesini, one of the most beloved Augustinian Blesseds of today.
Known in the Order of St. Augustine by the religious name he adopted at the time of his entry as a novice in the convent of St. Mark in Trent, Stephen Bellesini has survived the passage of time thanks to his strong character imbued with evangelical zeal and untiring dedication. Priest, educator, formator and zealous parish priest, Bellesini lived with an extraordinary love of youth and neighbour, consuming himself to his last breath in caring for the sick during an epidemic.
His heroic virtues were recognised by the Church, which proclaimed him Blessed in 1904.
Father Josef Sciberras OSA, Postulator General of the Order, tells us about the celebrations that took place at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, where the remains of the Blessed rest.
A new Jubilee Year thanks to Bellesini
This Jubilee Year, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of his birth, was inaugurated on Sunday 24 November 2024, the Solemnity of Christ the King, with an important co-celebration in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio in Genazzano. The celebration was presided over by Mgr Mauro Parmeggiani, Bishop of Tivoli and Palestrina, who was accompanied by the Prior Provincial of Italy, Fr Gabriele Pedicino OSA, the Postulator General of the Order, Fr Josef Sciberras OSA, the parish priest and rector of the sanctuary, Fr Ludovico M. Centra OSA, and other members of the diocesan clergy and of the Order. In his homily, Mgr Parmeggiani presented Blessed Stephen as a model of authentic discipleship, recalling his dedication as a parish priest and devotee of the Virgin Mary. For the occasion, the bishop issued a pastoral letter for the whole diocese, underlining the relevance of his example for Christians today.
The echo of a great man in the iconic city of Trento
The celebrations then moved to Trent, the birthplace of the Blessed, where an Augustinian delegation took part in a series of events organized by the Alpine diocese.
Together with them, a representative multitude of faithful from Trentino toured the Bellesian places in the heart of the city, finally pausing in prayer around the baptismal font in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Lauro Tisi, Archbishop of Trent, explained the event as “a small gesture by which we want to underline these two days promoted together with the Augustinian friars to deepen the life and work of Fr. Stephen. ‘I feel the responsibility - continued the prelate - to “re-appropriate” this blessed of ours as a community of Trent, because we have to recognise that over the centuries we have not exactly been good at highlighting this extraordinary figure that we must now re-launch so that people may perceive the great treasure that he was for us’.
The programme included a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Stephen Bellesini, organised by the diocesan association ‘Chiesacolori’, which made it possible to visit the places linked to his life, including the church of the former convent of St. Mark, where he lived as a religious, and the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where he was baptised 250 years ago. The pilgrimage concluded with a moment of prayer presided over by the Archbishop of Trento, Lauro Tisi, who, regretting that Bellesini's legacy has not always been properly appreciated in the diocese, promised and hoped that more would be done to make his ‘presence’ felt in the iconic city of Trento.
A conference on the figure of the Blessed, entitled Stefano Bellesini tra storia e attualità (Stephen Bellesini between history and the present), was held on 26 November, presided over by Archbishop Tisi and the Vicar General of the Order, Fr Joseph Farrell, who offered a greeting on behalf of the Prior General. During the meeting, Professor Mauro Nequirito contextualised the historical-political and diocesan period in which the Blessed lived, while the scholar Domenico Gobbi, son of the Order and scholar of the Blessed for many years, delved into the Bellesian sources. The Franciscan Matteo Giuliani emphasized the role of Bellesini as educator and catechist, while Fr. Josef Sciberras OSA presented the purely religious and Augustinian aspect of his life, as revealed by the testimonies from the investigative process for his beatification. Archbishop Tisi, in his concluding words at the end of the conference, reaffirmed the importance of this effort and the diocesan commitment to rediscover ever more the multi-faceted richness of Blessed Bellesini and his perennial evangelical relevance.
The proceedings in Trent were organized by a committee composed of André Decarli, parish priest of St Mary Major and diocesan delegate for culture, Sr Chiara Curzel, Alessandro Martinelli, Fr Rocco Ronzani, prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archives, and Fr Josef Sciberras, Postulator General.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, the General Postulation formally requested the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to issue a rescript for the canonical recognition of the relics of the Blessed, which are kept in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano. In these weeks, in fact, the relics are being examined and treated for better conservation of the remains, which will be returned to the urn made on the occasion of the beatification 120 years ago. At the same time, some relics will be removed, which will serve to increase the public cult of the Blessed.
For greater spiritual benefits from this Jubilee, until 23 November 2025 it will be possible to gain a plenary indulgence by visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel and the relics of Blessed Stephen, according to the usual conditions.
This is, therefore, a year full of celebrations to rediscover and enhance the witness of this great Augustinian, a model of holiness and evangelical dedication.
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