Blessed Pietro Casani
Blessed Pietro Casani (in religion Pietro della Natività di Maria — "Peter of the Nativity of Mary"; born September 8, 1570 AD at Lucca, Tuscany; died October 17, 1647 AD at Rome) was an Italian Catholic priest, an early and trusted companion of Saint Joseph Calasanz, and one of the pillars of the Order of the Pious Schools (Piarists) in its formative years. A member first of the congregation founded by Saint John Leonardi, he passed to the Piarists at their separation in 1617 and thereafter served the young order as novice master, superior, and visitor, carrying its work of free schooling for poor children across Italy and into the German lands. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 1995, and his feast is kept on October 17.[1][2]
Born of a noble Lucchese family and educated in the humanities and in music, Casani entered the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God founded by John Leonardi and was ordained priest in 1600.[1][3] When Pope Paul V separated the two communities that had briefly been joined, Casani cast in his lot with Joseph Calasanz and his schools for the poor, taking the name Pietro della Natività di Maria. For the next thirty years he stood at Calasanz's side, entrusted with the training of novices and the government of the order's provinces, and won a name for humility, prudence, and zeal in the education of children. He died at Rome in 1647.[1][2]
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Pietro Casani
| Blessed Pietro Casani | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 17 |
| Profession | Priest; educator; superior of the Piarist Order |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of the Pious Schools (Piarists) |
| Patronage | Piarist novices; Christian educators |
| Attributes | Piarist habit; book; children |
| Birthplace | Lucca, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) |
| Death Place | Rome, Papal States (now Italy) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died October 17, 1647, at Rome |
| Primary Shrine | Church of San Pantaleo, Rome, Italy (Piarist mother-house) |
| Liturgical Class | Not included in the General Roman Calendar; observed by the Order of the Pious Schools (Piarists) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth and early life
Pietro Casani was born on September 8, 1570 — the feast of the Nativity of Mary, whose name he would afterward take in religion — at Lucca in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the son of the noble Gaspare Casani and Elisabetta Drago.[1][3] As a boy he studied the humanities and music and received his early philosophical and theological grounding from the Franciscans.[1]
Religious profession and ordination
After the death of his mother in 1591 Casani entered the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God, the congregation founded at Lucca by Saint John Leonardi.[1][3] He was ordained to the priesthood on September 23, 1600, at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, and made his solemn profession on July 22, 1604, at the church of Santa Maria in Portico.[1]
Companion of Joseph Calasanz and the Piarists
For a time the congregation of Leonardi was united with the schools that Saint Joseph Calasanz had established in Rome for the free education of poor children. When Pope Paul V separated the two bodies in March 1617, Casani chose to remain with Calasanz and his Pious Schools, taking the religious name Pietro della Natività di Maria.[1][2] He quickly became one of Calasanz's closest collaborators and most trusted lieutenants.[1][3]
Casani was appointed master of novices, forming the first generations of Piarists in the spirit of their founder, and on July 10, 1623, became the first provincial superior of Liguria.[1] In the service of the order he travelled widely through the Italian peninsula — to Naples, Sicily, and Messina — and even into the German lands, founding and visiting houses and schools and sustaining the young institute through the trials of its early expansion.[1][3]
Death
Worn by his long labours, Pietro Casani died at Rome on October 17, 1647, at the age of seventy-seven, esteemed by his brethren for his humility and his devotion to the education of the poor.[1][2]
Significant events
- Born at Lucca on September 8, 1570.
- Entered the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God founded by Saint John Leonardi.
- Ordained priest at Saint John Lateran on September 23, 1600.
- Joined the Piarists of Saint Joseph Calasanz at the separation of the two orders in 1617.
- Served as master of novices and, from 1623, first provincial of Liguria.
- Founded and visited Piarist schools across Italy and in the German lands.
- Died at Rome on October 17, 1647.
- Declared Venerable in 1991 and beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 1995.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Lucca, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy)
Death location: Rome, Papal States (now Italy)
Notable location: Birthplace (Lucca, Tuscany, Italy)
Notable location: Where he was ordained priest in 1600 (Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome, Italy)
Notable location: Where he served as the first Piarist provincial superior of Liguria (Genoa (Liguria), Italy)
Notable location: Among the cities where he founded and visited Piarist schools (Naples, Italy)
Notable location: Where he served the order and died in 1647 (Rome, Italy)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Canonization
Beatification
The cause of Pietro Casani was formally opened on March 22, 1922, under Pope Pius XI. He was declared Venerable on January 22, 1991, when Pope John Paul II confirmed the heroic virtue of his life, and after the approval of a miracle — the cure of a hospitalized woman at Szeged in Hungary — he was beatified in Saint Peter's Square on October 1, 1995.[1][3] He has not been canonized.
Feast day
October 17
Veneration
Blessed Pietro Casani is venerated especially by the Order of the Pious Schools, which honours him among the earliest companions of its founder and a father of its educational tradition. He is remembered for his humility, his fidelity to Saint Joseph Calasanz, and his tireless service in the free schooling of poor children, and is held up as a patron of Piarist novices and Christian educators.[2][1]
Prayers
Authored
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Intercessory
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External links
- Wikipedia – Pietro Casani
- Vatican News – B. Peter Casani, Piarist
- Encyclopedia.com – Casani, Pietro (Peter), Bl. (New Catholic Encyclopedia)