Bro. Giovanni Zuccolo -Father of the Canossian Oratorio

For almost 65 years, except for brief periods in which, as Superior General, he had to leave Venice, Bro Giovanni was always present in the Oratorio, gradually taking on more responsibilities; always with the same style of attention and care for everyone, children, young people and adults. He was concerned that the Oratorio should be for everyone a healthy place of human education and above all Christian formation, using the same instruments that he had learned from the first Fathers and the tradition of San Giobbe, such as daily catechism, taught above all as a “story” of Jesus’ life and Passion, theatre or puppet show.

Then, there is his lesson of “fraternity”. Bro. Giovanni was strongly attached to his vocation as a Brother; even reluctant, as witnesses confirm, to go to the sanctuary or to wear the cotta to serve Mass. As a Brother, he loved the community and knew how to dedicate himself to it, creating a serene atmosphere with his presence, thanks even to his characteristic humor, like a good Venetian. Without many theoretical lessons about his vocation as a Brother, his life was the clearest witness that a consecrated “Brother” can fully realize himself in his dedication to God and to the Work of charity, be a builder of the community, even though carrying heavy responsibilities of government, a catechetical formator of boys and young people and a guide for adults.


Once again, Bro. Giovanni is giving us a lesson on “humility”. Many are the events that underline this virtue. The event is well known in which, after having been literally insulted by another Brother who did not accept his decision, he calmly turned to the Brother saying he was right, but without changing the responsible decision taken according to his conscience.

Cardinal Pietro La Fontaine, who held him in high esteem insistently proposed to him to be ordained priest. Bro. Giovanni, though taking seriously into consideration the reasons given by the Patriarch, without hesitation refused, affirming that he wanted to remain what he was and, that is, a simple Canossian Brother.


And lastly, there is his lesson of “piety”, of his hidden but deep life of union with the Lord. From the tradition of the first Fathers he learned to spend and savor long hours in the morning, evening or night, in prayer, in the cold and humid choir stalls of the friars. Though daily surrounded by the boys in the Oratorio, to those whom he met, he gave the impression of being constantly immersed in prayer. Even his lips, always moving because he was saying brief prayers, learnt from his teachers, gave the impression of a man who became prayer. And prayer became his constant work during the last years of his life, when strength did not allow him to remain any longer in the Oratorio.  In 1958, when he was almost eighty-four years old, Bro. Giovanni participated in the General Chapter of Asolo; he looked like a patriarch in the midst of his sons. He was asked by them to say something and, with a trembling but inflamed and energetic voice, gave us his spiritual will: “Çerchemo i fioi; curèmo i fioi; educhèmo i fioi, amèmo i fioi!”. In his usual Venetian dialect, with a tone of petition, he summarized the very mission of the Institute: that mission lived till then and which the Institute would never abandon, if it wanted to be faithful to its vocation and charism.

Fr. Angelo Pasa - Father of the Canossian Seminary

On August 2, 1881, a child was born to a poor couple named Giuseppe and Maria Luigia Corso at Fonzazo, a relatively small town near Feltre, Italy. The young boy who was baptized on the following day as Giovanni Maria, who later grew up to become a pious, spirit-filled Fr. Angelo Pasa, a visionary with zeal for God, a reformer and a pioneer. He was raised in a traditional catholic environment. The zeal of God was nourished by his mother and by his uncle Fr. Pietro Corso. He excelled in studies, especially in singing, drawing, and gymnastics. In 1898, young Giovanni Maria passed his schooling in grammar at Vicenza.

On October 26, 1898, his uncle Fr. Pietro noticed in the young boy his deep desire to become a Minister of God and took him to Padua Seminary to meet the rector. On acceptance, his uncle not only became his benefactor but also his tutor. Despite of difficulties, young Giovanni Maria pursued his vocation for Priesthood. After completion of his Theological studies in Padua, he was ordained as a Priest on June 17, 1905 at the Cathedral in Padua. After his ordination, he was given various responsibilities such as teacher in Italian, Latin, and Mathematics in Thiene; teacher of Religion and Mathematics in Padua Seminary; rector of Fabriano Seminary; and later he was appointed Administrator of the Curia at the Diocese of Padua. In his capacity as the Administrator, he was strict and fair but at the same time humble in carrying out his responsibilities. On the departure of the Bishop of Padua in 1923 as a Curator of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, Fr Giovanni Maria was in contention for being the next Bishop, but God’s plan was different.

It was during this time he was seriously considering the project of his life, that of being a Canossian. A project conceived during his stay with his uncle in Fabriano. On several occasions he thought of joining the Canossian Institute at St. Job in Venice. As providence would have it, the turning point came about for Fr. Giovanni Maria as well as for the Canossian Institute on October 14, 1923 when he met Bro. Giovanni Zuccolo on his visit to the Canossian Institute.

 After much discernment, two years after the encounter with Bro. Giovanni Zuccolo, on October 31, 1925, Fr. Giovanni Maria joined the Institute. On December 6, 1925, he took the Canossian habit and was named as Angelo. Later after a year of Novitiate, he made his first profession on December 19, 1926. He carried out his apostolate with all humility and simplicity at St. Job’s even though prior to holding high position as a priest. On request of Bro. Giovanni Zuccolo, he made a research and documentary of the Institute who paved way for reform as it helped in later years to get from the Sacred Congregation of Religious the clerical nature of the Institute.

 Two years after his entrance, a Seminary School that trained youth who wished to become Brothers and Priests was opened at Conselve with him as the Director. The newsletter “Il Fglietto” was published in December 1931 as a promotion material for the Seminar

Because of the growth in number of students, on October 31, 1929 another house was opened in Feltre. He remained in Feltre for 12 years as a director, administrator, provider for his students, teacher, tutor, writer, doctor, nurse, prefect, and assistant. During this time, he gave his help to Bro. Giovanni Zuccolo in directing the Institute as it was expanding considerably. It was during this time that he felt that it was necessary to require the Congregation to conform to the Canon Law, hence he was requested by Bro. Giovanni Zocculo to ask the Vatican tor an Apostolic Visit to the Institute. The most remarkable results of the Apostolic Visit were the erection of the Novitiate in Castelli. On May 8, 1938, a formal decree of approval of the Congregation as a Religious Institute of Diocesan Right and acceptance of perpetual profession of ten Brothers and approval of the constitutions were given. During the first General Chapter that was held on September 1946, Fr. Angelo was elected as Superior General of the Congregation. Many foundations were opened, formation houses were organized, and a mission in India was explored. The approval of the Institute as a Pontifical Right was issued on December 29, 1949.

Fr. Angelo’s presence was fundamental to the Congregation during the years of crisis and brought new vitality and life to see the future with hope and confidence. On July 7, 1958, he passed away surrounded by the Superiors of the communities so as to express the gratitude of the whole Congregation, among them Bro. Giovanni Zuccolo. For us Canossian Sons of Charity, Fr. Angelo Pasa is not only a reformer but also a co-founder and remains a model to be followed.

St. Josephine Bakhita – Universal Sister

“Yet at this point a question arises: in what does this hope consist which, as hope, is “redemption”? The essence of the answer is given in the phrase from the Letter to the Ephesians quoted above: the Ephesians, before their encounter with Christ, were without hope because they were “without God in the world”. To come to know God—the true God—means to receive hope. We who have always lived with the Christian concept of God, and have grown accustomed to it, have almost ceased to notice that we possess the hope that ensues from a real encounter with this God. The example of a saint of our time can to some degree help us understand what it means to have a real encounter with this God for the first time. I am thinking of the African Josephine Bakhita, canonized by Pope John Paul II.

She was born around 1869—she herself did not know the precise date—in Darfur in Sudan. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped by slave-traders, beaten till she bled, and sold five times in the slave-markets of Sudan. Eventually she found herself working as a slave for the mother and the wife of a general, and there she was flogged every day till she bled; as a result of this she bore 144 scars throughout her life. Finally, in 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant for the Italian consul Callisto Legnani, who returned to Italy as the Mahdists advanced.

Here, after the terrifying “masters” who had owned her up to that point, Bakhita came to know a totally different kind of “master”—in Venetian dialect, which she was now learning, she used the name “paron” for the living God, the God of Jesus Christ. Up to that time she had known only masters who despised and maltreated her, or at best considered her a useful slave. Now, however, she heard that there is a “paron” above all masters, the Lord of all lords, and that this Lord is good, goodness in person. She came to know that this Lord even knew her, that he had created her—that he actually loved her. She too was loved, and by none other than the supreme “Paron”, before whom all other masters are themselves no more than lowly servants. She was known and loved and she was awaited. What is more, this master had himself accepted the destiny of being flogged and now he was waiting for her “at the Father's right hand”. Now she had “hope” —no longer simply the modest hope of finding masters who would be less cruel, but the great hope: “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me—I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good.” Through the knowledge of this hope she was “redeemed”, no longer a slave, but a free child of God. She understood what Paul meant when he reminded the Ephesians that previously they were without hope and without God in the world—without hope because without God. Hence, when she was about to be taken back to Sudan, Bakhita refused; she did not wish to be separated again from her “Paron”. On 9 January 1890, she was baptized and confirmed and received her first Holy Communion from the hands of the Patriarch of Venice. On 8 December 1896, in Verona, she took her vows in the Congregation of the Canossian Sisters and from that time onwards, besides her work in the sacristy and in the porter's lodge at the convent, she made several journeys round Italy in order to promote the missions: the liberation that she had received through her encounter with the God of Jesus Christ, she felt she had to extend, it had to be handed on to others, to the greatest possible number of people. The hope born in her which had “redeemed” her she could not keep to herself; this hope had to reach many, to reach everybody.”
“SPE SALVI facti sumus” #3. Pope Benedict XVI.

Christ Crucified -“Inspice et fac Secundum Exemplar”

Christ Crucified is the model that captured the heart of Magdalene of Canossa. For her, Jesus hanging on the cross was the ultimate expression of the greatest love. That is why, she said that we are called to imitate and do the example of Christ Crucified (inspice et fac secundum exemplar). Every time Magdalene of Canossa attended the Eucharistic celebration, she would also contemplate to the Christ Crucified. She even experienced spiritual ecstacy or deep/mystical experiences with the Lord every communion.

 “Inspice et fac secundum exemplar” literally means “do and follow according to the example”. The word “example” is basically pointed to Jesus on the Cross. We all knew that the sacrificial action of Jesus on the cross was because of his obedience to the will of the Father and for his greater love for the humanity. Jesus Passion, Death, and in three days his Resurrection was not an ordinary event of his life. It happened with a purpose. That is why it’s called sacrificial, unconditional, greatest, and super-abundant love as what Magdalene of Canossa called it because it happened with so much love. If you are in love, you will do anything for your loved one. That is what Jesus did on the cross. That is also what Magdalene of Canossa wanted to every one of us. Not really to hang ourselves on the cross but to imitate the love of Jesus for all the humanity even to the point of letting himself be crucified on the cross. Magdalene is in love, before her eyes she has always Jesus Christ Crucified who is the divine source of every human love. The mental vision and the ecstatic contemplation of this mystery of human - divine Charity lived out in indescribable suffering, spurs Magdalene to relive Christ’s interior attitude in her own life. This means she must consume herself for Him by serving Him in those who are in dire need of bread and love.

In her writings and in her life, Magdalene evidently presented to us that we can only do things clearly when we begin to contemplate the suffering Christ and it moves us to do the same. Magdalene invites us to take the Cross of Christ as our own Cross. It is evident that her action was driven by the greater love of Christ Crucified. That was her purpose - to see the example of Jesus Crucified and follow his action. She was so clear about it, that even to the point of giving up her status and comfort in life for the sake of Christ Crucified. That is an invitation for us in our time we have to see the suffering Christ in the life of the poor the youths and the little ones in our society, and make a concrete action to response to their needs. We need to develop a spirituality that enables us to discern God’s calling at every moment and to respond in service to God in and at all times. Magdalene’s love for Eucharist, contemplation to Christ Crucified and devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows inspired her to create the branches of Charity. Magdalene loves the Crucified Christ because Christ on the cross is the only great model to look up to. She loves charity, directed first of all towards those who are most in need or are closest to her, as this is the only tangible way for sharing God’s love for us. In all her life, there has always been a firm and fundamental point of reference - Christ Crucified, a God who humbled himself, offering himself as a victim for the love of humanity.


The story of Magdalene is the story of a love that is ever more intense for Jesus on the Cross, poor and stripped of all except the love that spurred him to such great sacrifice. The response that Magdalene found ever more necessary is the choice of poverty and of the poor, the apostolic witness of the immense charity of God through charity towards the weakest brothers and   sisters, the self-emptying so as to become an instrument God’s love, making him known to those who do not know him, so that they can give him glory and not offend him through sin. Charity does not know of any limit or country other than those that lead from the imperfect exercise of Charity on earth to the perfect exercise of Charity in Heaven.

Love Spirituality of St. Magdalene of Canossa

The story of Magdalene is the story of a love that is ever more intense for Jesus on the Cross, poor and stripped of all except the love that spurred him to such great sacrifice. The life of Magdalene can be our life too as we journey towards love, self-fulfilment, hope and faith, that her history of “spiritual action/contemplative in action” as our personal story too. The life of Magdalene can be our personal story in our time. And as we journey towards the path of self discover and spiritual growth, one can understand the life of Magdalene in our personal daily journey in walking towards the “charity-oriented people” where there is sharing and love.

Contemplative in Action is the spiritual goals by Magdalene. Form her Memoirs we can define the Christian aspect of Magdalene’s spirituality. The Eucharistic piety, the centrality of the Crucified Jesus, Marian devotion (Mary under the foot of the Cross), community life, works of charity, and contemplation. Magdalene lives her apostolic ardor to its fullest, “imitating the virtues of Jesus Crucified” 1 , especially in the exercise of her “works of charity’. With “God alone” 2 as her aim, with the Crucified Christ as her luminous “Exemplar”, with the Sorrowful virgin as “Mother” and friend.

Moved by that love, Magdalene responded to the cry of the poor, hungry for food, instruction and understanding of the Word of God. It serves all the needs of anyone who feels and desire to journey with Magdalene in her calling and also a call for us to live the charismatic experience of Christ Crucified in a life of total dedication to contemplative and action but remaining open to the mysterious action of the Holy Spirit who gradually molded her heart and enabled her to share in the love of the Father for mankind revealed by Jesus’ complete and supreme offering of Himself on the Cross, and by the example of Mary, the Sorrowful Virgin Mother. Magdalene sought and found her first companions called to follow Christ, poor, chaste, obedient and who were to be sent out as witnesses of His unconditional Love towards all people. She knew in her heart that the Will of God: to serve the neediest persons with the heart of Christ. Charity is like a blazing fire! Magdalene opened her heart to the Holy Spirit who guided her.

The zeal of Magdalene of Canossa to above all “make Jesus known so that He may be loved” is what identifies the Canossians in the Church. It carries out the mission of evangelization in communion of faith and life, inspired by Jesus Crucified in His burning Love for His Father and fomen.
Because of this great inspiration, Canossians before and until now devote our energies to educate children, adolescents and youth, promoting the integral growth of their personality, extending with time, the loving attention of Magdalene towards the sick, the poor, the youth and the little ones. Canossians involve in the various forms of evangelization, aware that there is no greater act of charity towards our neighbour than that of helping him know and love God.

Magdalene of Canossa defines the ministry of evangelization as the work which leads itself most towards reaching the charismatic goal of the Institute. She writes in fact in the Rules for the Christian Doctrines: “…there is no greater act of Charity than that of working together so that all may love God and one of the greatest means of making Him loved is that of making Him known…” The ideal in fact which burns in Magdalene of Canossa was “…to make Jesus known since he is not loved because he is not known.”
1 Canossa, Unabridged Rules, Preface ( Verona Italy, 1849), 22
2 Canossa di Maddalena, Memorie. Scriti autobiografici. Trascrizione integrale in PICCARI T., Sola con Dio Solo. Memorie di Maddalena di Canossa, Milanmo, 1966