(ANS - Bologna) – On Sunday 1 June 2014, the mayor of Bologna, Virginio Merola, and the Rector of the Salesian Community, Fr Gianni Danesi, unveiled a plaque naming the square in front of the Salesian Church of the Sacred Heart after Fr Antonio Gavinelli. The monument also contains a bas-relief image of his face. Fr Gavinelli was Parish Priest in the Salesian Parish in Bologna from 1930 to 1964. His deeds and his words have left a profound mark on the history of the Salesians in the city.

Fr Antonio Gavinelli (27 November 1885 – 24 May 1968) served first as Parish Priest in Rimini and Ancona. He was sent to Bologna to rebuild the Shrine of the Sacred Heart which had been reduced to rubble by an earthquake. He understood then that it was important to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart.  To this end he founded the Society of the Sacred Heart and promoted the fortnightly magazine The Shrine of the Sacred Heart throughout Italy. The magazine continues today with the title Sacred Heart.

He was convinced that generous souls who practise devotion to the Sacred Heart are also sensitive to the problems of the needy. They are not just devotees but apostles and promoters of Christian values. The society grew and eventually there were 220,000 members throughout the whole of Italy. Their generosity allowed him to rebuild the Shrine and to provide social services on behalf of poor young people.

Fr Antonio was honest and consistent and not afraid to stand up to powerful forces. During the Second World War he helped the Jews secretly. On Passion Sunday, 11 April 1943, Fr Gavinelli said from the pulpit and wrote in the Parish Bulletin that "things were not well.” He invited Catholics from Bologna to become aware of their moral and political responsibilities with regard to democracy and freedom, urging them to pray for peace and not for victory, as the regime demanded. The Bulletin aroused wonder and comments, and Fr Gavinelli was put on trial at the beginning of June and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

The Allied bombing of the nearby train station damaged the sanctuary and the Salesian House again. At the end of the war he rebuilt the shrine for the second time. He restored the part of the Salesian House that had been destroyed and in particular the technical schools. He started the orphanage at Castel de' Britti and later built the church of St. John Bosco in the eastern suburbs of the city.

In his commemorative address, Fr Ferdinand Columbo, who succeeded Fr Gavinelli in the Church of the Sacred Heart, spoke of him as a priest in love with the Heart of Christ, a Salesian who staked everything on young people by creating educational facilities, a pastor who reacted positively to any adversity and succeeded in building a community of courageous people to witness to the faith.

Published 05/06/2014