Enrico Rebuschini

Enrico Rebuschini (25 April 1860 – 10 May 1938) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and professed member from the Camillians. Rebuschini was marked since his childhood as one who had an innate desire to tend to the poor and marginalized and felt the need to hand out his possessions to those less fortunate than himself. But his father opposed his vocation to the priesthood and directed him to studies which he threw himself into in obedience to him. But he felt dissatisfied upon working with his brother-in-law in the silk business and made a final plea to his father to become a priest. His father relented and he commenced his ecclesial studies though in his life afterwards experienced several profound episodes of nervous depression that caused him to grow ill each time.

Rebuschini died in the odor of holiness and had been renowned after his death as a saint which had led to calls for the launch of a beatification process. The cause did indeed open sometime later and culminated in 1997 with his beatification.

Early life

Enrico Rebuschini was born on 25 April 1860 in Gravedona in Como as the second of five children to Domenico Rebuschini and Sophia Polti. His father was a head tax inspector for the Como province and did not favor religion. He often accompanied his wife to the church but remained outside each time. His mother and maternal aunt were active in parish activities. Rebuschini was baptized on 1 May as "Enrico Pietro Battista".

From his childhood he had the inclination to do whatever he could for the poor and vulnerable; his call to the priesthood came in his childhood but was something that his father was opposed to. He began his studies at the college in Pavia in mathematics but left soon after due to the anti-clerical environment. He enlisted in the armed forces but later left it to complete his diploma in accounting. In Milan he studied for the armed forces and his superiors held him in such high regard that he was encouraged to pursue a career in that field; he had emerged from training as a reserve second lieutenant. But he opted to pursue accounting and so graduated as such in 1882 after having obtained his diploma with honors. Rebuschini worked at his brother-in-law's (his sister Dorina's husband) silk warehouse for sometime (1882–84) though later left upon realizing that his path was the ecclesial one.

Priesthood

In summer 1884 he had long discussions with his father with Luigi Guanella mediating in which his father at last relented and allowed him to enter the priesthood.

He then set himself on his ecclesial studies and was later sent to the Pontifical Gregorian in Rome to pursue ecclesiastical