Giuseppe Cognata (
Agrigento
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one o ...
, 14 October 1885 -
Pellaro, 22 July 1972) was an Italian Catholic bishop and member of the
Salesians of Don Bosco
, image = File:Stemma big.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
, abbreviation = SDB
, formation =
, founder = John Bosco
, founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...
. He was the founder of the
Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a female religious institute of pontifical right. Due to accusations that were proved false many years after, the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible ...
condemned Mgr. Cognata to be dismissed of his condition of Bishop on 20 December 1939. Monsignor Giuseppe Cognata in Easter 1962 was reinstated by Pope
John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
in the Episcopate, after the true came out. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced on 17 February 2020 that
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
has given consent to open the Cause of
Beatification
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
of Mons. Giuseppe Cognata, S.D.B.
Life
Giuseppe Cognata was born in
Agrigento
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one o ...
on 14 October 1885 in an important family of his region with great Catholic tradition, especially from his mother.
Priesthood
At 12 years old, Giuseppe entered the Saint Basil Salesian School of
Randazzo
Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta.
Randazzo ( scn, Rannazzu) is a town and '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, c. northwest of Catania. It is the nearest ...
in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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and also applied for a vocational following as a priest among the order of
Don Bosco
John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19th century.
While working ...
, among a bitter opposition from his father and grandfather. He made perpetual profession as a religious man on 5 May 1908 in Saint Gregory of
Catania in front of the
Rector Major of the Salesians
The Rector Major of the Salesians (also known as successor of Don Bosco) is the head of all institutes of the Salesians of Don Bosco worldwide (over 130 countries and 15000 institutions). It is the title of a Catholic priest that is elected as the ...
,
Blessed
Blessed may refer to:
* The state of having received a blessing
* Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified
Film and television
* ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
Michael Rua
Michele Rua ( eng, Michael Rua; 9 June 1837 – 6 April 1910) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and professed member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Rua was a student under Don Bosco and was also the latter's first collaborator in the order's f ...
. The following year, on 29 August 1909, he received priestly ordination in
Acireale
Acireale (; scn, Jaciriali, locally shortened to ''Jaci'' or ''Aci'') is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. ...
. He had already successfully achieved a double degree in literature and philosophy and therefore began to work as a professor and assistant. From Sicily, he was then transferred to other Salesian houses in the
Veneto
it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman)
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and
Marche regions.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, as many religious young men, Giuseppe was recruited as a soldier in
Palermo,
Trapani
Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an imp ...
,
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
and precisely in
Trapani
Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an imp ...
in a military guise, where he laid the first foundations of the Salesian work which he was called to direct a few years later, after the war. He distinguished himself in various apostolic activities, becoming "all things to all", always tireless, ready for every instance, always mild and smiling. He raised a church dedicated to
Mary Help of Christians
Mary, the Help of Christians ( la, Sancta Maria Auxilium Christianorum) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based on a devotion now associated with a feast day of the General Roman Calendar on May 24.
John Chrysostom was the ...
almost out of nowhere, dedicated himself with zeal and commitment to the school and the oratory (youth centre). From Trapani he was then called to direct the college of
Randazzo
Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta.
Randazzo ( scn, Rannazzu) is a town and '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, c. northwest of Catania. It is the nearest ...
, then that of
Gualdo Tadino
Gualdo Tadino (Latin: ''Tadinum'') is an ancient town of Italy, in the province of Perugia in northeastern Umbria, on the lower flanks of Monte Penna, a mountain of the Apennines. It is NE of Perugia.
History
Gualdo has a long history and was o ...
in
Umbria
it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman)
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, and finally he was director of the "Sacro Cuore" in Rome, where today is the Main Salesian headquarters.
Bishop
On 16 March 1933
Pope Pius XI appointed him bishop of
Bova, a particularly poor and disadvantaged
Calabrian diocese: a real "mission" on Italian soil, on a human, civil, cultural, religious and spiritual level. It was in fact made up mainly of small towns, lost in the mountains, devoid of roads, water, bread, school and priests. Now the diocese is united in perpetuity with that of
Reggio Calabria. He received episcopal ordination the following 23 April in the basilica of the Sacred Heart in via Marsala in Rome from Cardinal
August Hlond
August Hlond (July 5, 1881 – October 22, 1948) was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, who was Archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno in 1926 and Primate of Poland. He was then appointed as the Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw in 194 ...
, metropolitan archbishop of
Gniezno
Gniezno (; german: Gnesen; la, Gnesna) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. One of the Piast dynasty's chief cities, ...
and
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
, co-consecrating the bishop of
Sutri
Sutri (Latin ''Sutrium'') is an Ancient town, modern ''comune'' and former bishopric (now a Latin titular see) in the province of Viterbo, about from Rome and about south of Viterbo. It is picturesquely situated on a narrow tuff hill, surrounded ...
and
Nepi Nepi (anciently ''Nepet'' or ''Nepete'') is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, central Italy. The town lies southeast of the city of Viterbo and about southwest from Civita Castellana.
The town is known for its miner ...
Luigi Maria Olivares and the titular bishop of Farsalo and auxiliary of Palermo Romolo Genuardi.
Through steep paths and mule tracks, Monsignor Cognata, who had chosen the Pauline expression "''Caritas Christi, urget nos''" as his episcopal motto, wanted in perfect missionary style to visit and comfort not only all the villages of the diocese, but also groups of poor families. scattered here and there in the most remote and inaccessible places, in the mountains of Bova or in the valleys of Amendolea. He committed himself on the purely human and social field but above all he worked on the spiritual level with courage and charity, with trust in the unfailing help of Providence.
Man of faith and prayer, open to the breath of the Spirit of God, he created a pious society of generous young women, willing to work with courage and joy, in the smallest, most remote, most abandoned centres. Thus was born the Congregation of the
Oblate Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bova Marina on 8 December 1933. The new institute, raised by Providence in the wake of the Salesian spirit, with a specifically pastoral and missionary purpose in aid of the local Church, developed in a few years with a rich flowering of vocations, spreading not only in the two dioceses of Bova and Reggio Calabria, but also in other areas of Calabria, Sicily and
Lazio
it, Laziale
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.
Accusation and Restoration
In 1940 the Congregation of the Holy Office condemned Monsignor Cognata to the removal from episcopal dignity following a trial. The charges were initially not revealed and it was only recently discovered that he was falsely accused of molesting three nuns.
He therefore had to resign as bishop of Bova. He went far, precisely to a Salesian community in
Castello di Godego
Castello di Godego is a town and ''comune'' with 6,329 inhabitants in the province of Treviso, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the mi ...
, living for long years in silence and solitude, separated from his spiritual daughters. He lived in various Salesian communities, especially in Northern Italy, carrying out the service of confessor and spiritual guide. The order of the Oblate Salesians of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, despite its great poverty, continued to grow and expand.
Monsignor Giuseppe Cognata, in Easter 1962, was reinstated in the episcopate by Pope
John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
. He thus participated in the second, third and fourth sessions of
Vatican II
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
by the will of Pope
Paul VI. On 6 August 1963 he was appointed titular bishop of Farsalo. On 29 January 1972 he had the joy of knowing his institute decorated with the decree of praise by the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
, with which he became an institute of pontifical right.
Death and Cause of Beatification
Mgr. Cognata died on 22 July 1972, the same year that his founded Institute was recognised by the Holy See. He passed away
Pellaro di Reggio Calabria, the initial seat of the missionary activity of the Oblates. His remains rest in the generalate of the Oblate Sisters in
Tivoli.
On 18 April 2020 the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...
announced that
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
accepted the name of Mgr. Giuseppe Cognata for the Cause of Beatification:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cognata, Giuseppe
20th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops
1885 births
1972 deaths
Salesians of Don Bosco