Luigi Calza also known as Luigi Calza (Calzi) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate, member of the

Xaverian Missionary Fathers Guido Maria Conforti (3 March 1865 – 5 November 1931) was a Roman Catholic Italian archbishop who founded the Xaverian Missionary Fathers on 3 December 1895. He was known to make frequent visits to his parishes and worked to support the rel ...

, who served as Prefect and Vicar Apostolic in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

from 1906 to 1944. He is considered the first

Xaverian Xaverian College is a Roman Catholic college in Manchester, England, south of the city centre in Rusholme. Established in 1862, Xaverian College has become one of the most oversubscribed Sixth form college in Greater Manchester, along with Lore ...

bishop appointed in China.

Early life

Calza was born in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on 26 July 1879.

Priesthood

Luigi became a professed member of the

in year 1897 and was ordained a priest on 24 May 1902 by Bishop Francesco Magani.

Episcopate

Luigi was appointed Prefect of the Prefecture Apostolic of Western Honan nowadays

Roman Catholic Diocese of Zhengzhou The Roman Catholic Diocese of Zhengzhou/Chengchow ( la, Cemceuven(sis), ) is a diocese located in the city of Zhengzhou in the Ecclesiastical province of Kaifeng in China. History * August 28, 1882: Established as the Apostolic Prefecture of We ...

on 23 June 1906. He was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Prefecture Apostolic of Western Honan and Titular Bishop of Termessus (Titular See) on 18 September 1911 and consecrated a bishop by St. Guido Maria Conforti on 12 April 1912. During the famine of 1911 to 1913, he opened orphanages for the orphans and set up many schools, training centres and hospitals in

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...

Death

Calza died in China on 27 October 1944.

References

1879 births 1944 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in China {{20C-Italy-RC-bishop-stub