Streetwise priests ( it, preti di strada; es, curas de la calle; french: prêtres de rue; german: Priester der Straße) are

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

s who exercise their spiritual mandate by living in structures in direct contact with the "street", which is their mission land. Historical streetwise priests include

Philip Neri Philip Romolo Neri ( ; it, italics=no, Filippo Romolo Neri, ; 22 July 151526 May 1595), known as the "Second Apostle of Rome", after Saint Peter, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of ...

(1515–1595) and

John 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 ...

(1815–1888). Recently, the expression came to denote priests with reformist ideas, especially those involved in reform movements for social justice in a Christian context through service to the poor and marginalized. Their work covers various areas, such as education,

marginalization Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. It is used across discipline ...

, imprisonment, development cooperation, drug addictions, disabilities, orphans and abandoned children, prostitution, and homelessness. In many cases, streetwise priests form groups, associations, or communities, especially inclusive of laity. Through 2008, debates and conflicts with ecclesiastical hierarchy existed regarding Catholic social teaching and implementing the

Second Vatican Council 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 ...

's doctrine.

Notable streetwise priests

Below is a list of priests who have been described as streetwise.

Africa

* Father Jean-Baptiste Malenge Kalunzu,

Central America

Oscar Romero Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

, El Salvador * Padre Gadalupe, James Carney, American missionary murdered in Honduras 1983 * Juan José Gerardi Conedera, Guatemala

South America

* Padre Cacho, Uruguay * ''Don''

Gonzalo Aemilius Gonzalo Aemilius (born 18 September 1979 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan Roman Catholic cleric who has served as a personal secretary to Pope Francis since 2020. Biography Gonzalo Aemilius was born in Montevideo on 18 September 1979. His parents ...

, Uruguay *

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

Hélder Câmara Hélder Pessoa Câmara (7 February 1909 – 27 August 1999) was a Brazilian Catholic archbishop. A self-identified socialism, socialist, he was the Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olinda e Recife, Olinda and Recife, serving from 196 ...

, Bishop * ''Don''

Júlio Lancellotti Monsignor Júlio Renato Lancellotti, GCONM (born December 27, 1948) is a Brazilian Catholic educator and priest, Monsignor and parish priest of the São Miguel Arcanjo Church in the Mooca neighborhood, in the city of São Paulo. In addition t ...

, Brazil * Father

Alfredo Souza Dorea Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name. People with the given name include: *Alfredo (born 1946), Brazilian footballer born as Alfredo Mostarda Filh ...

, Brazil

North America

Larry Rosebaugh Lawrence "Larry" Rosebaugh (also called Lorenzo) (May 16, 1935 – May 18, 2009) was an American streetwise priest, peace activist, and missionary from Wisconsin who spent many years working in Central and South America and was murdered by masked ...

, O.M.I. *

Greg Boyle Gregory Joseph Boyle, S.J. (born May 19, 1954) is an American Roman Catholic priest of the Jesuit order. He is the founder and director of Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang-intervention and rehabilitation program, and former pastor o ...

Michael Pfleger Michael Louis Pfleger (born May 22, 1949) is an American Catholic priest and social activist located in Chicago. Since 1981, he has been pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church, a Black parish in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. He has been ...

France

Abbé Pierre Abbé Pierre, OFM Cap, (born Henri Marie Joseph Grouès; 5 August 191222 January 2007) was a French Catholic priest, member of the Resistance during World War II, and deputy of the Popular Republican Movement (MRP). In 1949, he founded the Em ...

(1912–2007) * Father

Guy Gilbert Guy Gilbert (born 12 September 1935) is a French Roman Catholic priest and educator. Biography Born in Rochefort, Gilbert was educated at a seminary in Algeria and ministered in Algiers until 1970. He returned to France, to Paris, where he s ...

(b. 1935) * Fr. Pedro Meca * Father Axel * Father Jean Tessier * Father Jean-Philippe Chauveau * Abbé Fabrice Loiseau

Germany

* Franz Meurer

India

* Barnabe D'Souza, Salesian of Don Bosco, Mumbai Province. * Bosco Pereira, Salesian of Don Bosco, Mumbai Province (1950-2013) founder o
Shelter Don Bosco
* George Kollashany, Salesian of Don Bosco, Bangalore Province, Founder o
BOSCO
a Non Governmental Organisation working with the Young At Risk in the city of Bangalore since 1980. * George Miranda, Salesian of Don Bosco, Mumbai Province. * Gregory Almeida, Salesian of Don Bosco, Mumbai Province, currently directory o
Don Bosco Bal Prafulta
* Lester Fernandes, Salesian of Don Bosco, Mumbai Province. * Monty Rodrigues, Salesian of Don Bosco, Mumbai Province. * Thomas Koshy, Salesian of Don Bosco, Hyderabad Province, director of th
Navajeevan Bala Bhaven
* Xavier Devdas, Salesian of Don Bosco, Mumbai Province.

Italy

* ''Don'' Antonio Acciai (1924 – 1974),

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

* ''Don'' Vinicio Albanesi (b. 1943), Comunità di Capodarco * ''Don'' Franco Baroni (1934–1985), OASNI (Care for Nomads) * ''Don'' Mimmo Battaglia (b. 1963), Centro Calabrese di Solidarietà, Catanzaro *

Tonino Bello (1935–1993), Bishop * ''Don''

Oreste Benzi Oreste Benzi (7 September 1925 - 2 November 2007) was an Italian Catholic priest and the founder of the "Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII". Benzi championed the rights of the individual and founded his association to aid teenagers in th ...

(1925–2007), Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII * ''Don'' Giancarlo Bertagnolli (don Geki) (b. 1933), Associazione La Strada – Der Weg,

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

* ''Don'' Albino Bizzotto (b. 1939), Beati i Costruttori di Pace * fratel Ettore ( Ettore Boschini) (1928–2004) *

Giancarlo Bregantini (b. 1948), Bishop * ''Don'' Marcellino Brivio (b. 1951), Carcere di Opera * ''Don''

Luigi Ciotti Luigi Ciotti OMRI (born in Pieve di Cadore ( province of Belluno), September 10, 1945), is an Italian priest belonging to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Turin, deeply involved in the fight against illegality and organized crime such as the Mafi ...

(b. 1945), Gruppo Abele and

Libera Libera may refer to: * Libera (mythology), a Roman goddess of fertility * Libera (choir), a boy vocal group from London * ''Libera'' (film), a 1993 comedy film * "Libera" (song), a song by Italian artist Mia Martini * ''Libera'' (gastropod), a ...

* ''Don'' Dante Clauser (1923–2013), Punto d’incontro, Trento * ''Don'' Virginio Colmegna (b. 1945), Casa della Carità, Milano * ''Don'' Danilo Cubattoli (don Cuba) (1922–2006) * Father Angelo Cupini (b. 1939), Comunità di via Gaggio,

Lecco Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...

* ''Don'' Peppino Diana (1958–1994), priest against the Camorra * ''Don'' Roberto Dichiera (b. 1974), Comunità Nuovi Orizzonti * Father Carmelo Di Giovanni (b. 1944), St Peter's Church, London * ''Don'' Fortunato Di Noto (b. 1963), Associazione Meter * ''Don'' Pierluigi Di Piazza (b. 1947), Centro Ernesto Balducci,

Zugliano Zugliano is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, 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 ...

* ''Don'' Andrea Gallo (1928–2013), Comunità di San Benedetto al Porto * ''Don'' Fabio Giacometti (1967–2011),

Meldola Meldola ( rgn, Mèdla) is a town and ''comune'' near Forlì, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. History The area of Meldola was inhabited since very ancient times. The Romans built here a large aqueduct (still existing under the ground) which served the mi ...

, * Father Mario Golesano (b. 1949), Fondazione Don Giuseppe Puglisi * ''Don'' Aniello Manganiello (b. 1953), priest against the Camorra * ''Don'' Edoardo Medori, Comunità San Benedetto, Livorno * ''Don'' Luigi Melesi (b. 1933), Carcere di San Vittore, Milano * ''Don'' Luigi Merola (b. 1972), priest against the Camorra * ''Don'' Matteo Migliore (b. 1937), Torino * ''Don''

Lorenzo Milani Lorenzo Carlo Domenico Milani Comparetti (27 May 1923 – 26 June 1967) was an Italian Catholic priest. He was an educator of poor children and an advocate of conscientious objection. Biography Milani was born in Florence in 1923 to a rich midd ...

(1923–1967), Scuola di Barbiana * ''Don'' Franco Monterubbianesi (b. 1931), Comunità di Capodarco * ''Don'' Fredo Olivero, Torino * ''Don'' Giacomo Piazza, Comunità Progetto Sud di Lamezia Terme * ''Don'' Mario Picchi, Centro italiano di solidarietà * Father Antonio Poletti, Caserta * ''Don'' Valentino Porcile * ''Don'' Giuseppe Provitera,

Secondigliano Secondigliano () is an old Italian municipality which became a modern suburb in the north of Naples. Geography Secondigliano lies between San Pietro a Patierno and Scampìa. History The name may derive from a contraction of "secondo" (second) an ...

* ''Don''

Pino Puglisi Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi (, ; 15 September 1937 – 15 September 1993) was a Roman Catholic priest in the rough Palermo neighbourhood of Brancaccio. He openly challenged the Mafia who controlled the neighbourhood, and was killed by them on hi ...

(1937–1993), victim of the Sicilian Mafia * ''Don'' Innocenzo Ricci * ''Don'' Gino Rigoldi, ''Istituto penale per minorenni "Beccaria"'' (youth detention centre) * Father Giuseppe Russo, Palermo * ''Don'' Alessandro Santoro, Comunità delle Piagge * ''Don'' Roberto Sardelli, ''Scuola 725 all'Acquedotto Felice'', Rome * ''Don'' Luciano Scaccaglia, Parma * ''Don'' Vincenzo Sorce, Casa Famiglia Rosetta, * ''Don'' Antonio Terlizzi (-2011) * ''Don'' Mario Vatta, Comunità di San Martino al Campo * Father Alex Zanotelli * ''Don'' Armando Zappolini * ''Don'' Giuliano Zattarin

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=30em

Bibliography

* Roberto Beretta e Giovanni Gazzaneo, ''Preti di strada: le frontiere dell'emarginazione e della speranza raccontate dai più noti sacerdoti anti-droga'', con prefazione di

Furio Colombo Furio Colombo (born 1 January 1931) is an Italian journalist and politician, former editor-in-chief of ''L'Unità''. Biography Journalistic and academic career Colombo was born in Châtillon, Aosta Valley in a Jewish family. In the mid-1950 ...

, SEI, Torino, 1995 *

Candido Cannavò Candido Cannavò (; 29 November 1930 – 22 February 2009) was an Italian journalist, well known as the historical editor (1983–2002) of the Italian sport newspaper ''La Gazzetta dello Sport''. Biography Cannavò was born in Catania and beg ...

, ''Pretacci: storie di uomini che portano il Vangelo sul marciapiede'', Rizzoli, Milano, 2008 * Mimmo Battaglia e Virginio Colmegna, ''I poveri hanno sempre ragione: storie di preti di strada'', Cittadella editrice, Assisi, 2010 * Pierfilippo Pozzi (cur.), ''Dov'è Dio: il Vangelo quotidiano secondo quattro preti di strada'', Giulio Einaudi Editore, Einaudi, Torino, 2011

External links

Federazione italiana Organismi per le Persone Senza Fissa Dimora

CNCA – Coordinamento nazionale comunità di accoglienza

RAI, "La storia siamo noi", ''Preti di strada – Una mano tesa contro la disperazione (Don Gallo a Genova, Don Alessandro Santoro a Firenze, Don Virginio Colmegna a Milano, Padre Antonio Poletti a Caserta''
Roman Catholic priests, Roman Catholic orders and societies Christian theological movements Religion and politics Liberation theology Catholic social teaching Christian radicalism