jeudi 1 décembre 2016

Bienheureux JEAN de VERCEIL (VERCELLI), maître général de l'Ordre des frères prêcheurs


Bienheureux Jean de Verceil

Maître général de l'ordre des frères prêcheurs ( 1283)

Né dans la province de Verceil en Italie, il était maître en droit canon de l'Université de Paris lors de son entrée dans l'Ordre dominicain. Elu 6ème maître de l'Ordre au chapitre de Paris en juin 1264, il demeura en charge pendant vingt ans. Il recourut plusieurs fois aux conseils théologiques de saint Thomas d'Aquin et prit sa défense quand celui-ci fut attaqué par l'évêque de Paris. Il eut une grande influence au concile de Lyon en 1274. C'est lui qui fit édifier à Bologne le tombeau de saint Dominique. Austère et pacifique, voyageur infatigable, il promut avec force l'étude, la pauvreté et la prédication évangélique. Il mourut à Montpellier le 29 novembre 1283.

À Montpellier, en 1283, le bienheureux Jean de Verceil, prêtre, maître général de l’Ordre des Prêcheurs, qui prêcha avec force le respect dû au nom de Jésus.

Martyrologe romain

Bienheureux Jean de Verceil

Général des Frères Prêcheurs

Fête le 1er décembre

Verceil, Piémont – † Montpellier, Hérault, 29 novembre 1283

Né dans la province de Verceil en Italie, il était maître en droit canon de l’Université de Paris lors de son entrée dans l’Ordre dominicain. Élu sixième maître de l’Ordre au chapitre de Paris en juin 1264, il demeura en charge pendant vingt ans. Il recourut plusieurs fois aux conseils théologiques de saint Thomas d’Aquin et prit sa défense quand celui-ci fut attaqué par l’évêque de Paris. Il eut une grande influence au concile de Lyon en 1274. C’est lui qui fit édifier à Bologne le tombeau de saint Dominique. Austère et pacifique, voyageur infatigable, il promut avec force, l’étude, la pauvreté et la prédication évangélique. Il mourut à Montpellier le 29 novembre 1283.

SOURCE : http://www.martyretsaint.com/jean-de-verceil/

Blessed John of Vercelli, OP (AC)

(also known as John Garbella)

Born at Mosso Santa Maria (near Vercelli), Italy; died at Montpellier, France, in 1283; cultus approved in 1903.


John Garbella was born early in the 13th century, somewhere near Vercelli. He studied at Paris and was ordained priest before 1229. He taught canon law at the University of Paris. While he was professor there, Jordan of Saxony (who was a friend of Saint Albert the Great) came to Paris, and John saw one after another of his best pupils desert their careers to join the Dominicans. He seems to have considered them quite objectively, without reference to himself, until he day an interior voice spoke to him that it was God's will for him to join the Dominicans. No one can say that John did not respond with alacrity; he dropped everything and ran down the street. ("Let me go; I am on my way to God!") Jordan received him happily and gave him the habit.

In 1232, John was sent to Vercelli to establish a convent there. He built this and several other convents in Lombardy as houses of regular observance. While provincial of Lombardy, he also became inquisitor. It was a particularly difficult moment. His brother in religion, Peter of Verona, had just been killed by the heretics in Como. The entire countryside was in a state of war, with roving bands of heretics and robbers. It was the task of the new inquisitor to try to bring order out of this chaos, and what John did was remarkable, considering the situation. In spite of his heavy labors, which included the supervision of 600 friars in 28 different cities (he reached them only by walking), John of Vercelli established the ideals of study and regular observance in all of his houses.

It was the good fortune of John of Vercelli to live in an age that was well peopled by saints. He formed a close friendship with Saint Louis, the king of France. Several of his tasks in the order, particularly the Commission on the Program of Studies, he shared with Saint Albert the Great, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Peter of Tarentaise (the future Pope Innocent V). In such company one would need to have a superior set of talents; John did.

In 1264 the chapter of the order met at Paris. Blessed Humbert had resigned as master general of the order. John went to the chapter hoping that he could resign as provincial of Lombardy. Instead of escaping one office, he fell heir to a still more difficult one. He was elected master general in 1264 and served in that capacity until 1283. John was then a man in his sixties and was, moreover, handicapped by a crippled leg. However, he accepted the office which would require him to walk, not only all over Lombardy, but all over Europe. It took a brand of courage and obedience that was little short of heroic.

During the generalate of John of Vercelli, the relics of Saint Dominic were transferred to the new tomb that had been prepared for it by Nicholas of Pisa. When the transfer was made, John of Vercelli fixed his seal on the tomb; the seals were still intact on their examination in 1946. During the translation of the relics, according to the account in the Vitae Fratrum, when the body of Saint Dominic was exposed to view, the head was seen to turn towards John of Vercelli. John, embarrassed, moved to another part of the church and gave his place to a cardinal. Whereupon, the head of Saint Dominic was seen by all to turn again in John's direction.

On the death of Clement IV, John of Vercelli was very nearly elected pope. Being warned of the possibility, he fled in fright. However, his good friend Cardinal Visconti, was elected and took the name Gregory X. He appointed John as legate on several different missions.

He was commissioned by the pope to draw up the Schema for the second ecumenical council of Lyons in 1274--that council to which Saint Thomas Aquinas was hurrying when death found him on the road. At the council John distinguished himself for his assistance by offering to the council the talents of his best men. At the council, he accepted for the Dominican Order the special commission of promoting reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus and fighting blasphemy, which was, in that day as in ours, a prevalent vice. He can thus be considered the founder of the Holy Name Society, even though the Confraternity was not formed until 1432.

Several precious relics were suitably enshrined by John of Vercelli. These included several thorns from the Crown of Our Lord, which had been given him by Saint Louis of France. The cord of Saint Thomas, with which he had been guided by the angels and which he had worn until death, was given into the care of the master general, who gave it to the convent of Vercelli for safe keeping.

John's career was rapidly reaching its end. In 1279, he presided over the famous chapter of Paris at which the order made the doctrine of Saint Thomas officially its own. The following year he laid the foundations of the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. One of his last official acts was to provide for a work on the instruction of novices (Benedictines, Dorcy).


Blessed John of Vercelli, C.O.P.

(also known as John Garbella)

Memorial Day: December 1st

Profile

    John Garbella was born early in the 13th century, somewhere near Vercelli. He studied at Paris and was ordained priest before 1229. He taught canon law at the University of Paris. While he was professor there, Jordan of Saxony (who was a friend of Saint Albert the Great) came to Paris, and John saw one after another of his best pupils desert their careers to join the Dominicans. He seems to have considered them quite objectively, without reference to himself, until one day he had an interior voice that spoke to him that it was God's will for him to join the Dominicans. No one can say that John did not respond with alacrity; he dropped everything and ran down the street. ("Let me go; I am on my way to God!") Jordan received him happily and gave him the habit.

    In 1232, John was sent to Vercelli to establish a convent there. He built this and several other convents in Lombardy as houses of regular observance. While provincial of Lombardy, he also became inquisitor. It was a particularly difficult moment. His brother in religion, Peter of Verona, had just been killed by the heretics in Como. The entire countryside was in a state of war, with roving bands of heretics and robbers. It was the task of the new inquisitor to try to bring order out of this chaos, and what John did was remarkable, considering the situation. In spite of his heavy labors, which included the supervision of 600 friars in 28 different cities (he reached them only by walking), John of Vercelli established the ideals of study and regular observance in all of his houses.

    It was the good fortune of John of Vercelli to live in an age that was well peopled by saints. He formed a close friendship with Saint Louis, the king of France. Several of his tasks in the order, particularly the Commission on the Program of Studies, he shared with Saint Albert the Great, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Peter of Tarentaise (the future Pope Innocent V). In such company one would need to have a superior set of talents; John did.

    In 1264 the chapter of the order met at Paris. Blessed Humbert had resigned as master general of the order. John went to the chapter hoping that he could resign as provincial of Lombardy. Instead of escaping one office, he fell heir to a still more difficult one. He was elected master general in 1264 and served in that capacity until 1283. John was then a man in his sixties and was, moreover, handicapped by a crippled leg. However, he accepted the office which would require him to walk, not only all over Lombardy, but all over Europe. It took a brand of courage and obedience that was little short of heroic.

    During the generalate of John of Vercelli, the relics of Saint Dominic were transferred to the new tomb that had been prepared for it by Nicholas of Pisa. When the transfer was made, John of Vercelli fixed his seal on the tomb; the seals were still intact on their examination in 1946. During the translation of the relics, according to the account in the Vitae Fratrum, when the body of Saint Dominic was exposed to view, the head was seen to turn towards John of Vercelli. John, embarrassed, moved to another part of the church and gave his place to a cardinal. Whereupon, the head of Saint Dominic was seen by all to turn again in John's direction.

    On the death of Clement IV, John of Vercelli was very nearly elected pope. Being warned of the possibility, he fled in fright. However, his good friend Cardinal Visconti, was elected and took the name Gregory X. He appointed John as legate on several different missions.

    He was commissioned by the pope to draw up the Schema for the second ecumenical council of Lyons in 1274--that council to which Saint Thomas Aquinas was hurrying when death found him on the road. At the council John distinguished himself for his assistance by offering to the council the talents of his best men. At the council, he accepted for the Dominican Order the special commission of promoting reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus and fighting blasphemy, which was, in that day as in ours, a prevalent vice. He can thus be considered the founder of the Holy Name Society, even though the Confraternity was not formed until 1432.

    Several precious relics were suitably enshrined by John of Vercelli. These included several thorns from the Crown of Our Lord, which had been given him by Saint Louis of France. The cord of Saint Thomas, with which he had been guided by the angels and which he had worn until death, was given into the care of the master general, who gave it to the convent of Vercelli for safe keeping.

    John's career was rapidly reaching its end. In 1279, he presided over the famous chapter of Paris at which the order made the doctrine of Saint Thomas officially its own. The following year he laid the foundations of the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. One of his last official acts was to provide for a work on the instruction of novices (Benedictines, Dorcy).

Born: 1205 at Mosso Santa Maria, Italy as John Garbella

Died: September 1283 at Montpelier, France of natural causes; buried at the Dominican convent at Montpelier; his tomb was desecrated by Calvinists in 1562, and his body disappeared

Beatified: 1903 by Pope Pius X (cultus confirmed), 1909 elevated him to the honors of the altar

Name meaning: God is gracious; gift of God (John)

Patronage: Holy Name Society

Prayers/Commemorations

First Vespers:

Ant. Strengthened by holy intercession, O John , Confessor of the Lord, those here present , that we who are burdened the weight of our offenses. Maybe relieved by the glory of thy blessedness, and may thy guidance attain eternal rewards.

V. Pray for us, Blessed John .

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
 

Lauds:

Ant. Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful in a few things, I will set thee over many, saith the Lord.

V. The just man shall blossom like the lily.

R. And shall flourish forever the Lord.
 

Second Vespers:

Ant. I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.

V. Pray for us, Blessed John

R. That we may be made worthy of the Promises of Christ.
 

Prayer

Let us Pray: O God, who hast willed that Blessed John should shine with wonderful prudence and fortitude: grant through his intervention that Thy family may always and in all places be governed by salutary discipline. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena Prayers

FIRST DAY:  John Garbella was born in Vercelli, a town of northern Italy, in 1205. He was a very bright, studious boy, and because of his great promise, he was sent to the University of Paris where he eventually gained the Doctorate in law. He remained there as a teacher, and later returned to Vercelli to begin a university in his home town. His love of learning and constant study prepared him well for his future as a leader in the Church.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, source of all Truth, You sent your divine Son into the world to share with us the truth that makes us free – free to seek You with quiet minds and joyous hearts. Through the intercession of Blessed John of Vercelli, grant us a deep love of sacred truth, and a growing desire to know You more clearly and love You with greater ardor. We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


SECOND DAY:  When Blessed John was about 25 years old, and busy at his teaching in Vercelli, there came to that town the head of the newly-founded Order of Preachers, or Dominicans, as they were called because of Dominic, their founder. This successor of the great preacher, Dominic, preached so movingly that the young professor, John Garbella, was touched by God’s grace to ask for admittance to the new Order of Preachers. Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the Dominican Master General, gave him the habit of the Friars Preachers, and sent him to the city of Bologna to begin his preparation for the priesthood, and for an outstanding career in the history of the Order and the Church.

Let us pray:  Lord, our God, You have planted deep in the heart of man a thirst for the truth, and a desire to attain union with You in love. As the young John of Vercelli sought the truth, and surrendered himself lovingly to your vocation to a great apostolate, grant that we, too, may seek You with constancy, and serve You with all our hearts. Through the intercession of Blessed John, we ask in particular that You attract the hearts of many young people to your gospel, your love, and a vocation of service in your Church as priests and religious. We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


THIRD DAY:  After 15 years of sacred study and very successful preaching in the university city of Bologna, John was sent back to his home town of Vercelli to establish a Dominican priory there. He was made its superior. The small states of those times were wracked with war between the Germanic emperor and the papal states. John’s remarkable gift of peace-making became evident, and he was sent to Venice to reconcile that city-stae with its former enemies. He succeeded so well at this, that for the rest of his life, the Popes made use of his sanctity, prudence, and diplomacy to establish peace between warring rulers and states.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, You have revealed yourself to us as a God of peace, justice, and unity. Through the grace of your divine Son, the Prince of Peace, bring peace to our divided world, justice for all men, unity to the human family. Through the intercession of Blessed John, help us root out of our own hearts the pride, selfishness, and indifference to others that lie at the root of discord and disunity. Make us truly peacemakers, as befits those who call themselves Christians. We ask this in the most Holy Name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


FOURTH DAY:  God’s grace continued to bear much fruit in the life of Blessed John. His religious superiors sent his as official visitator to the newly established houses in Hungary; he was elected Prior of the large priory in Bologna; he was likewise appointed spiritual guide of the Dominican nuns in that city. At the age of 52, he was elected Provincial of the province of Lombardy, and in that position, had to fight the heresies that had sprung up in northern Italy. In all of his works, he turned to God through prayer and the sacraments as his source of remarkable success in the vineyard of the Lord.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, You gave to each of us a mission – a task in your kingdom. And you likewise prepare for us the graces we need to accomplish our tasks with success, so as to contribute to the extension of your kingdom, and our own sanctification. Let us imitate Blessed John in turning constantly to You, for the strength, the wisdom, and the resources to do your holy will and thus attain our salvation. We ask this in the most Holy Name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


FIFTH DAY:  In the year 1264, at the age of 59, Blessed John was elected Master General of the Dominican Order, the fifth successor of St. Dominic himself. He did not believe himself worthy of the great trust. He wrote to his brethren: "My fears at my inability should be yours as well, wherefore I beg you to give me the help of your prayers so that divine mercy may supply that which I lack in my own strength". As Master General, he combatted the growing spirit of competition between the nations, so as to establish a truly catholic spirit within the spreading Order. He provided a uniform way of celebrating the sacred liturgy for the entire Order, thus ensuring the dignity and beauty of divine worship, and he counselled his priests and brothers constantly to be men of prayer and penance.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, Your divine Son commands us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His holiness". Make us truly men and women of prayer, frequenting the sacraments, loving God and our neighbor, and conforming ourselves to Christ, our savior. Through the intercession of Blessed John, grant that we may always give to you the first priority in our lives, and love You with our whole heart, our whole mind, our whole strength. We ask this in the most Holy Name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns, with You and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.


SIXTH DAY:  Pope Clement IV had such admiration for Blessed John, and depended so heavily upon his wisdom and counsel that the Pope requested that John go to live in Viterbo, where the papal court was then located. Blessed John remained with the Pope until Clement died. A number of cardinals wished to elect Blessed John, but he had no such ambition, and was destined to govern his own Order, until his death. Again, he was called upon to make peace between the feuding states of Venice and Genoa, and between France and Castille. He wrote to his priests and brothers: "Watch the little things. He who grows careless in little things, little by little falls. He who does not push himself to make progress, goes backward."

Let us pray:  Lord, our God, grant us the generosity to seek opportunities for doing good; the prudence to do it wisely and well; and the humility to rely upon God for all that we need, and to trust in Him unquestioningly. In imitation of Blessed John, help us to be true apostles of Jesus, our Lord, and faithful followers of His gospel of peace and humility. We ask this in the most Holy Name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


SEVENTH DAY:  In April, 1273, Pope Gregory X announced an ecumenical council to be convoked in May, 1274, in the city of Lyons in southeastern France. Among the acts of that council, in which Blessed John actively participated, was a decree that greater reverence, should be paid to the Holy Name of Jesus by all Christian people. Pope Gregory entrusted Blessed John with the leadership of this renewed devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus throughout Europe. In his letter to Blessed John, Pope Gregory wrote: "Let them honor with special reverence that Name which is above all names, the only Name given by heaven to men for their salvation, which is the Name of Jesus, who saved His people from their sins".

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, by the message of an Archangel, You instructed both Mary, the Mother of the Savior, and St. Joseph, his foster-father, that his name was to be JESUS, meaning "God is Savior". Grant us a deep reverence for this HOLY NAME of JESUS, and a constant gratitude to our Divine Savior for the graces of redemption, which He has lavished upon us by his life of sufferings, death, and resurrection. We ask this in that Most Holy Name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


EIGHTH DAY:  Upon receipt of Pope Gregory’s commission to spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus throughout Europe, Blessed John immediately wrote to all Dominicans as follows: "Desirous of protecting the honor of God, of obeying this apostolic command, and of promoting in our neighbor an increase in devotion, we beseech you to stir up your zeal to the end that you personally see to it that this request of the Holy Father receives full compliance by having your subjects preach with convincing arguments and with scrupulous diligence the need for reverencing the Holy Name". Confraternities of the Holy Name were founded in every Dominican church; altars were dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. As the movement spread and gathered momentum, it coalesced into the Holy Name Society as we know it today, brought into being by an ecumenical council and nurtured and spread by Blessed John of Vercelli.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, give to all of us a warm, loving reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus, your divine Son, our Lord. Bless and prosper the work of the Holy Name Society throughout the world. As it has existed and functioned for seven centuries, grant that its purpose of spreading reverence and respect for the Name of Jesus may continue and grow to your glory and the good of souls. We ask this in that most Holy Name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns, with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


NINTH DAY:  In the year 1276, Blessed John had the great happiness of seeing one his own brethren, Peter of Tarentaise, elected as the first Dominican Pope. Two years later, when John was 73 years old, Pope Nicholas III appointed him to be Archbishop of the city of Jerusalem. Besides his basic modesty which shied away from the honor of the episcopacy, his prudence dictated that a man of his years and declining health was not up to the job of governing a diocese wracked by war between Christian crusaders and Moslems. He begged to be released from that appointment, and to be allowed to retire as Master General of his Order. The Pope acceded to his first request, but left to the Dominican brothers the decision as to his retirement. They would not hear of it, and he thus served his brethren as their General until his death in 1283, at the age of 78. His Dominican brothers, and all who know him, realized that a saint had gone to his eternal reward. In 1903, Pope St. Pius X officially inscribed the name of John of Vercelli among the Blesseds of the Church; we await the day when he will be accorded the full recognition of canonization.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise for the life, the accomplishments, and the virtues of Blessed John. Through his intercession, we commend to your love and your protection the Order of Preachers to which he devoted his life, the Holy Name Society, which he founded, and the devotion to the most Holy Name of Jesus, which he promoted with such great zeal. We pray in that most Holy Name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Readings

Watch the little things. He who grows careless in little things, little by little falls. He who does not push himself to make progress, goes backward. 


-Blessed John, writing to his priests



Desirous of protecting the honor of God, of obeying this apostolic command, and of promoting in our neighbor an increase in devotion, we beseech you to stir up your zeal to the end that you personally see to it that this request of the Holy Father receives full compliance by having your subjects preach with convincing arguments and with scrupulous diligence the need for reverencing the Holy Name. 


-Blessed John, writing on the creation of the Holy Name Society


SOURCE : http://www.willingshepherds.org/Dominican%20Saints%20November.html#John Garbella

BLESSED JOHN OF VERCELLI

JOHN OF VERCELLI
PREACHER OF PEACE

An Historical Sketch of
The Founder of the Holy Name Society
by
REGINALD M. COFFEY, O.P.
The National Association of the Holy Name Society

First printed Feast of the Purification, 1949It was in the year of Our Lord 1232 and the Italian university town of Vercelli was buzzing with excitement. The reason for the excitement was not, as one might think, the arrival of a group of jugglers or strolling players; nor was it a startling bit of scandal concerning the private lives of the higher-ups. It was a reason that was peculiar to the middle ages, the ages of Faith - when a saint could draw a bigger crowd than any spectacle and when holiness of life was a question of paramount concern even to notorious sinners: a famous preacher had arrived in the small university city and was setting the town by its ears. Jordan of Saxony, the second Master General of the young but up-and-coming Order of Preachers, was preaching daily in Vercelli and with great effect.

LEARNED ATTRACTED

The citizens of Vercelli had heard of Brother Jordan and the stir that he had caused throughout all Italy, particularly in university towns such as Bologna. A former university man himself, he directed his message in a particular way to this most influential sector of medieval life, and his success had been stupendous. He had succeeded in filling the ranks of the preaching friars with famous professors and brilliant students. It was said in university circles that where Jordan passed scholarship suffered a hard blow because he took the best of the scholars with him.

However, at Vercelli there were several militant professors who were determined that their university would not suffer such a fate, and among these capable and fluent men were two outstanding leaders-Walter of Germany, a professor of physical science, and John Garbella, a renowned professor of both canon and civil law. These two men led the attack (or should we say defense) against Jordan. Daily they harangued their students, warning them not even to go to hear Jordan preach because, as Waiter put it, "Like a courtesan he tries to seduce people by his winning address." But in spite of all the eloquent efforts of Walter and John and the other professors many students and professors, too, were attracted by the voice of the angelic siren-and many of them never returned.

THE LEADER SUCCUMBS

Then a dreadful thing happened. Walter of Germany himself; impelled by his overwhelming curiosity, went to hear Jordan. Unlike Ulysses, who had permitted himself within range of the siren's voice only after having been bound to the mast, Walter took no such precautions. He depended upon his strong will alone to protect him from the blandishments of the great preacher. Waiter became a member 'of the Order of Preachers.

Walter's defection had a great effect upon the other leader of the professors, John Garbella. Upon hearing of it, relates the author of the Vitae Fratrum, ".... at once forgetting self and the open books before him, which he did not even wait to close, and his household goods, set off alone to the convent, like one crazed. Meeting a friend in the street who desired to know where he was bound in such haste and without his servant, he replied without stopping, `l am going to God.’ Upon reaching the place where the brethren were staying ... and finding Master Jordan among the brethren, he threw off his silken gown, fell to his knees and cried out, 'I belong to God.' Without further inquiry or delay Master Jordan answered, 'Since you belong to God we then in His Name deliver you over to His service. And raising him from the ground he gave him the habit." Thus it was that John Garbella, who was to become known to history as the founder of the Holy Name Society under the title of Blessed John of Vercelli, was received into the Order of Preachers in the most holy Name of God. He was about thirty.

JOHN A DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR

John was born, according to the reckoning of the distinguished Dominican historian, Pere Mortier, in the closing years of the twelfth or the opening years of the thirteenth century at Mosso Santa Maria, a little village near the town of Vercelli. After preparing himself by study at a monastery near his home, he went to the University of Paris, then the greatest seat of learning in the Christian world, at the age of sixteen or seventeen. He received his doctorate in both laws when he was about twenty-one.

Even at that early age he enjoyed enough of a reputation as a scholar to open a school of his own at the University, and it seems that he was successful, for he remained in Paris until 1229. The reason for his departure was not lack of success but the force of circumstances. For in 1229 there broke out one of those feuds between town and gown that made the occupation of a student in those days one that was far from boring. However, the riot of 1229 was different. In this case the throne sided with the city authorities against the University. The University authorities were outraged and every professor but one quit Paris. John returned to his native heath and opened a school at the progressive university there. He was happily engaged in his scholarly pursuits, basking in the limelight that his ability as a professor cast about him, and enjoying to the full the good things of this world when his false peace was so rudely shattered by Jordan of Saxony.

MADE A SUPERIOR

For a time, after entering the Order, Brother John disappears into the obscurity of novitiate life. He is not heard of again until 1245, when he became prior of the Dominican convent at Vercelli. But from that point on he stamps his impression upon the pages of history with increasing clarity. His great learning in the law coupled with his ability as a preacher soon drew to him the attention of the Holy See, and in 1251 Innocent IV appointed him legate apostolic to Lombardy and inquisitor. He was sent to Venice, and there he succeeded in making peace between the warring city-states of Lombardy and establishing religious concord.

In 1255, at the general chapter of the Dominican Order at Milan, Humbert de Romanis, the Master General of the Order, appointed him Vicar for Hungary. This was one of the most difficult and dangerous positions in the Order. Hungary, then as now, was under the heel of a conqueror. The tartar hordes from the Steppes of Russia were overrunning the country, They were a barbarous, pagan host and martyrdom among the Christians of Hungary was an everyday occurrence. Whole convents of Hungarian Dominicans had been wiped out and their inmates killed, often by torture. How history does repeat itself! Brother John took the difficult assignment without a word of objection. A detailed account of his adventures in Hungary would, no doubt, make lively reading. But the only chronicler who mentions it is Sebastian D'Olmedo, whose only comment upon the mission is contained in one sentence: "Brother John, appointed Vicar for Hungary by the Master General, proved himself worthy of the post in the accomplishment of his mission.

ENERGETIC SUPERVISOR

That he won the esteem of his brethren, who probably heard what heroic acts the "accomplishment of his mission" entailed, is evidenced by the fact that immediately upon his return he was elected prior at Bologna, one of the most important convents of the Order. He held this post only a short time, for at the provincial chapter of 1257 he was elected Provincial of Lombardy. The old writers tell us that during his term of office as Provincial, John had no fixed abode. He spent his time continually upon the road, traveling from house to house and preaching as he went. This constant visiting of the houses of his province was no easy task, for John always traveled on foot in spite of a crippled leg which forced him to limp, and he kept, even on his journeys, the fasts and other observances of the Order. As a result of his constant visitations the houses of Lombardy were kept on the qui vive.

In the spring of the year 1259 he was in attendance at the general chapter of the Order of Valenciennes, a chapter notable not only in Dominican history but in the history of the Church, for it was there that plans were made for the reorganization of the Dominican courses of studies, a curriculum which has served as a model for Catholic seminaries to this day. The task of drawing up a suitable course of studies was entrusted to the hands of three of the greatest scholars in the history of the Church: Thomas Aquinas, Albert the Great, and Peter of Tarentasia (who later became Innocent V). At the next General Chapter, held in Paris in 1264, John, who had been retained in his position as Provincial of Lombardy, was elected Master General of the Order. He was a bit elderly for such a strenuous position because at that time he was over sixty years of age, and the position, particularly in John's time when all visiting of convents throughout the whole world was done on foot, called for a man who was in the prime of life.

LABORS EXTENSIVE

Nevertheless, John threw himself into the work of his new office with enthusiasm by merely acting on a world-wide scale as he had acted when Provincial of Lombardy. He was constantly on the toad. The Dominicans of the world found themselves in the same predicament that the Lombards had been in when he was provincial. No Englishman, Frenchman or German could ever be sure that the next traveler who knocked upon the door of the convent would not be the Master General. Not that John was at all frightening of aspect. On the contrary, he was a pleasant-looking little man, whose small size and limp made him appear pathetic rather than terrifying. Still, it was known throughout the Order that he could be very severe when he came across gross negligence.

THE HOLY NAME SOCIETY

Brother John held the office of General until his death in 1283. In that time he traveled much and did great things for the Church and the Order. However, in a short sketch such as this it is not possible to give the life of a great man in detail. Let it suffice, then, to concentrate upon the greatest act of his generalship and his life (a fact, incidentally, often ignored by his biographers), the foundation of the Holy Name Society. It is not the intention of this writer to go into a detailed history of the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus nor does he intend to throw down the gauntlet to any student of Franciscan history who may be champing at the bit only too ready to dash off into battle to defend the claim laid by the Order of Friars Minor to the origin of the devotion to the Most Holy Name. We merely state here that the first Holy Name Society bounded with Papal approbation was founded by Blessed John of Vercelli at the command of Gregory X. It might he better to call the Pope’s brief upon the subject a suggestion rather than a command - but it was a suggestion upon which Blessed John acted with vigor and celerity. It was, let it be repeated, the greatest act in a great life.

First, let us briefly glance at the great Pope, Gregory X, whose inspiration it was to foster the preaching of reverence to the Holy Name and entrust its promulgation to another great and holy man John of Vercelli. Gregory is known to history as "the Peacemaker" because it was due to his efforts, strenuous and unrelenting, that peace was maintained throughout the Christian world during his reign. Gregory succeeded in his time in establishing peace between warring factions in Germany and Italy and in ending the strife between parties within the German Empire. He also succeeded in re-uniting the Greek Church with Rome, "He desired furthermore," writes Father Theodore English, a competent historian, "to promote peace among individuals as well as nations. To this end he sought to crush the widespread evils of profanity, obscenity, blasphemy and perjury. At his insistence, the closing session of the Council at Lyons on July 17, 1274, unanimously passed a decree ordering that increased reverence for, and devotion to, the name of the Deity be shown by all Christian peoples."

DOMINICANS COMMISSIONED

On September 20, 1274, the Pope issued his history-making brief, Nuper in Concilio to the Master General of the Order. After the usual beginning and a few general remarks the Pope wrote: "Recently during the Council held at Lyons, we judged it proper to urge the faithful to demonstrate mote reverence for that Name above all names, the only Name in which we claim salvation, the Name of Jesus Christ Who has redeemed us from the bondage of sin. . . . Wherefore, with a view of obeying that apostolic precept, 'In the Name of Jesus let every knee be bent,' We wish that at the pronouncing of that Name, every one should bow his head as a sign that interiorly he bends the knee of his heart. Therefore, We by Our Apostolic authority enjoin upon you and the members of your Order to use solid reason when preaching to the people, that thus they may be led to comply with Our desires,"

Blessed John of Vercelli lost no time in putting the Pope's instructions into action. He sent copies of the Pope's letter with one of his own appended to every Provincial of the Order throughout the world. The General wrote: "Desirous of increasing the honor of God, and anxious to obey the apostolic precept laid upon Us, and to incite the faithful to increased devotion, We command that as we personally are fulfilling the will of the Pontiff, you also shall see to it that the preachers subject to your authority carry out the orders of the Pope with utmost diligence, and by methods best calculated to bring conviction." And John, as we have seen in the sketch, was not one to let an order lapse through inactivity. That he followed up this letter by personal supervision is indicated by the fact that in the two general chapters left during his lifetime the Pope's edict was reiterated.

LASTING DEVOTION

The Dominicans throughout the world, under John's leadership and constant encouragement, threw themselves into the preaching of the devotion to the Holy Name with all the eloquence and ability for which they were famous, a fame that had decided the Pope to entrust this important work to them. Within a short time an altar dedicated to the Most Holy Name was erected in every Dominican Church, and it was at this altar that every procession began and ended. With their experience in organization behind them - an experience gathered in forming a group of lay apostles called the Militia of Jesus Christ, and later in forming the Third Order of St. Dominic, both societies composed of laymen to combat heresy and to raise the standards and increase the faith of the people - the Dominicans realized that a devotion could be made permanent and effective if it were entrusted to an organized group. Thus, the origin of the Holy Name Society.

The founding of the Holy Name Society, although the greatest act of John's life and generalship, was not the last. The old man (he was about seventy-five when the Society was founded) had nine more years of life left to him. And, since for these nine years he retained his post as General, he was able to see that the project so near to his heart, the establishment of the Holy Name Society, was indeed made a vigorous reality.

The nine last years of Blessed John's life were lived as strenuously as the seventy-odd preceding them. During these years he saw one of his subjects elevated to the Papal throne under the title of Innocent V. John himself refused the patriarchate of Jerusalem offered him by Nicholas III. He was entrusted by the Holy See with peace-making missions to the ever restless Italian states, and, as previously, he succeeded in bringing an end to discord. He was constantly on the road, in spite of his age, visiting Dominican convents throughout the world. In 1278 there reached the ears of the ever vigilant General a report that certain English Dominicans were publicly repudiating the writings of the Order's greatest teacher and John's friend, Thomas Aquinas, now dead. John sent a visitator to England with instructions to bring the rebels into line, by harsh measures if necessary. In 1280 John himself went to Oxford for the general chapter of the Order. Upon that occasion he had the opportunity to see how his instructions had been carried out. He was satisfied with what he discovered. The English had returned to ways of sound doctrine.

ANOTHER JOURNEY

Returning from England, the General decided to visit the Dominicans in northern continental Europe, so he set off through Flanders for Germany. It is said that he returned from the trip with enfeebled health because he had been subjected to the rigors of a northern winter. In 1282 the little Italian once more set off for the cruel north on foot to attend the general chapter at Vienna, visiting Dominican convents on the way. From Vienna, to commemorate the approaching canonization of St. Thomas Aquinas, he addressed an encyclical letter to the brethren, "a sweetly serene letter" in which he exhorted them to be mindful of the greatness of their ancestors, the Dominics, the Thomases, the Jordans, the Humberts, and to let such glorious example inspire them to greater efforts to perfect their own lives. It is the last letter we have from his pen. Upon leaving Austria, John traveled through France. It must have been a touching sight to see the little old man limping along the roads of Europe headed for far-distant Italy. But this time he didn't make it. Having stopped at Montpelier, France, to preside at a chapter being held there, he was unable to continue his journey. He made a valiant effort to do so but fell sick after he was on the road for two days. He was carried back to a Cistercian Monastery, where he died in September 1283. He was buried in the Dominican convent at Montpelier.

The tomb of Blessed John was desecrated by the Calvinists in 1562, but so vivid was his memory in the diocese of Vercelli and in the Order of Preachers, that Pope Plus X in spite of the fact that his body could not be found for examination (a deterrent to canonization) raised him to the altars of the Church in 1903, an unusual honor to be accorded after the lapse of six centuries.

SOURCE : http://www.stpaulshns.org/vercelli.htm

Society of the Holy Name

(Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of God and Jesus).

An indulgenced confraternity in the Catholic Church. The primary object of the society is to beget due love and reverence for the Holy Name of God and Jesus Christ. The secondary object is to suppress blasphemy, perjury, oaths of any character that are forbidden, profanity, unlawful swearing improper language, and, as far as the members can, to prevent those vices in others (Pius IV, 13 April 1564). It had its origin in the Council of Lyons, 1274, which prescribed that the faithful should have a special devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, that reparation might be made for insults offered to it by Albigenses and other blasphemers. The Friars Preachers were preaching everywhere with the zeal of St. Dominic; it was natural, then, that Gregory X selected the Dominicans to preach the devotion, which he did by a letter to Blessed John of Vercelli, master general of the order, 20 September 1274 (Constit. "Nuper in"). The master general immediately wrote to all the provincials of the order, expressing the pope's wish, and enjoining upon all the duty of labouring for its fulfilment (Litterae Encyclicae Mag. Gen Ord. Praed., Reichert, 1900). The brethren gave their best energies in executing the command, preaching everywhere the power and glory of the Holy Name of Jesus; and to give permanency to the devotion excited in the hearts of the people, it was ordained that in every Dominican church an altar of the Holy Name should be erected, and that societies or confraternities under the title and invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus should be established. St. Peter, Martyr (d. 1252); John of Vercelli, a contemporary of St. Dominic; Blessed Ambrose of Siena (d. 1286) are said to have been great propagators of the devotion. In the fourteenth century Blessed Henry Suso (d. 1365) is the most notable apostle of devotion to the Holy Name.

The history of the society in the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries is somewhat obscure, but that it continued to exist is certain from papal Bulls addressed to the Order of St. Dominic. Boniface IX in his Constitution "Hodie" 31 October, 1401, granted indulgences to those visiting the altar of the confraternity in the Dominican monastery at Schusen, Diocese of Werden, Saxony. In 1432 at Lisbon the devotion preached by a retired Dominican bishop, Andrea Diaz, was a means of stopping the ravages of a plague that was then afflicting that city. In gratitude for their deliverance, the people of all classes in Lisbon held, on 1 Jan., 1433, what was probably the first procession in honour of the Holy Name of Jesus. At this period St. Bernardine of Siena, an Italian Franciscan gained great renown as a promoter of the devotion in Italy. In the sixteenth century Emperor Charles V and King Philip II, moved by the prevalence of blasphemy and sacrilege, exhorted and encouraged the Dominicans to spread the devotion and to establish the society throughout their dominions. Among the preachers engaged in this apostolate, the most celebrated was the Spanish Dominican, Didacus of Victoria (d. 1450), who may be properly called the great preacher of the devotion of the Holy Name of God. He founded a confraternity known as the Society of the Holy Name of God, of which the special object was to suppress the horrible profanation of the Divine Name by blasphemers, perjurers, and by men in their ordinary conversation, and to this end he drew up a rule and constitution for its government.

His confraternity was approved by Pope Pius IV 13 April, 1564, who richly endowed it with indulgences, commanded all ecclesiastical authorities to favour it with all their power, and, in a special letter, recommended it to the laity (Bullarium Ord. Praed., tom. I, v). Later, this confraternity was merged into the Society of the Holy Name of Jesus. Thereafter the society was called by both titles. It also bore the title of "Confraternity against Oaths". Following the example of Pius IV, the popes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, notably Innocent XI, made the society an object of special solicitude, encouraging its promotion, granting indulgences, and regulating its organization. St. Pius V, in the Motu Proprio "Decet Romanum", 21 June, 1571, absolutely restricted the canonical erection of the society to the Dominican order. Letters patent from the master general of the Dominicans are required for the canonical establishment of the society (for the United States these letters are issued through the bureau of the Holy Name Society, New York). In missionary countries special provision is made for the establishment of the society.

The acts of the general chapters of the order held since 1571 contain numerous regulations and admonitions insisting upon zeal in propagating the confraternity. Great encouragement to the development of the society was given at the close of the nineteenth century by Pope Leo XIII, who decreed through the Congregation of Indulgences, 20 May, 1896, that the bishops may dispense from the Clementine decree "Quaecumque", requiring that there should be only one confraternity in a town or city. Before this the society had existed in many churches of various cities of the United States, by virtue of the dispensations obtained from Rome. Since then branches of the society have multiplied very rapidly and in several dioceses; following the example set in the Archdiocese of New York, 21 May, 1882, they have been formed into diocesan unions under a director general appointed by the ordinary. Being thus united, the men of the society in the United States (they number about 500,000) are able to accomplish great good by public yearly processions of many thousands professing reverence for the Name of Jesus Christ, and abhorrence of blasphemy, profanity, and immorality. They are required to receive Holy Communion in a body at least once every three months; in most places the rule prescribes Communion on the second Sunday of every month, when they may gain plenary and partial indulgences granted by Gregory XIII. A complete list of indulgences, all of which may be applied to the souls in purgatory, is contained in the "Pocket Manual of the Holy Name Society" (new edition, New York, 1909), by the Dominican, Father McKenna, who for many years has been recognized as the apostle of the Holy Name in the United States. In 1907 the monthly publication of "The Holy Name Journal" (New York) was begun by the Dominican Fathers.

Thuente, Clement. "Society of the Holy Name." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 3 Dec. 2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07420b.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Paul Koenen. Dedicated to Kathleen, Brigid, Deirdre, Liam, Patrick, and the Holy Name Society of St. Paul's Parish in Hingham, Mass.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.



Beato Giovanni Garbella da Vercelli Sacerdote domenicano


Mosso Santa Maria, Vercelli, 1205 circa - Montpellier, Francia, 30 novembre 1283

Nato nei primi anni del sec. XIII a Mosso Santa Maria (Vc), conseguita brillantemente la laurea in diritto romano e canonico a Parigi, insegnò a Parigi e poi a Vercelli. Qui nel 1229 entrò nell'Ordine dei Predicatori su consiglio del Beato Giordano di Sassonia e fondò un convento di cui fu anche priore. Ricoprì diversi incarichi e dal 1264 fu Maestro dell'Ordine. In questa qualità provvide alla decorosa sistemazione della tomba di San Domenico. Fu operatore di pace tra le città italiane, legato papale in Francia e in Castiglia e consigliere di papa Clemente IV. Religioso austero e paterno, attese al consolidamento dell'Ordine. Fu legato da profonda amicizia con San Tommaso d’Acquino, di cui venerò la memoria e seguì la dottrina. Fu sempre sereno nelle difficoltà della vita, convinto che Dio è onnipotente ed è nostro amico. Morì a Montpellier il 30 novembre 1283.

Martirologio Romano: A Montpellier in Provenza in Francia, beato Giovanni da Vercelli Garbella, sacerdote, che, Maestro Generale dell’Ordine dei Predicatori, raccomandò intensamente nella predicazione la devozione al Nome di Gesù.

Giovanni Garbella nacque a Mosso Santa Maria, nei pressi di Vercelli in Piemonte, nel 1205 circa. Conseguì brillantemente la laurea in diritto romano e canonico a Parigi, ove insegnò, prima di far ritorno a Vercelli, sempre come insegnante. Entrò nell’Ordine dei Frati Predicatori nel 1229, assumendo il nome di Giovanni da Vercelli, conquistato dalla persuasiva eloquenza del Beato Giordano di Sassonia, successore di San Domenico. Ricevette la sua formazione religiosa nel convento di Bologna, ove sulla tomba del glorioso patriarca attinse un indomabile zelo ed una robusta santità, che fecero di lui una delle più belle e caratteristiche figure di domenicano. La prudenza e la fermezza, l’energia e la più amabile moderazione, l’amore ardentissimo di Dio e delle anime, fecero sì che riuscisse ad adattarsi mirabilmente alle più delicate e difficili mansioni, dentro e fuori dell’Ordine.

Fondò un convento in Vercelli, del quale fu priore. Papa Innocenzo IV ed i suoi successori nutrirono in lui illimitata fiducia e sin nella più tarda età gli affidarono importantissimi e spinosi incarichi. Fu Ambasciatore a Venezia, Genova, Pisa, Firenze, Bologna. In quest’ultima città fu anche priore del convento domenicano. Legato Pontificio alle corti di Francia e Castiglia, fu consigliere di Papa Clemente IV. Intraprese una grande opera di pacificazione tra le repubbliche italiane ed i sovrani europei e fu uno dei più attivi organizzatori della Crociata. Non gli mancò molto per essere chiamato ad ascendere al soglio pontificio, tanta era la stima di cui godeva universalmente.

Nel 1264 Giovanni fu eletto sesto maestro generale dell’Ordine dei Predicatori, ufficio in cui si distinse per diciannove anni, mantenendolo nel suo splendore e consolidando l’opera dei suoi predecessori. In questa veste provvide alla decorosa sistemazione della tomba di San Domenico. Visitò continuamente le più lontane Provincie ed i suoi interminabili viaggi a piedi sono infatti rimasti leggendari. Giovanni era abbastanza piccolo di statura, infatti nella sua prima lettera ai confratelli si descrisse come un “povero ometto”, ma pieno di energia, instancabile nelle sue visite e nelle riforme dei monasteri domenicani d’Europa. Durante i suoi viaggi rispettò comenque sempre tutti i digiuni prescritti dalla Chiesa e dal suo ordine. Monumento imperituro della sua sapienza sono le 21 Lettere encicliche conservate negli Atti dei Capitoli Generali.

Quando fu eletto papa nel 1271, il Beato Gregorio X incaricò Giovanni ed i suoi frati di farsi portatori di pace fra gli stati italiani in conflitto fra loro. Tre anni dopo gli fu commissionato uno schema per il secondo concilio di Lione, in cui conobbe Giovanni d’Ascoli, successore di San Bonaventura quale ministro generale dei francescani e poi papa con il nome di Nicola IV. Insieme scrissero una lettera indirizzata all’intero ordine dei frati. Successivamente la Santa Sede li inviò entrambi quali mediatori tra i sovrani Filippo III di Francia ed Alfonso X di Castiglia, occasione che permise a Giovanni di rivelarsi valido negoziatore e fautore di pace.

Da alcuni anni era ormai cessata l’Inquisizione seguita alla campagna di Simone di Montfort contro i catari. Papa Gregorio X scelse allora nuovamente Giovanni da Vercelli per curare la divulgazione del culto del nome di Gesù, soluzione che il concilio di Lione aveva individuato onde riparare all’eresia degli albigesi. In tal senso Giovanni indirizzò tutti i priori provinciali e si decise di erigere un altare dedicato al Santo Nome di Gesù in ogni chiesa domenicana e di attivarsi contro la blasfemia e la profanità. Nel 1278 inviò un ispettore in Inghilterra, ove alcuni frati stavano attaccando gli insegnamenti di San Tommaso d’Aquino, che era stato suo amico, e due anni dopo si recò personalmente ad Oxford per tenere un capito generale e difenderne la dottrina.

Più volte Giovanni rifiutò l’episcopato ed una curia a Roma, ma avrebbe desiderato rinunciare anche al generalato del suo ordine. Fu però indotto a mantenere tale incarico sino alla morte. Spirò il 30 novembre 1283 nel convento di Montpellier, in Francia. Le sue reliquie, deposte nella locale chiesa dei domenicani, furono disperse dagli eretici nel XVI secolo. Il Sommo Pontefice San Pio X il 7 settembre 1903 confermò il culto tributato “ab immemorabili” al Beato Giovanni da Vercelli. Ancora oggi è commemorato dal Martyrologium Romanum nell’anniversario della morte, mentre l’Ordine dei Predicatori lo festeggia al 1° dicembre.

Autore:
Fabio Arduino

GIOVANNI da Vercelli

Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 56 (2001)

di Luigi Canetti

GIOVANNI da Vercelli. - Nacque nei primi anni del sec. XIII, forse nel villaggio di Mosso Santa Maria, nella diocesi di Vercelli, o in questa stessa città. Priva di attestazioni di sorta è la tradizione che lo voleva membro della casata dei Garbella, che solo molto più tardi l'avrebbe annoverato fra i propri illustri antenati, mentre è più probabile che appartenesse a una famiglia di ricchi allevatori di bestiame radicata nelle campagne del Biellese. È in ogni caso impossibile precisare i particolari della sua biografia anteriormente al 1228, quando, dopo un soggiorno di studio a Parigi (dove si addottorò in diritto canonico e forse vi professò per qualche tempo la disciplina), fece ritorno a Vercelli per svolgervi l'attività docente, nei mesi in cui Giordano di Sassonia, allora maestro generale dei frati predicatori, si adoperava per fondarvi uno Studium. È in tali circostanze che G. dovette fare il suo ingresso nell'Ordine domenicano, se egli, com'è stato suggerito, va annoverato tra quei "probos et litteratos optime viros" ovvero tra quei "magistri" e "baccalarii probissimi" ai quali si riferiva lo stesso Giordano in due lettere databili all'estate del 1229; e ancora, se deve identificarsi con quel maestro di diritto di cui narrano le Vitae fratrum, il quale, edificato dall'esempio dei suoi stessi allievi, abbandonati inopinatamente la casa e i libri, chiese di entrare, "quasi amens factus", nella locale comunità dei predicatori. Non ci è noto però dove G. abbia svolto di fatto il suo noviziato né dove abbia compiuto gli studi teologici, benché la successiva tradizione encomiastica, per ovvie ragioni, si sia sempre compiaciuta di collocare questi ultimi presso lo Studium bolognese; né ci è dato precisare se egli sia stato effettivamente presente alla fondazione (1234) del primo convento di Vercelli, presso la chiesa di S. Paolo, dove comunque dovette dimorare per qualche anno, non sappiamo con quali mansioni. Vent'anni più tardi i frati si sarebbero installati nella nuova sede intrameniale, ma nel 1255, quando venne ceduto il vecchio convento a Emilia Bicchieri, futura beata, il nome di G. non figurava fra i testimoni e i firmatari dell'atto di vendita.

Lo ritroviamo infatti, con il frate Vincenzo da Milano, destinatario di una lettera di Innocenzo IV, datata 11 giugno 1251, con la quale il papa - che aveva già incaricato il provinciale domenicano di Lombardia, Filippo Carisio, di mettergli a disposizione dei religiosi intrepidi e fidati per svolgere l'ufficio di difesa della fede - ordinava a G. di percorrere le contrade settentrionali e di recarsi a Venezia in qualità di commissario apostolico e inquisitore.

Al capitolo generale di Buda (16 maggio 1254) Umberto di Romans, neoeletto maestro generale dell'Ordine, inviò G. come suo vicario e visitatore presso i conventi della nuova provincia d'Ungheria. In seguito, tra la fine del 1255 e i primi mesi del 1256, G. fu nominato priore del prestigioso convento di Bologna, ufficio che doveva reggere fino al 1257, quando, al capitolo provinciale di Novara, venne eletto priore della provincia di Lombardia, che a quel tempo comprendeva tutta l'Italia settentrionale e cui facevano capo ormai una trentina di conventi e circa seicento frati. Nei sette anni in cui mantenne quell'incarico favorì, tra l'altro, l'attività intellettuale dell'Ordine, come attesta per esempio l'istituzione (1262) presso il convento milanese di S. Eustorgio di regolari corsi di logica, dopo che al capitolo generale di Valenciennes (giugno 1259) i grandi dottori dell'Ordine (tra i quali Alberto Magno e Tommaso d'Aquino) avevano ridisegnato la ratio studiorum dei frati. Si adoperò altresì, pur tra gravi imbarazzi e non lievi difficoltà, a organizzare l'attività inquisitoriale, assolvendo con qualche esitazione al dovere d'ufficio di nomina dei giudici della fede, il controllo dell'operato dei quali gli venne però sottratto da Alessandro IV, che formalmente lo avocò al Papato (dicembre 1260). In quegli anni G. promosse anche la fondazione dei conventi di Torino, Chieri e Tortona; inoltre, negli ultimi mesi del mandato (febbraio 1264), Urbano IV gli affidò la titolarità dell'inchiesta a carico del vescovo piacentino Filippo Fulgosio, sospetto di ghibellinismo. Quello stesso papa, dal maggio 1262, lo aveva istituito commissario per la predicazione di una nuova crociata a fianco dei provinciali di Spagna, Francia e Dacia: tale compito G. preferì delegare in gran parte, anche per ragioni di convenienza strategica, al priore del convento di Venezia, dove i sussidi raccolti dai predicatori di Lombardia potevano meglio essere convogliati e utilizzati a quello scopo. Rimane tuttavia un mero dato di tradizione, non suffragato da valide prove documentarie, che in quelle circostanze G. sia entrato in rapporti con il re di Francia Luigi IX, che l'avrebbe ricompensato per i servigi resi alla causa crociata offrendogli in dono preziosi libri e reliquie della Passione.

Il 7 giugno 1264 il capitolo generale di Parigi, riunitosi presso il convento di St-Jacques, venne chiamato al difficile compito di dare un successore al grande Umberto di Romans, dimessosi l'anno precedente dall'ufficio di maestro generale. Per le sue doti di fermezza, equilibrio, saggezza e capacità di governo venne chiamato a succedergli G., che avrebbe poi retto in modo egregio l'Ordine per i successivi vent'anni percorrendo indefessamente, e quasi sempre a piedi, fiancheggiato dal socius itineris Bartolomeo da Faenza, tutte le strade d'Europa (salvo le province più eccentriche di Spagna, Dacia, Polonia e Grecia) per visitare i conventi e presiedere gli annuali capitoli generali, oltre che per svariate missioni diplomatiche.

Tutti i suoi sforzi di governo si orientarono in primo luogo a una fedele conservazione e, tutt'al più, al perfezionamento del grande deposito normativo e spirituale ricevuto dalle prime generazioni domenicane, esigendo, con minuziosa vigilanza, pressanti ammonizioni e severità disciplinare, il rispetto della primitiva e rigorosa osservanza della regola, e adoperandosi per il mantenimento di rapporti pacifici e cordiali con il clero secolare e con i francescani, pur fermo nella difesa delle prerogative pastorali garantite ai suoi frati dalla Sede apostolica (esemplare, da questo punto di vista, il rapporto privilegiato di G. con i pontefici Clemente IV, Gregorio X, Niccolò III e Martino IV). Se gli riuscì in buona parte il progetto amministrativo di articolazione delle province in vicariati, dovevano invece registrare un sostanziale fallimento, causa le tenaci resistenze locali, i ripetuti tentativi di istituire nuove province suddividendo le antiche. Oltre alle encicliche parenetiche da lui inviate annualmente, secondo l'uso tradizionale, al capitolo generale dell'Ordine, e a qualche breve sermone ancora inedito, sono state scoperte di recente alcune sue lettere di approvazione, conferma e istituzione di confraternite devozionali poste sotto l'egida dei frati predicatori (Friburgo, Rieti, Lucca, Orvieto).

Negli anni 1265-66 G. visitò i conventi di Francia e di Germania, presiedendo i capitoli generali di Montpellier e di Treviri; si registrano, per questo periodo, almeno una dozzina fra lettere di conferma e privilegi indirizzati da Clemente IV al maestro generale e all'Ordine nel suo complesso. Il 5 giugno 1267, durante il capitolo generale di Bologna, dopo più di due anni di preparativi, G. presiedette la solenne traslazione delle spoglie di s. Domenico nella nuova arca marmorea commissionata a Nicola Pisano, dove tuttora si conservano: tale circostanza valse alla basilica conventuale la concessione di una formale indulgenza da parte di Clemente IV. Di lì a poco, dopo aver sollecitato G. a promuovere nuove missioni dei frati presso i popoli pagani dell'Estremo Oriente (8 febbr. 1267) e altresì a impegnarsi per l'agognata unione con la Chiesa greca (9 giugno 1267), persistendo nel predicare e pubblicare le indulgenze per la crociata, lo stesso papa approvava ufficialmente (7 luglio 1267) la riforma liturgica domenicana promossa da Umberto di Romans. A Viterbo, presso la Curia, dove si era tenuto il capitolo generale di Pentecoste, il 29 nov. 1268 G. assisteva alla morte di Clemente IV e poteva seguire da presso i primi sviluppi dell'annoso conclave che il 1° sett. 1271 portò all'elezione di Gregorio X. Negli anni 1269-70 presiedette i capitoli generali di Bologna e di Montpellier e poté così visitare numerosi conventi di Francia e dell'Italia settentrionale.

Nella primavera del 1271 G. sottopose ai tre più celebri maestri domenicani, Alberto Magno, Robert Kilwardby e Tommaso d'Aquino (della cui dottrina sarebbe stato uno strenuo promotore difendendola in più occasioni contro i detrattori esterni e anche interni all'Ordine), una serie di quaestiones di carattere scientifico-filosofico ed esigendone un'esaustiva risposta scritta. Tali questioni erano a suo tempo sorte in seguito alla comparsa di una grande cometa (1264) e vertevano in primo luogo su un tema allora assai dibattuto, il rapporto problematico tra influssi astrali e libero arbitrio.

Ai primi del 1272 il nuovo pontefice Gregorio X nominò G. legato per la pacificazione, anche in vista di un nuovo concilio, delle città di Lombardia e di Toscana; mentre il suo operato si rivelò inefficace nei confronti dei Fiorentini, ottenne invece risultati positivi, benché di breve durata, nelle trattative tra Venezia e Genova e tra Venezia e Bologna.

Dopo un lungo viaggio che lo portò per la seconda volta a visitare la provincia di Ungheria (dove nella primavera del 1273 presiedette al capitolo generale di Buda), partecipò attivamente, a fianco dei membri più illustri del suo Ordine, al secondo concilio ecumenico di Lione, nei preparativi del quale Gregorio X lo aveva coinvolto personalmente affidandogli lo svolgimento di un'inchiesta ufficiale sullo stato dei costumi del popolo cristiano. Sempre da Lione, dove in prossimità dell'apertura del concilio (7 maggio 1274) fu altresì celebrato il nuovo capitolo generale e si dovette far fronte ai rinnovati attacchi del clero secolare, il 2 nov. 1274 G. indirizzò, congiuntamente al generale francescano Girolamo Masci (il futuro papa Niccolò IV), una solenne enciclica ai religiosi dei due grandi ordini mendicanti sollecitandoli a una collaborazione fraterna e a rifuggire da rivalità e interferenze nocive.

Nei primi mesi del 1276 G. fu impegnato nella visita ai conventi di Toscana: in quelle circostanze - ma il dato rimane di mera tradizione - avrebbe fatto richiesta di esonero dal suo ufficio di maestro generale al nuovo papa Innocenzo V (il domenicano Pietro di Tarantasia, eletto il 21 gennaio), che gliel'avrebbe rifiutata: gli atti del capitolo generale tenutosi in quell'anno a Pisa non recano alcuna menzione di ciò, pur riportando un affettuoso indirizzo del pontefice (che morì poco dopo, il 22 giugno) al maestro e ai padri capitolari. Dopo la brevissima parentesi di Adriano V (11 luglio - 18 ag. 1276) G., che durante l'estate si trovava ancora a Viterbo, fu coinvolto personalmente nelle difficili trattative sulla riforma della procedura dell'elezione dei papi, data la pertinace resistenza del Collegio cardinalizio ad accettare le nuove restrizioni imposte al conclave da Gregorio X e poi cassate da Giovanni XXI. Il nuovo pontefice, pur essendo di sentimenti pregiudizialmente avversi agli ordini mendicanti, volle nondimeno affidare ai due superiori generali dei predicatori e dei minori, G. e Girolamo Masci, la delicata missione diplomatica di condurre le trattative di pace tra Filippo III di Francia e Alfonso X re di Castiglia e León (ottobre 1276). L'incarico, rinnovato dal successore Niccolò III il 2 dic. 1277, non diede i frutti sperati a causa delle difficoltà frapposte da Alfonso X, ma tenne impegnato G. in territorio francese per tutto il successivo anno (durante il quale poté celebrare a Bordeaux il nuovo capitolo generale e visitare numerosi conventi del Midi) e per i primi mesi del 1278 (a Pentecoste non poté presiedere al capitolo generale di Milano), protraendosi ancora sino al giugno del 1279.

Il 15 maggio 1278 G. si trovava a Parigi quando il papa lo nominò successore del confratello Tommaso Agni al seggio patriarcale di Gerusalemme: nonostante il fermo rifiuto per umiltà e vecchiaia che ci è noto da una successiva lettera del pontefice (1° ott. 1278), i testi papali dei mesi seguenti designano ancora G. come patriarca eletto. Cedendo infine alle resistenze, il 13 febbr. 1279, grazie all'intercessione del cardinale domenicano Latino Malabranca, nipote del papa, Niccolò III lo esonerò dall'incarico, obbligandolo però a rimanere alla testa dell'Ordine, responsabilità da cui G. aveva ritenuto troppo ottimisticamente d'essere stato prosciolto male interpretando un precedente accenno contenuto in una lettera papale.

Negli ultimi anni (1279-82) G. fu impegnato in estenuanti viaggi di ispezione nei conventi d'Inghilterra, d'Irlanda, delle Fiandre, di Germania e d'Ungheria. Già al capitolo generale di Vienne, nella primavera del 1282, ormai ottantenne, si trovava in cattivo stato di salute. Nel 1283 si recò a Montpellier per la nuova assise capitolare (6 giugno). Viaggiò ancora in Provenza nel mese di agosto (visita al convento di Prouille), ma, già intenzionato a rimettersi in marcia verso Bologna, dove aveva fissato la celebrazione del successivo capitolo, morì a Montpellier il 30 nov. 1283 e venne sepolto in forma solenne nella chiesa del locale convento. Le sue spoglie, venerate per lungo tempo, sono andate disperse nel corso delle tormentate vicende delle guerre di religione (1562). Il suo culto fu approvato da Pio X il 7 sett. 1903.

Opere: di G. sono conservati alcuni sermones manoscritti: Parigi, Bibl. nationale, ms. Lat. 14953, cc. 116-119: Sermo magistri Ord. Iacobitarum dom. ante Ascensionem; Erlangen, Universitätsbibliothek, ms. 327, cc. 112-115: Sermo in festo Pentecostes magistri Ord. fr. praed. (cfr. anche Kaeppeli, Scriptores, III, pp. 42 s.), nonché alcune lettere edite in Ungedruckte Dominikanerbriefe des 13. Jahrhunderts, a cura di H. Finke, Paderborn 1891, pp. 55-60; Litterae encyclicae [ad Ordinem missae], a cura di B.M. Reichert, in Monumenta Ord. fratrum praedicatorum historica, V, Romae 1900, pp. 63-129; Epistola "De morte cuiusdam probi lectoris" (a. 1274), a cura di Th. Kaeppeli, in Archivum fratrum praedicatorum, XXI (1951), pp. 257 s.; Epistola responsiva patriarche Ierosolimitano, ibid., pp. 258 s.; Epistola qua sodalitas S. Spiritus Friburgi sub aegidem Ordinis praedicatorum suscipitur (a. 1264), a cura di N. Morard, in Une charité bien ordonnée: la Confrérie du St-Esprit à Fribourg à la fin du Moyen Âge (XIVe-XVe siècles), in Le mouvement confraternel au Moyen Âge. France, Italie, Suisse. Actes de la Table ronde, Lausanne1985, Rome 1987, pp. 277 s. n. 10.

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