Blessed Giovanni Antonio Farina

Giovanni Antonio Farina (11 January 1803 – 4 March 1888) was an Italian Catholic bishop known for his compassionate treatment of the poor and for his enlightened views of education; he was sometimes dubbed as the "Bishop of the Poor". He served as the Bishop of Vicenza and later as the Bishop of Treviso; he is also known for ordaining the future Pope Pius X to the priesthood. He was beatified on 4 November 2001 by Pope John Paul II and was canonized on 23 November 2014 by Pope Francis following the recognition of miracles attributed to his intercession. His liturgical feast day is celebrated annually on 4 March, the date of his death. He remains the patron saint of his religious order and of his hometown as well as the dioceses in which he served. Giovanni Antonio Farina was born in Gambellara in the Venetian Province to Pietro Farina (30 January 1768 - 22 September 1824) and Francesca Bellame. Farina had ten siblings: Giacomo (b. 28 March 1792), Teresa (b. 17 March 1793), Gio Batta (b. 6 January 1795), Maddalena (b. 30 January 1796), Girolamo (b. 14 February 1801), Pietro (b. 2 March 1806), Lucia Fortunata-Farina (b. 18 August 1807), Giambattista (b. 18 October 1809), and Palma (b. 17 October 1811). Following the death of his father in 1824, Farina was mentored by his maternal uncle, Antonio, who was a priest. At the age of 15, he entered the seminary in Vicenza. At the age of 21, Farina began teaching at the seminary, where he continued to serve for 18 years, and he taught grammar. He was ordained to the priesthood on 15 January 1827 and remained as a teacher at the seminary, and even served as a librarian for a brief period and as a canon of the local cathedral. In the first decade of his priesthood, he served as a chaplain at the parish of San Pietro and was sensitive to the educational needs of its people, in particular, girls and those who were deaf and blind.