St. Guido Maria Conforti
Bishop of Parma and Founder of the Xaverian Missionaries
Feast Day: November 5
Biography
St. Guido Maria Conforti (1865–1931) was born on March 30, 1865, in Ravadese, near Parma, in northern Italy, the eighth of ten children in a farming family. As a boy he would stop to pray before a large crucifix in a local church, and he later said that he felt the Crucified Lord was speaking to him. Reading about St. Francis Xavier awakened his desire to be a missionary, but poor health kept him from going abroad. Ordained a priest in 1888, he served in the seminary of Parma. On December 3, 1895, the feast of St. Francis Xavier, he founded a missionary seminary that became the Xaverian Missionaries, and in 1899 the first members set out for China. In 1902 he was made archbishop of Ravenna, but illness forced him to resign after two years. In 1907 he became bishop of Parma, where he served until his death, visiting parishes, promoting catechesis, and caring for the poor. With Blessed Paolo Manna he helped found the Missionary Union of the Clergy, now the Pontifical Missionary Union, and served as its first president. In 1928 he traveled to China to visit his missionaries. He died in Parma on November 5, 1931. Pope St. John Paul II beatified him in 1996, and Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on October 23, 2011.
Patronages
Symbols
Prayer
St. Guido Maria Conforti, you gazed on the Crucified Lord and longed to make Him known to the whole world. Pray for all missionaries and for those who support them. When weakness keeps me from doing what I hoped, help me to serve Christ generously where I am, and to make the whole world my family in Him. Amen.
Asking for Intercession
Catholics ask saints to pray with us and for us, as we ask friends on earth. St. Guido Maria Conforti, who lives in God's presence, intercedes before His throne. Speak from your heart: “St. Guido Maria Conforti, please pray for me…” You may also pray the prayer above or include this intention in your Rosary.