Extracts from the report of, one of the nine Theologians findings on ` the practice of

virtues by Fr. Carlo Cavina in an exceptional manner.` (During the examination of the Positio)

Theological virtues

Faith - Fr. Carlo Cavina was a man of profound faith, which he nourished daily by his
great intimacy with the Lord, especially through prayer and meditation on the Word of
God. He was very much devoted to the Eucharist. Fr. Aristide Golfieri one of his close
collaborators said: “Eucharist was at the center of his every thought, word and action.
Animated by faith and by drawing strength from the Eucharist he was able to live a
life of total surrender, conforming himself to the Lord in enduring the most terrible
sufferings and slanders of life”.
He regularly sat before the Blessed Sacrament even "spending the whole night in
adoration". The Servant of God was also zealous, in nourishing the faith of others.
For this purpose he wrote many prayers and started the Association of the Apostleship
of Prayer in Lugo (1866). He also cultivated a strong devotion towards the Holy
Trinity. In this regard, the testimony of Mother Maria Vittoria Cozzani is worth
mentioning: “His devotion to the Most Holy Trinity was remarkable. The invocation to
this adorable Mystery is seen in the various prayers that he left. To the Trinity he
offered his adorations, united with those of the Incarnate Word, of the Heart of Mary
and of all the Saints. He advised and invited his Sisters to conclude the night prayer,
with ‘Te Deum’ in thanksgiving to the Triune God, no matter whether the day was
pleasant or not”.
Another expression of Fr. Carlo Cavina's faith was his devotion to Mother Mary,
particularly to Our Lady of Molino. The people of Lugo are convinced that, it was
because of the prayers of Fr. Carlo Cavina to Our Lady of Molino that their city was
freed from the cholera epidemic. His tender and loving devotion to the Immaculate
Virgin was very evident in a prayer that he dedicated to her.

Hope - The Servant of God lived the virtue of hope to a great extent by continually
seeking his will especially in times of adversity, sufferings and sickness. Faced with
the many difficulties in founding the new Institute and in carrying out his role as the
Head Priest of the Collegiate church of Lugo, he entrusted himself to God with the
certainty that God revealed his will through the daily events of life.
Fr. Emilio Moretti a priest of the diocese of Imola, who conducted a research on
the life of our Founder quotes: “Fr. Carlo Cavina manifested great trust in the mercy of
God and he was serene even in moments of adversity. It was his hope that enabled him
not to get discouraged, not to give up any of his good initiatives, recognizing the hand
of God working behind everything”.

Charity towards God - Charity towards God profoundly marked the life of Fr. Carlo
Cavina who at a very young age generously responded to God’s call to the priesthood.
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His education and his studies were centered on the study of the Sacred Scripture,
catechesis and the dogmas of the Christian faith. He wanted to carry out his priestly
ministry in order to make known the Word of God and lead, as many people as possible
to the Lord. Charity towards God was also manifested in a special way through his
devotion to the Eucharist and the care he showed to his church, to the vestments and the
altar.

Charity towards others - Fr. Carlo Cavina translated his love towards God in charity
towards neighbor. “I believe that, above all he manifested a great availability of
heart towards everyone, what we call pastoral charity - reaffirms Fr. Emilio Moretti -
People saw in him a loving father”.
Mother Victoria Cozzani affirmed the goodness of the Servant of God in this
way: “Respectful towards everyone; humble in relationships with superiors; thoughtful
and caring towards the equals and the inferiors; sensitive towards all; ready for any
sacrifice to console, to help and to provide what is needed”.
He was diligent in the works of mercy; he frequently visited hospitals and
prison; his door was always opened to the poor and needy; he deprived himself of food
and gave it to the poorest families in the parish.
Another witness, Archbishop Piero Montroni, says: “His ardent charity reached
to everyone, primarily to the co-priests with whom he lived, he held frequent retreats,
even with those who did not share his pastoral method”.

Cardinal Virtues
Prudence -He showed himself to be very wise and prudent in his priestly ministry and
in founding a new Congregation.Fr. Emilio Moretti says:“Fr. Carlo Cavina was a man
of great prudence in dealing with the many difficult socio-political situations of his
time; in facing the indifference and disagreements of his co-priests; in handling the
criticisms and polemics arose against his manifold pastoral initiatives and the
foundation of the new Congregation”.

He also proved to be very open to the legitimate political aspirations of the Italian
people, trying to train the conscience of the youths, of the priests and of the faithful to
be good citizens and also to be loyal to the Holy Father.
Fr. Ciro Macrelli brother of one of our late sisters said: “Fr. Carlo Cavina, had never
been a fanatic of temporal power. Yet, as a good pastor, in facing the challenges of the
new Government, he had to practice with extreme carefulness the virtue of prudence
and equilibrium, neither to get involved in the politics nor to allow the politics to get
involved in the religious matters of the Catholics.
Many people, especially the young priests, felt secure under the prudent guidance
and spiritual direction of the Servant of God. According to Fr. Emilio Moretti:
“Certainly Fr. Carlo Cavina was an open minded person and knew how to open the
hearts of others”.
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 In this regard, I would like to recall his attention towards the young priests who
used to gather around him periodically in the church of Pio Suffraggio, to help them
and to guide them in their journey of permanent formation. He prayed, shared
experiences and conducted sessions with them”.

Justice - The Servant of God practiced with audacity the virtue of righteousness
towards both God and man. He was always attentive and loyal to what he owes to God
and expressed it very specifically in his filial obedience to God and in his fidelity to
personal and liturgical prayers. In his capacity as president of the City Council of Lugo,
he never allowed unjust and one-sided decisions, he always supported those ideas that
he believed would be favorable to the parish and to the church. He respected the dignity
and the rights of others while committing himself to live with integrity the demands of
his vocation as a Christian and as a priest.
Mother Victoria Cozzani affirmed: “Fr. Carlo Cavina was righteous in his
dealings with the workers under him and never hesitated to pay them the just salary”.

Fortitude - The fortitude of Fr. Carlo Cavina was very clear in one of the statements
of Fr. Emilio Moretti: “In the face of various trials he never showed any
discouragement; on the contrary, the difficulties of life strengthened and deepened his
faith, hope and charity in a spirit of fortitude”.
When the Government of Italy took over the region of Romagna, he suffered a
lot because of the new government, which, after the first formal acts of courtesy
towards the church, began a violent religious persecution. In addition to the hostility that
came from the political circles, the Servant of God suffered a lot also from his co-priests
and his closest collaborators of the Collegiate Church of Lugo, some of them who had
never accepted his appointment. They were not supportive of his way of dealing with
civil authority, above all, they were annoyed by his pastoral zeal.
Fr. Walter Falconi a promoter of the Apostleship of Prayer in the diocese of
Imola stated that in the time of the Italian Renaissance and of anti-clericalism, Fr.
Carlo Cavina had to carry out his manifold and varied pastoral activity in an
atmosphere of constant opposition and strong persecution. The difficulties were
emerged first and foremost from the parts of the Canons of the Collegiate church itself.
It was composed of 11 priests who belonged to the prestigious families of Lugo. They
were very much annoyed by the fact that they had to depend on a Head Priest who was
not from Lugo and who was much younger to them in age.
Fr. Frederico Bedeschi, son of Domenico Bedeschi who was a great collaborator
of our Founder, had once witnessed the insults and revolts, which these priests raised
against the innocent and holy Head Priest, expressed how Fr. Carlo Cavina reacted: “All
for the love of God, all for the remission of my sins and of the sins of the souls in
Purgatory”.

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Temperance - Fr. Carlo Cavina was a man of self-control in all the circumstances as
described by Fr. Emilio Moretti: “He knew how to control the impulses of anger in a
remarkable way in times of moral struggles, persecutions and oppositions. He was
very strict with himself, perseverant in prayer, mortified in eating, simple in dressing
and avoided everything that was superfluous”.
In the words of Mother Victoria Cozzani: “He observed the fasts prescribed by
the Church and of his own choice; he slept only a few hours in the night; often spent
the whole night in prayer, or else spent time in reading and studying his favorite
subjects of dogmatic and moral theology. He was moderate in taking food; he often
abstained from food to help the poor. He also used instruments of penitence,
sackcloth and discipline”.

Evangelical Counsels
Though the Servant of God was not a religious priest, he observed the vows in an
absolute manner as stated by Fr. Emilio Moretti: “He lived profound humility, poverty,
chastity and obedience”.
He gave great proof of obedience when His Excellency, Gaetano Baluffi
appointed him as the Head Priest of the Collegiate church of Lugo. He did not feel
himself fit for such a great task, but after having expressed his opinion, at the insistence
of the Bishop, he accepted it, trusting in the Lord's assistance.
Sr. Amelia said: “It might have cost much to Fr. Carlo Cavina to obey his
appointment as the parish priest of the Collegiate church and the in- charge of the
Canons. He could have put forward various excuses such as he was still very young, he
was not a native of Lugo while all the Canons were from Lugo. For me it was a perfect
obedience and an example that really helps us to trust in the Lord, to place ourselves
always in his hands and to do his will”.
Fr. Carlo Cavina carefully observed the virtue of chastity and exhorted his
spiritual daughters to practice also it among all the virtues.
According to one of our late sisters, Sr. Ada Barbafina, he lived the spirit of
poverty in its depth and instilled it very much in the sisters by exhorting them:
“Poverty is the queen of the Little House of St. Joseph”. He wanted the sisters to keep
the house always very tidy and they must also be very neat and orderly in their
dressing by recalling his teaching: “Poverty is not at all the enemy of neatness”.
Msgr. EnnioVaccari, the successor of the Servant of God as the Head Priest of
the Collegiate church in Lugo, affirmed: “Fr. Carlo Cavina was not rich, and
furthermore he did not have any savings since he always gave to the poor and the needy
even the little he had and very often his own clothing and food”.
He always carried out all his apostolate with fervent zeal and great humility,
never expecting recognition and gratitude, as confirmed by Sr. Amelia Costa: “Being
a committed shepherd of the souls, he did everything unnoticed by others, without
seeking honor and glory”
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Fame of Sanctity
Already during his life time, Fr. Carlo Cavina was known for his exemplary life
and holiness. It is very evident not only in his biographies and in the Rule of Life which
he had written for the “Daughters of St. Francis de Sales”, but also in the testimonies
attested by the pioneer sisters and by the contemporaries who knew closely his life and
the apostolate. Even as a seminarian he earned the esteem of the superiors, so much so
that immediately after his priestly ordination he was appointed the Assistant Rector of
the seminary of Imola, particularly for the formation of the seminarians who were near
to their priestly ordination, in a very difficult historical and political situation of the
Church of Romagna.
He was then assigned as the parish priest of Montecatone (1848-1850), a small
town in the diocese of Imola, where he was able to earn the trust and esteem of his
parishioners within a short span of time.
His excellent human and intellectual qualities as well as the exemplary conduct,
motivated His Excellency Baluffi to appoint this young priest of 30 years as the
parish priest and Head Priest of the Collegiate Church in Lugo. Msgr. Pietro Montroni
stated that people spoke about Fr. Carlo Cavina: “There was no other Head Priest like
him who excelled in zeal and in virtue".
The veneration, which the Servant of God enjoyed in his life, was much more
evident in his death. In fact, Sr. Amalia Costa said that as soon as the sad news of his
death was announced, the first expression that came out from many was: “A saint has
died”. Fr. Federico Bedeschi added to this by saying that those who considered him as
an enemy during his life time exclaimed at his death: “Saint Fr. Carlo Cavina passed
away!”
Msgr. Luigi Tesorieri, saddened by the sudden demise of Fr. Carlo Cavina, could
not hold back his tears and said: “The most zealous and the most holy priest of our
diocese has passed away”.
Many faithful, priests and even his opponents attended his funeral. Fr. Emilio
Moretti says: “In life he was surrounded by the esteem of many, but it was in death that
he received much praise from the co-priests; it was those who had been enemies and
opponents gave a very positive testimony of his holiness and precisely for this reason
his funeral was very significant”.

The Servant of God Msgr. Marco Morelli, Founder of the Congregation of the
Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who was present at the funeral mass, wrote
about Fr. Carlo Cavina in this way: "At his death the whole city of Lugo mourned for the
loss of a priest of apostolic zeal, of paternal charity, of amazing amiability, in short, of
an ideal pastor endowed with all the most beautiful virtues that make a priest
renowned. There was a huge number of people from all ages and from all walks of life
who attended the funeral mass in the Collegiate Church and then accompanied his
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mortal remains to its final resting place. The crowd was so enormous that the huge
Collegiate
church was not even sufficient to accommodate half of them”.

After Fr. Carlo Cavin’s death, the very first testimony of his veneration was
promulgated by Mrs. Mattilde Rossi, a noble woman who was under Fr. Carlo
Cavina`s spiritual direction. She used to call him “Father” and spoke about him in
these terms: “a man with the fragrance of sanctity", “an ideal of piety” and “an
enlightened soul”. Mrs. MatildeFerrucci then transmitted this particular veneration to
her son Michele Rossi, who for the rest of his life collected the historical memories of
Lugo, with particular attention to the religious dimension, and delivered a beautiful
commemorative speech on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Fr.
Carlo Cavina in 1930 in Lugo.
His reputation of holinessis being continued to spread until today, mainly among
the “Daughters of St. Francis de Sales”, who preserve fondly the memory of their
beloved Founder.
After the opening of the cause of the beatification of Fr. Carlo Cavina there is a greater
move to let him known in a wider range by the celebration of his anniversaries, studies
conducted on his life, books and articles written about him etc…

Conclusion
From a careful study of the life of the Servant of God, Fr. Carlo Cavina, it is very
clear that we are dealing with an exemplary priest, a zealous pastor and the diligent
Founder of the Institute of the Daughters of St. Francis de Sales. “This man of God”,
who worked with an untiring zeal “for the glory of God and the salvation of souls”, in
such a difficult historical and political context characterized by strong anti-clerical
attitudes, was outstanding for his profound piety, ardent spirit of prayer and a firm will
always to act with truth and justice for the glory of God and the good of souls. His
fortitude and courage in facing hostility emerged from both political circles and
ecclesiastical persons. Endowed with an exceptional spiritual life, he exercised
heroically all the virtues and gained the fame of holiness in life, in death and after death.