Ludovico Longari

Father Ludovico Longari played a decisive role in the development of his congregation in Italy and on an international scale. After the war, he actively contributed to the transfer of the congregation's minor seminary to its final destination in Ponteranica, in the province of Bergamo. Appointed director of seminarians, he was elected master of novices in 1928. His sense of pedagogy and his spiritual depth made him appreciated as a true formator. On August 16, 1934, he was elected provincial superior of the Italian province. On June 18, 1937, he reached a historic milestone by being elected Superior General of the entire Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, thus becoming the first non-Frenchman to hold this office. Despite the immense upheavals and material difficulties of the Second World War, his generalate (which lasted until 1949) proved to be extremely fruitful. Under his leadership, the congregation expanded to include up to 28 houses spread across 14 different countries. He addressed 18 circular letters to all his religious, founded the International Seminary of Theological Studies in Rome, and devoted a large part of his time to the intellectual and spiritual formation of priests. He also preached numerous retreats and spiritual exercises, and became the confessor of several prelates of the Roman Curia.

After completing his term as Superior General in 1949, Father Longari retired from administrative duties to dedicate himself primarily to spiritual accompaniment. From 1949 to 1961, he guided many souls with patience and wisdom. Starting in 1962, his health gradually declined. He passed away holily on June 17, 1963, at the seminary of Ponteranica. The reputation for holiness of Father Ludovico Longari led to the opening of his cause for beatification and canonization. The diocesan inquiry was conducted in the Diocese of Bergamo. After the validation of the diocesan inquiry on April 17, 1998, and the publication of the Positio in 2005, the cause progressed with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

On April 14, 2018, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Ludovico Longari. By this act, he is officially proclaimed venerable of the Catholic Church.

The spirituality of the Venerable Ludovico Longari is entirely centered on the Eucharistic mystery, in direct line with the charism of Saint Peter Julian Eymard. He conceived Eucharistic adoration not only as an act of devotion, but as the engine of all apostolic action and personal sanctification. Recognized as an eloquent preacher and a sought-after spiritual director, he marked generations of Sacramentine religious, diocesan priests, and laypeople through his humility and pastoral charity. His mortal remains rest and are venerated in a chapel accessible to the faithful within the Sacramentine Fathers' seminary in Ponteranica. His memory is particularly honored there, notably during the centenary of the community's presence in Ponteranica celebrated in 2023.