Arcangelo Maria Biasi

At the beginning of 1919, the first symptoms of a serious illness, tuberculosis, manifested. At the end of that same year, Brother Girolamo Maria was forced to leave Rome permanently to return to his original religious province. Thus began a long and painful journey for him, marked by frequent stays in various hospitals and convents (notably at the Arcella in Padua) in an attempt to curb the progression of the disease. Despite his declining health, he managed to complete his theological studies privately during a brief remission. He was ordained a priest on July 16, 1922, in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Padua by Bishop Luigi Pellizzo. He celebrated his first Mass at the altar of Saint Anthony in Padua, then his first solemn Mass in his native village of Sfruz on August 20, 1922. Appointed vicar in Venice, in the parish of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the rapid worsening of his tuberculosis soon forced him to cease all active ministry and return to Camposampiero. Condemned to inactivity and isolation, Father Girolamo Maria transformed his suffering into a path of intimate union with the suffering Christ. In 1928, he made a pilgrimage to Lourdes, from which he returned deeply strengthened in his abandonment to the divine will. He passed away peacefully at the age of 31 on June 20, 1929, at the hospital in Camposampiero.

The reputation for holiness of Father Girolamo Maria Biasi spread immediately after his death. Saint Maximilian Kolbe himself, who considered him a precious spiritual advisor and confidant, wished several times for the opening of his cause for canonization. In 1987, due to his spiritual renown and his historical link with Saint Maximilian Kolbe (canonized in 1982), his mortal remains were transferred from the municipal cemetery of Camposampiero to the church of the Antonian Sanctuaries (Church of the Vision) in Camposampiero. In 1997, the Provincial Chapter of the Friars Minor Conventual officially requested the Minister General of the Order to introduce the cause for beatification. The diocesan inquiry was opened in the Diocese of Treviso on March 8, 1999, and closed on March 4, 2000. The acts of the inquiry were transmitted to Rome, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints published the decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry on November 17, 2000, officially conferring upon him the title of Servant of God.

After the examination of the Positio detailing his life and virtues, Pope Francis authorized, on December 21, 2018, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues. Father Girolamo Maria Biasi was thus declared Venerable. The cause is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession, an essential step to pave the way for his beatification.

The spirituality of the Venerable Girolamo Maria Biasi is deeply Marian and Eucharistic, rooted in the charism of the Militia of the Immaculata, which he helped to found. His spiritual journey is often compared to that of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: he demonstrated that holiness is fully accessible in the midst of illness and apparent inactivity. He lived his painful agony with Franciscan 'perfect joy,' offering his physical sufferings for the salvation of souls and the sanctification of his confreres. His spiritual legacy remains alive, particularly in Sfruz, where an annual commemoration is organized each August to celebrate the anniversary of his first Mass, as well as in Camposampiero, where many pilgrims come to pray at his tomb.