Roberto Giovanni

On June 21, 1927, at the age of 24, Roberto Giovanni entered the Santa Cruz seminary in Rio Claro to begin his formation with the Stigmatines (the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ, founded by Saint Gaspard Bertoni). Although he distinguished himself by his intelligence and piety, he made a decision that surprised his formators: after mature reflection and on the advice of his novice master, he chose not to pursue his studies toward the priesthood. Out of deep humility and not feeling worthy of becoming a priest, he asked to remain a simple coadjutor brother. He pronounced his first temporary vows on September 16, 1931, and his perpetual profession on September 16, 1937.

After exercising his ministry in various Stigmatine communities in Castro (Paraná), Ituiutaba (Minas Gerais), Morrinhos (Goiás), Rio Claro, and Caconde, Brother Roberto was sent in 1939 to Casa Branca (São Paulo). It was there, at the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Desterro (Our Lady of Exile), that he would fulfill the essential part of his mission for more than fifty years. In 1942, during the founding of the first formation house for Stigmatine brothers adjacent to the sanctuary, he was placed in charge of the formation and discipline of the coadjutor brother candidates.

At the same time, Brother Roberto became the director, editor, and promoter of the congregation's monthly magazine, Ecos Estigmatinos (Stigmatine Echoes), for which he managed the section dedicated to the sanctuary. To distribute this publication and propagate devotion to Our Lady of Desterro and Saint Gaspard Bertoni, he traveled throughout the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. His apostolate was characterized by boundless charity: he visited the sick, the elderly, the poor, prisoners, and migrants daily, bringing them material and spiritual support, and bringing communion to those who were bedridden. His reputation as a spiritual counselor and a man of prayer was such that many people came to seek his comfort, and even the diocesan bishop, Dom Tomás Vaquero, traveled regularly to receive his blessing. In 1980, the municipality of Casa Branca awarded him the title of honorary citizen in recognition of his exceptional dedication.

In November 1993, weakened by serious health problems, Brother Roberto was transferred to the Stigmatine rest home in Campinas. Afflicted with pneumonia, he passed away peacefully on January 11, 1994, at the age of 90. At the express request of the population of Casa Branca, his remains were brought back to the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Desterro, where he was buried near the altar he had served for more than half a century. His tomb immediately became a place of pilgrimage and popular devotion, with many faithful testifying to graces obtained through his intercession.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Brother Roberto Giovanni was officially introduced in the Diocese of São João da Boa Vista. The diocesan inquiry was opened on March 16, 2010, and closed on October 2, 2012. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated this inquiry by a decree on January 25, 2013, and the Positio (the summary file on his virtues) was published in 2016.

On October 27, 2020, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his theological and cardinal virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession by the Holy See is required.

The spirituality of the Venerable Roberto Giovanni rests upon a profound Imitatio Christi (imitation of Christ) lived out in humility, selfless service, and absolute fidelity to the rule of his congregation. His life of prayer was centered on Eucharistic adoration and a tender Marian devotion, particularly under the title of Our Lady of the Desterro. He was also a zealous propagator of the charism of Saint Gaspar Bertoni, succeeding in having the latter elected as the patron saint of the municipalities of Casa Branca and Itobi. His legacy remains alive in Brazil, particularly at the Sanctuary of Casa Branca, where his relics and personal effects are kept and venerated by pilgrims.