Bishop of Treviso, Confessor of the Faith, Model of Apostolic Charity
Feast Day: June 26
Religious Order: Capuchin Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor Capuchin)
Beatified by: Pope St. John Paul II on October 20, 2002
Early Life and Vocation
Andrea Longhin was born on November 23, 1863, in Fiumicello di Campodarsego, near Padua in the Veneto region of northern Italy, into a humble farming family. Raised in the simple, rural piety of traditional Italian Catholicism, the seeds of religious life were sown early. From his youth, he was known for his recollected spirit, his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his readiness to serve the Church.
At the age of 16, he entered the Capuchin friary at Bassano del Grappa, taking the religious name Giacinto. His formation was marked by the austere penitential life characteristic of the Capuchins—early rising, long hours of prayer, corporal mortification, and a burning zeal for souls. Ordained to the priesthood in 1886, Fr. Giacinto was soon recognized for his theological clarity, humility, and fervent preaching.
Religious Leadership and Episcopal Appointment
He was appointed as rector of the Capuchin seminary, where he formed many future priests in fidelity to the Church’s magisterium and the rigorous ascetical life. In 1904, Pope St. Pius X—himself a former Bishop of Treviso—named Fr. Giacinto as the Bishop of Treviso. His episcopacy would last over three decades, encompassing turbulent times: World War I, the rise of secular ideologies, and the interwar social upheaval in Italy.
Despite his initial reluctance to accept the office, out of humility, he obeyed the will of the Holy Father. His episcopal motto, “Veritatem facientes in caritate” (“Doing the truth in charity”), encapsulated his pastoral program.
Shepherd of Treviso
Bishop Longhin became a luminous model of episcopal sanctity in the tradition of St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis de Sales. He labored for the sanctification of the clergy, reforming seminaries and promoting strict discipline, spiritual formation, and Thomistic theology.
During World War I, when Treviso was occupied and devastated, he refused to abandon his flock. He comforted the wounded, buried the dead, supported displaced families, and opened episcopal resources to the poor. Known as the “Bishop of Charity,” he personally distributed aid and accompanied military chaplains on the front lines.
In his pastoral letters and catechetical work, he zealously defended the doctrines of the Church against the errors of modernism, socialism, and religious indifferentism. He encouraged Eucharistic devotion, frequent confession, and fidelity to the Rosary and Marian consecration. His commitment to Catholic Action was based on its original purpose: the restoration of the Kingship of Christ in society.
Spiritual Life and Hidden Sufferings
Bishop Longhin was marked by deep mystical union with God. He maintained a rigorous interior life of prayer and mortification, even as his public duties increased. He fasted regularly, spent hours before the Blessed Sacrament, and promoted the Sacred Heart devotion in his diocese.
In 1935, he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. Though bedridden, he offered his sufferings for the Church and his people, echoing the hidden crucifixion of many saints. He died on June 26, 1936, in Treviso, surrounded by his priests and seminarians.
Beatification and Legacy
His beatification by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002 confirmed his reputation for sanctity. The Pope praised him as a model of episcopal holiness, recalling his heroic charity during wartime, his pastoral zeal, and his interior life as a true disciple of St. Francis of Assisi.
Key Virtues and Spiritual Themes
- Episcopal Sanctity: He lived the office of bishop not as a career but as a spiritual crucifixion—laying down his life for his sheep.
- Charity in Action: He was not content with words but lived the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in heroic degree.
- Doctrinal Fidelity: A firm opponent of modernism, he upheld the teachings of the Church with clarity and compassion.
- Franciscan Simplicity: Though raised to episcopal dignity, he never ceased to live as a humble Capuchin friar.