FIRST APOSTLE OF NEW EVANGELIZATION

BL. JAMES ALBERIONE  may not be universally well known, yet many of us read great books which we have purchased from the Pauline bookshops.  He was also the spiritual guide of Bl. Joseph Timothy (previous Blog).

Bl. James was born into a family of poor farmers in the year 1884 in Italy. His parents, Michael and Teresa, were deeply devout and raised their children to also live their Faith. James from an early age longed to become a Priest.

Both his parents placed great emphasis on learning and gaining a good education and  taught their children a love of knowledge.

The Alberione family eventually moved to Cherasco in the diocese of Alba, where James came to the notice of Father Montersino, who encouraged James to follow his calling from God. At the young age of 16, James entered the Seminary.

It was a night spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament that would lead James to become more than an ordinary priest as he felt God call to him to pursue an avenue of evangelisation to young people.

He was ordained a Priest in 1907 and spent a brief spell in Narzole as an assistant Pastor.  It was here that he also began to reflect on women’s role within the Church, a thought that would stay with him for many years.

During these years of guiding young seminarians as their spiritual director and also of teaching Catechesis to the young people, it began to dawn on Fr. James that a new Era called for a better way of communicating the Faith to all people around the world. It was at this time also that he authored two books, one dealt with women and how their gifts could benefit the Church.

And it was during this time that Father James felt called to found a new Order to be undertaken to spread the Gospel. This Order would at first be termed the Pious Society of St. Paul, which would be better known as the 'Pauline Family' of Brothers and Sisters, when Father James began and incorporated the 'Daughters of St Paul', with the help of a young woman Teresa Merlo who had also embraced his ideal of spreading the Gospel message.

Father James and Teresa realized that they were living in an age where the technology of communication was ever growing and expanding into new formats. But this dream nearly faltered when Father James Alberione became seriously ill and little hope was held for a recovery. But upon recovering he credited his healing to St. Paul, for he while he was sick he had seen in a dream these words, "Do not be afraid. I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Be sorry for sin." Father James took this as his living Motto and for his Order of the Pauline Family.

This also led him to enlarge his family to include the prayerful apostolate of 'the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master', which was a group of Sisters who would dedicate their lives to prayer and Eucharistic Adoration. He chose Sr. Scholastica Rivata to join him in this prayerful addition to the Pauline family. Both realized that prayer was essential for the lifeblood of their Order.

There are now thousands of Pauline bookshops around the globe, helping to instruct the Faithful and those wishing to learn the Faith. All of which came from his vision and passion that has blazed a trail for future enterprises as many look at the life of this remarkable Saint and learn to emulate his philosophy of perseverance and giving all Glory to God.

Father James Alberione died in 1971 and was beatified in 2003 by (St.) Pope John Paul.