BERNARDI, GAETANO

BERNARDI, GAETANO. - Cassinese Benedictine monk of the abbey of Montecassino, man of letters and educator, born at Caramanico (Chieti) on 1 Nov. 1827, died at Montecassino on 7 Feb. 1895. He taught literature at Sulmona and Naples; in 1868 he withdrew to Montecassino, and in 1870 he took his religious vows. In 1887 Leo XIII chose him as the first abbot of S. Anselmo in Rome, where he was called to direct the re-establishing Benedictine college. In this office he gave valuable assistance to Card. Dusmet and cooperated with him in carrying out the Pope’s ideas, aimed at organizing the various Benedictine Congregations into a fraternal confederation. Once this had been formed and its primate elected, B. returned to Montecassino. In 1894 he was made president of the Cassinese Congregation, but he was able to remain in this office only briefly, since he died the following year. Among his published works, mention should be made of the Avviamento all'arte del dire, which has had several editions, including in recent times, after the first of 1869.