FERRARI, ONORATO. - Barnabite missionary, born at Vercelli in 1685, died there on 1 October 1755. In 1719 he departed for China as an ablegate of Clement XI. He carried out his apostolate in Peking: he secretly baptized as many natives as possible, building a hospice for them; he took in the sick and abandoned children. Forced to leave Peking in 1722 because of the persecution of the new Emperor, he took refuge in Nandolfo. He returned to Italy on 6 January 1734.
BIBL.: J. Gobio, Legazione dei pp. O. F. in Cina e Cacina, Milano 1822; O. Premoli, Storia dei Barnabiti, III, Roma 1925, pp. 41-45, 51-59; G. Boffo, Biblioteca degli scrittori barnabiti, II, Firenze 1933, pp. 19-20; L. Levati, Metrologia dei Barnabiti, X, Genova 1936, pp. 5-12.