ITALIAN MALE YOUTH OF CATHOLIC ACTION. - Current name (1931) of the men's group, whose original name was Gioventù cattolica italiana (G. C. I.), which was the cradle of Catholic Action in Italy and is today one of the sections within the organizational framework of the A.C.I., the men's youth section.
The idea of the Society matured in the mind of a young patrician of Viterbo, Mario Fani Giotti, who on 6 March 1866, after a night of continuous prayer in his church of S. Rosa, launched to the youth of Italy the cry "We must act!". A few young fellow citizens of his formed the "Circolo S. Rosa," the first of the series. Finding himself in Bologna in 1867, he met Dr. Giovanni Acquaderni, who would later become the first general president of the Society; he also met Fr. Pincelli, a Jesuit, a learned writer of ascetic works, and it was then that the Society of the G.C.I. was first discussed, for which Fr. Pincelli dictated the first rule. The motto of the Society was "prayer - action - sacrifice"; its purpose, determined by the "ineluctable necessity of courageous and energetic action," proposed to "constitute an association composed principally of young people who, undaunted and frank in deeds and words, would glory in bearing high and unsullied the glorious banner of religion."
This program was launched throughout Italy in the form of an "appeal," and all Italy responded applauding the initiative, while very many young people joined, founding the first circles in the various regions of the peninsula. On 2 May 1868 the Supreme Pontiff, responding to an address sent to him by the Superior Council of the Society of the G. C. I., officially approved it with the brief "Dum filii Belial" and, blessing it, encouraged the Society and conferred upon it rich indulgences. The Society gave life to the whole of Catholic Action (v. AZIONE CATTOLICA ITALIANA). The following year the "Circolo di S. Pietro" arose in Rome, which has a whole beautiful tradition of its own of fidelity to the pope and of works of charity.
GIOVENTÙ ITALIANA MASCHILE DI AZIONE CATTOLICA
Born to defend the Pope, the G.C.I. was concerned from its very beginnings to manifest concretely to the Vicar of Christ its fidelity, and already at the first audience of 14 April 1869 Pius IX said: «You are with me and I am with you». And the union became ever stronger, so much so that Pius XI would say, many years later: «You are Us and We are you».
The first pilgrimage of devotion to the Pope followed in 1869; on that occasion the first Peter's Pence was offered to the Holy Father (v. OBOLO DI S. PIETRO).
The pontifical Jubilee of Pius IX in 1871 served to promote throughout the world a great crusade of prayers and works for the Pope. A Vatican exhibition was also organized then, repeated in 1888. Meanwhile the Opera dei Congressi cattolici was brought to life.
The Consiglio superiore meanwhile approved the transfer of the seat from Bologna to Rome in 1880, the year of the appointment of Filippo Tolli as successor to Giovanni Acquaderni.
Pilgrimages were promoted and in 1891 the young Catholics of the whole world gathered in Rome for the first time. The G.C.I. assumed a new title: many study groups, university circles, etc. were constituted. It was the year of the Rerum novarum.
The field of action widened: unions of morality, sports societies, preparation for political life, etc. Its social organ from its very rise was the Eco della G. C. I., which suspended publication in 1879 and resumed it in 1881 with the Bollettino della Società della G. C. I. At the direction of the Società della G.C.I. there succeeded one another prof. Filippo Tolli (1880-81), prof. Augusto Persichetti (1881-86), again prof. Filippo Tolli (1886-88), avv. Guglielmo Alliata (1888-93), marchese Giulio Sacchetti (1893-1900), then Paolo Pericoli, who would guide the G.C.I. from 1900 to 1922.
The Pericoli presidency begins a work of maturity, promoting the «Opere». It will suffice to recall the Federazione delle associazioni sportive cattoliche italiane (F.A.S.C.I.; v.) founded in 1907 and the Federazione delle associazioni del teatro educativo (F.A.T.E.; v.) in 1912. In 1916 it is the A.S.C.I. (Associazione scoutistica cattolica italiana) that is promoted by the Consiglio superiore della Società della G.C.I., when it had to be acknowledged that it was not possible to live the scout life within the Corpo nazionale giovani esploratori italiani, too tied to Freemasonry and to anticlericalism.
In the great war of 1914-18, the G.C.I. could count 10,000 dead, 17 gold medals, 703 silver, 82 bronze, 267 war crosses; collections of offerings to furnish the altars, aid to refugees organized through innumerable offices, 13,505,250 sheets of propaganda distributed among the soldiers.
At the end of the war the Segretariato di collocamento, founded in 1913, comes back to life, and it rendered great services to the young, and the Unione nazionale tra i militari cattolici mutilati, invalidi e reduci di guerra is founded, which in 1922, at the third congress, would see more than 20,000 members gathered at Bergamo.
With the solemn celebration of the fiftieth anniversary in 1921 the Pericoli presidency ends.
In September, on the occasion of the great international pilgrimage of 50,000 young people, the Segretariato internazionale della gioventù cattolica is born.
With the advent of fascism, one by one the works yield before the violence of the regime: in 1926 the Unione reduci, in 1928 the F.A.S.C.I. and the A.S.C.I. In 1931 the Società della G.C.I. was even suppressed, but the Holy Father Pius XI, who in 1929 had signed the Conciliazione with the Italian State, reacted forcefully and the G.C.I. was able to live again with a renewed face. Its name also changed, becoming «Gioventù italiana di azione cattolica» (2 Sept. 1931), but the program did not change.
Under the presidency of avv. Corsanego (1922-28) and of avv. Jervolino (1928-34) the G.C.I. took gigantic steps: the press becomes ever more effective, the organization more widespread, the specialization of the «aspiranti» (that is, of boys from 10 to 15 years of age) is born, national study weeks for leaders are promoted, held periodically in Rome, «Gioventù italica» arises, which shortly afterwards becomes the A.V.E. (Editrice della gioventù).
In 1934 His Holiness Pius XI appointed prof. Luigi Gedda (1934-46) central president. The Gioventù di A.C. becomes ever more a powerful school of formation. Its educational method is set on scientific foundations and its structure is ever more closely attuned to the needs of modern times.
Alongside the aspirants arise the iuniores, that is, the physiognomy and organized life of young people from 16 to 21 years of age take definite shape; then the picture will be completed with the seniores movement (21-30 years).
From the mass of young people of the individual parish associations the élites begin to stand out, in order to give them a greater commitment and formation: the "capi" for the aspirants, and the "guide" for the iuniores, while all the seniores are called to be "militanti".
Furthermore, young people are further differentiated into students, workers, and rural youth, in order to set up an educational action that is more effective and more attuned to the needs of each, and to win over more directly their respective environments of life.
Every year the Central Presidency launches a theme called the "annual campaign".
The Associations receive from the National Center the practical aids to organize the study cycle on the proposed theme, in two phases, one internal, longer and more demanding for the young people of Catholic Action, the other external, in synthetic and lively form, for all the young people of the parish. The themes of the 16 annual campaigns were these:
1) Sanctification of the feast day. 2) The parish life of the young person. 3) Strong and pure. 4) Living Confirmation. 5) Servite Domino in laetitia. 6) The Holy Mass. 7) Toward life. 8) The priest. 9) God wills it. 10) Christ in the world of work. 11) Christian charity in social life. 12) Let us save the child. 13) Let us form the man. 14) The Christian and the world. 15) The interior life. 16) The Mystical Body. Then comes the period of the war.
The data are still provisional, but for the liberation struggle alone there are already 21 gold medals, 14 silver, 3 bronze, while the members fallen amount for now to about 1000.
The Works rise again (A.S.C.I., C.S.I. [Italian Sports Center; formerly F.A.S.C.I.], Student Youth, Worker Youth, Rural Youth, Youth Tourist Center).
Since 1946 the Presidency is held by prof. Carlo Carretto. Today the G. C. I. feels itself to be the backbone of Italian youth, and no one any longer ignores the importance it has assumed in national life.
A memorable date bears witness to this: Sept. 1948, celebration of the 80th anniversary of the G.I.A.C. More than 300,000 young people gathered in Rome. The Holy Father Pius XII, receiving the youth in St. Peter's Square, blessed the foundation stone of the "DOMUS PACIS" in the presence of the representatives of 52 countries. The motto of 1868: "Prayer - action - sacrifice" signed by Fani and by Acquaderni, has not been belied, but even with different structures it continues to orient and guide the present 500,000 members gathered in 13,000 parish Associations. - See plate XLVII.
Bibliography10 works
Ernesto Talentino