REZZARA, NICCOLÒ. — Catholic organizer, born at Chiuppano (Vicenza) in 1848, died at Bergamo on 6 February 1915. At Vicenza he taught in secondary schools from 1869 to 1877 and was a highly active organizer of youth circles and founder of the periodical Berico.
After moving to Bergamo, he continued his apostolic work in the S. Luigi circle and in the Opera dei congressi cattolici. He was an effective journalist: he founded the weekly Campanone, became director of the Eso di Bergamo, established an association of Catholic journalists, initiated a society for an illustrated Catholic weekly, and gave strong impetus to the publishing activities of the S. Alessandro printing press in Bergamo. His multifaceted activity also extended to workers, to whom he devoted himself as secretary of the Unione economica-sociale. But above all he distinguished himself in the educational field, where, as councillor for education in Bergamo, he fought strenuously, together with Fr. G. Zocchi and Msgr. G. Radini Tedeschi, to preserve freedom of teaching and promote Christian schools. His influence in this regard was effective at the Settimana sociale di Venezia of 1912, while governmental educational secularism was becoming increasingly dominant. He did not escape muted opposition and street hostility on account of his fidelity to the Church and the pope.
Principal works: La scuola neutra (Bergamo 1881); L'ateismo nelle scuole pubbliche (there 1883); Il monopolio dell'istruzione in Italia (there 1887); Le nostre battaglie (there 1888); Il movimento cattolico della diocesi di Vicenza, (there 1895); Sui doveri dei rappresentanti del popolo nelle pubbliche amministrazioni (there 1895); Preoccupazione dell'ora presente (there 1898); L'Azione Cattolica in Italia (there 1904); 2783 istituzioni cattoliche economico-sociali all'Esposizione di Milano (there 1906); Il problema scolastico nell'ora presente (there 1913); Le scuole comunali ai comuni (there 1913); Il patronato scolastico imposto per legge (there 1914).