Giuseppe RIVA. – Priest, ascetical writer, born in Milan in 1803, died there on 7 February 1876.
Major Penitentiary of the Metropolitan See, well versed in ecclesiastical sciences and hagiography, he was a beneficent animator of ecclesiastical and missionary vocations and a much sought-after popular preacher.
His fame is tied to the composition of the Manuale di Filotea (Milan 1834), of which, during his lifetime, he printed 22 editions, continually expanding and reorganizing the ample material to provide greater sustenance for spiritual formation and devotion. Other works: Esposizione della dottrina cristiana, Le grandezze di Gesù Cristo, Conferenze sui doveri degli ecclesiastici, Il devoto di Maria. At his death, he left his library and the rights to his works to the Seminary of S. Calogero for Foreign Missions in Milan.