GIOSEPPE TOVINI. — Catholic organizer, lawyer; b. at Cividale Camuno (Brescia) March 14, 1841; d. at Brescia Jan. 16, 1897.
His manifold activity in the legal profession, Catholic Action, and public office was always sustained by Christian virtues courageously displayed. He practiced law as a social apostolate, with a rigorous Christian concept of justice and morality, refusing to plead cases he deemed unjust, even when legally valid. For this exemplary honesty, as well as for his legal knowledge and sound judgment, he was admired even by colleagues of opposing principles. He was a member of the Society of Lawyers of St. Peter and of the Central Committee for the Legal Defense of Pious Works; he is considered a true authority in ecclesiastical law. He displayed intense and fruitful activity in Catholic Action, particularly in the Work of Congresses and Catholic Committees (q.v.); as president of the diocesan committee of Brescia from 1878, he organized the movement by founding parish committees—over three hundred—and youth sections, giving impetus to social action through rural banks, workers' societies, and agricultural unions. Through his personal initiative there arose two flourishing Catholic banks: the Banco S. Paolo in the province of Brescia and the Banco Ambrosiano, which, originating in Milan, expanded beyond Lombardy.
Tovaglia — Altar covered with a rich t. Miniature by the Master of the Codex of S. Giorgio (mid-14th c.). From the Codex of S. Giorgio containing the *Tiforta de beati Georgii martirii miraculi* of Cardinal Stefaneschi (c. 1540) — Vatican Library. Arch. cap. of S. Pietro, cod. 129
He devoted particular effort to the Preservation of the Faith in the Schools of Italy, approved and recommended by Leo XIII, who enriched it with indulgences. For this cause he founded the periodical *La scuola italiana moderna* and spread it with apostolic zeal in numerous writings and speeches. Largely through his merit, the Ven. Luzzago College arose in Brescia, which, after administrative and judicial disputes were happily resolved, became the Cesare Arici, still flourishing today. He also worked for the foundation of Catholic university circles, a League among Catholic teachers, and petitions for educational freedom. Having become a member of the General Committee of the Work of Congresses and of the Board of Directors as vice-president, he enjoyed the high regard of the bishops with whom he was in contact and of Leo XIII himself.
In matters of Church and State he championed the rights of the Holy See, while advocating reconciliation with expressions of true patriotic love. In the Third Order of St. Francis, the Marian Congregation, and the Vincentian Society, he left edifying examples of piety and charity.