On April 1, 1783, Father Luigi Virginio wrote to Father Nicholas Diessbach from Milan. In his letter, Father Virginio described the religious situation in the city and the concerns of people in contact with him. His curious testimony revealed the Italian Catholics’ dominant state of mind on the eve of the French Revolution.
The letter shows how unprepared they were for the trials they would soon face. They lived unconcerned. A few were somewhat alarmed by the prevailing confusion, but almost nobody worried about anything except their own problems. At most, they discussed the challenges directly concerning their city and diocese. They were unaware of the volcano about to erupt and destroy an order of things everyone thought unshakable.
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“Since I’ve been in this city, I’ve hardly been around anyone but former Jesuits. I see one of them at every moment. There are also some Spaniards and Americans here, but they cannot work because they do not speak the language, lack knowledge of the moral state of the area and because people not born here are not allowed to work. Therefore, it is advisable to look only for natives of this region. Now, leaving aside those with outside jobs, the natives are usually remarkably honest and devoted to religion. They devote themselves zealously to confession and preaching but think only of re-establishing the Society while appearing a little sluggish about the rest.
“I think this is due first to the climate itself, as the region’s inhabitants explain, and I have felt its effects. Secondly, it is due to the present confusion, which makes some fear and wait to see what direction things will take. The third cause is the lack of news about the moral situation in other regions, about which there is great ignorance; fourthly, the fact that this region is still very well-oriented because the clergy is excellent and the people are very religious. For this reason, they know no other evil than unruly customs and an inordinate love of entertainment.
“One can indeed see some indications of Jansenism in churchmen and impiety in the nobility. Still, they are too recent to evaluate all their dire consequences, the reasons for their appearance and the remedies to apply.
“For all this, we are convinced that much could be gained if there were someone to direct these priests since at least some of them, by keeping considerable goodwill, would certainly devote themselves to the good works proposed. And since they are upright and fair-minded, it would be pretty helpful to acquaint them with many things. One can place in this class an appreciable number of parish priests and other priests of great capacity of heart and spirit who work zealously in the Lord’s vineyard.”
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It is well to remember at this point that each Amicizia’s so-called missionary members had to travel often to encourage existing colonies or establish new groups. He had to study the possibilities of each region he visited to obtain exact knowledge of the prevailing moral situation. He also worked to make as many contacts as possible for potential new Amicizia members or supporters. This letter from Father Virginio is a report on one such trip. He had gone to Milan from Turin to see if it was feasible to establish an Aa or Amicizia Cristiana there. The first steps were to observe, draw up a moral map of the area and establish contacts. He did this necessary work without mentioning any of the associations, and then the members in Turin would decide whether or not to create the Milanese colony.
This letter’s description of the Milanese religious environment reveals that Father Virginio was an attentive and perceptive observer. Milan’s churchmen lived in a society that retained much of the medieval mentality. At least theoretically, they recognized the need to guide their conduct according to Gospel principles. As a result, they found it difficult to switch their attention from that local atmosphere of relative order and tranquility to the severe problems afflicting the universal Church. They restricted their apostolate to questions demanding their immediate personal action. It never crossed their minds to oppose the brutal revolutionary offensive about to be unleashed.
On the contrary, Amicizia’s founders—Fathers Deissbach, Virginio and Lanteri—were aware of the existing Revolution in ideas, sometimes called “the Enlightenment.” They knew that it paved the way for the most profound transformations. They were also aware that this coming Revolution would be universal, insinuate itself into each country according to their circumstances, and adapt itself to penetrate more deeply. Hence, Amicizia had a broader conception of the apostolate. Its attentions were not restricted to local problems but were attentive to all the Church’s afflictions. These observations helped the priests to assist the Church as much as possible. Their profound study of the causes, maneuvers, and dynamism of impiety enabled them to combat it better. To this end, they strove to overcome the blindness affecting Catholics everywhere, to pull the faithful out of their inertia, and to carefully prepare Christian Friends for their work.
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After his ordination, Father (now Venerable) Lanteri gave himself entirely to this work. He helped Father Virginio to form the first nucleus in Turin. Father Lanteri replaced Father Virginio during his frequent trips to establish new Amicizie in other cities. Little by little, Turin’s Amicizia took the form prescribed in the statutes. Then, it began to lead and help other associations whose activities complemented or facilitated its apostolate.
Aa occupied a special place among them. Intended to support young men preparing for the priesthood, it offered its members a broader vision of the apostolate’s problems. Father Lanteri devoted much of his time to Aa and tried to propagate it. However, he reserved special care for a third society. This one, like the others, was exclusively for ecclesiastics and operated secretly like the others—Amicizia Sacerdotale.
The date of Amicizia Sacerdotale’s foundation is unknown. It already existed in 1785 and gathered a small number of zealous priests from Turin. It was the forerunner of many other associations that appeared in that city in the nineteenth century and contributed significantly to the good formation of the clergy of Piedmont.
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