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Giovanni Merlini was born on August 28, 1795, in Spoleto, Perugia, Papal States, the third of thirteen children of Luigi Merlini and Antonia Claudi.
Even as a child, Giovanni was noted for his piety. As a teenager, Giovanni announced to his parents that he felt called to become a priest. So, despite his parents’ objections to this, Giovanni began his priesthood studies in 1809 in Spoleto. On December 19, 1818, Giovanni was ordained a priest by Bishop Francesco Canali, a future cardinal.
One day in 1820, the young priest learned from a priest friend that Father Gaspar de Bufalo (now a saint) would be coming to town to conduct a course in Spiritual Exercises. So, the two men attended the course, and this would forever alter the trajectory of Father Giovani’s priesthood.
From this course, Fathers Giovanni and Gaspar de Bufalo became friends and confidantes, and Father Giovanni decided to join the new religious order that Father Gaspar had founded in 1815, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. From that time on, Fathers Giovanni and Gaspar worked closely to develop the order through preaching and recruiting new members.
Father Giovanni proved to be a very popular and effective preacher. In fact, he was so good, that Father Gaspar often sent Giovanni to the places that he deemed to be very challenging. Also, Father Giovanni helped Father Gaspar meet the challenges that new organizations often face, not the least of which was opposition to the order by Catholic leaders. Father Giovanni was also very helping to the new religious order by serving as a formator of Precious Blood seminarians.
Father Giovanni, in addition to being a very effective preacher, was also a gifted spiritual director. One of the people he provided spiritual direction for was Saint Maria de Mattias who established an order of religious sisters.
One friend that Father Giovanni made was Pope Pius IX who, at one time, served as the bishop of Giovanni’s hometown, Spoleto. Because of their friendship, Father Giovanni asked the pope to apply the feast of the Precious Blood to the whole Church. And on August 10, 1849, Pope Pius IX did that very thing. The pope also became a benefactor of the order and helped them establish houses in other Italian cities.
When Father Gaspar de Bufalo was on his deathbed in 1837, Father Giovanni was at his side. And on December 28, 1847, Father Giovanni became the third Moderator General of the Precious Blood Missionaries.
During Father Giovanni’s tenure as Moderator General, the order expanded to the United States of America.
Father Giovanni died on January 12, 1873, in Rome because of a traffic collision. Before he died, he forgave the coachman who had run into him. Today, Father Giovanni is buried next to his friend and founder of the Precious Blood Missionaries, Saint Gaspar de Bufalo, in the Church of Santa Maria in Trivio, Rome.
Father Giovanni’s beatification ceremony is scheduled to be celebrated on Sunday, January 12, 2025, in Rome.
