Luigi Maria Olivares

Drawn from his youth to the charism of Saint John Bosco, Luigi Maria Olivares obtained permission from his archbishop in 1904 to join the Salesians of Don Bosco. After his religious profession, he taught moral theology and sociology at the theologate of Foglizzo from 1906 to 1910. In 1910, he was appointed pastor of the new parish of Santa Maria Liberatrice, located in the working-class and then-difficult Testaccio district in Rome. Through his kindness, his tireless charity, and his presence among the youth and poor families, he managed to profoundly transform this environment, which was known to be anticlerical. He founded an oratory there and erected a large iron cross on Mount Testaccio. On July 15, 1916, Pope Benedict XV appointed him bishop of the united dioceses of Sutri and Nepi. He received episcopal consecration on October 29, 1916, at the hands of the Salesian Cardinal Giovanni Cagliero. During his twenty-six years as bishop, Msgr. Olivares distinguished himself by his pastoral zeal. He completely reorganized the seminaries of Sutri and Nepi, allowing for the ordination of more than forty new priests. He actively promoted Catholic Action and the teaching of the catechism. Close to the poor and the workers, he did not hesitate to firmly oppose the provocations of the Fascist regime, notably after the arson of the Catholic circle of Nepi in 1926. From 1928 to 1930, he also assumed the role of apostolic administrator of the diocese of Civita Castellana. He also accompanied future figures of local holiness, such as Blessed Cecilia Eusepi.

Msgr. Olivares passed away on May 19, 1943, in Pordenone, in the Friuli region, while preaching a spiritual retreat to high school students. Struck by peritonitis on May 6, he underwent emergency surgery which unfortunately developed into septicemia. In the midst of the Second World War, his remains were brought back to Nepi and placed temporarily in a chapel at the local cemetery, before being solemnly transferred in 1955 to the Cathedral of Nepi, where they now rest. The reputation of holiness of Msgr. Olivares led to the opening of his cause for beatification. The diocesan informative process opened on May 25, 1963, and closed on October 19, 1967. The validity of this process was recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on October 11, 1991, and the Positio was published in 1992.

On December 20, 2004, Pope John Paul II authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Luigi Maria Olivares, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. His cause for beatification is still ongoing, awaiting the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The spirituality of Bishop Olivares is deeply marked by the Salesian spirit of gentleness and firmness, summarized by his episcopal motto: Fortiter et suaviter (With strength and gentleness). Upon his appointment as bishop, he imposed upon himself a rigorous rule of life, promising to love his diocese as a spouse, to consult Jesus in prayer before any important decision, to flee from luxury, to faithfully respect his schedule, and to live a charity ready for all sacrifices. His legacy remains alive in the Roman parish of Santa Maria Liberatrice in Testaccio, as well as in the former dioceses of Sutri and Nepi (now integrated into the diocese of Civita Castellana), where his memory is honored as that of a humble, courageous pastor entirely devoted to his flock.