Guglielmo Giacomo Ghilardi

Due to fragile health, Father Faustino could not dedicate himself to the itinerant preaching he so desired. His superiors then directed him toward teaching, formation, and study. On October 5, 1890, he obtained in Assisi the title of "General Reader in Humane Letters" (Lettore Generale in litteras humaniores), which authorized him to teach in the colleges and high schools of the Order. He taught successively in several Franciscan seminaries in Tuscany: - At the convent of San Romano Valdarno (Pisa) from 1881 to 1883. - At the convent of San Vivaldo in Montaione (Volterra) from 1883 to 1887. - At the convent of Giaccherino from 1898 to 1901. Within the Franciscan province of Tuscany, he also held the offices of provincial definitor, master of novices, and guardian (superior) at the convent of Fucecchio (Florence), as well as master of novices at the Calvary of Pistoia. In 1907, he was sent again to the convent of San Vivaldo, where he remained until his death in 1937. In total, he spent 44 years of his life in this place of solitude and prayer (from 1883 to 1897, then from 1907 to 1937). He served there as a teacher, master of novices, and guardian. Parallel to his pastoral and formation duties, Father Faustino dedicated himself to historical research and writing. He published numerous works on Franciscan spirituality and biographies of saints of his Order, notably on Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Lucchese of Poggibonsi, and Blessed James of Bitetto. He was particularly interested in the history of the convent of San Vivaldo and its "Sacred Mount" (Sacro Monte), publishing several reference studies. Thanks to his rigorous historical research, the cult of Saint Vivaldo (considered a saint by popular devotion) was officially confirmed by Pope Saint Pius X, who proclaimed him blessed in 1908.

Father Faustino Ghilardi passed away on October 25, 1937, at the convent of San Vivaldo in Montaione. He was buried in the chapel of the Cenacle of San Vivaldo. Due to his solid reputation for holiness, a diocesan informative process was opened in 1963 in the diocese of Volterra to collect testimonies regarding his life and virtues. The cause was subsequently transmitted to Rome, to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

On February 7, 2014, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Faustino Ghilardi, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. To this day, no miracle has yet been officially recognized by the Holy See to pave the way for his beatification. The cause remains pending, awaiting the recognition of an inexplicable healing attributed to his intercession.

The spirituality of Father Faustino Ghilardi is deeply rooted in the charism of Saint Francis of Assisi. He embodied in an exemplary manner the figure of the "true friar minor," the title of his major spiritual work, Il Vero Frate Minore (published in 1898), which serves as a spiritual testament and an indirect autobiography.

He distinguished himself through a heroic practice of Franciscan poverty. Anxious to avoid any waste, he used the smallest scrap of paper to write his notes and wrote near the window to save lamp oil by taking advantage of the last light of day. He slept in an extremely bare cell and was content with the bare necessities.

As master of novices, he marked generations of young Franciscans through his daily example, his gentleness, and his spiritual rigor, transmitting to them a demanding love for the rule and the life of perfection.