Nerino Cobianchi

The life of Nerino Cobianchi is marked by an exceptional charitable commitment, deeply rooted in his daily faith. A tragic event changed his life: the sudden death of his father Agostino, who passed away alone without anyone being able to watch over his body. This event drove him to dedicate himself entirely to the relief of the loneliness and distress of others. In the early 1980s, he founded the Gruppo di Sostegno Padre Pianzola (Father Pianzola Support Group) within his parish, which became the parish Caritas on March 14, 1986. On November 25, 1989, these initiatives merged to give birth to the Associazione Pianzola-Olivelli (Pianzola-Olivelli Association), based in Cilavegna, of which he was the founder and first president (although, out of humility, he wished for Father Mario Tarantola to be the first official president). The association is dedicated to helping the most destitute people, particularly women in difficulty, single mothers, and victims of human trafficking. Under Nerino's leadership, the association's action quickly exceeded local borders: - Aid to Albanian refugees: In February 1991, faced with the massive arrival of Albanian refugees in Puglia, he loaded a van alone with food, clothing, and medicine and drove all night to bring them relief. - Support in the former Yugoslavia: During the civil war, he organized numerous humanitarian convoys to Rijeka (Fiume) and Zagreb (Zagabria). - Collaboration with the Exodus group: In 1993, he collaborated with Father Antonio Mazzi and the Exodus group to build a shelter in Zagreb for young people and war victims. - Meeting with Mother Teresa: He also met Saint Teresa of Calcutta to support her works. - Major inaugurations: In 1997, he inaugurated the Magazzino della solidarietà (Solidarity Warehouse) in Cilavegna and saw the creation of a shelter for women and children in distress come to fruition.

The reputation for holiness of Nerino Cobianchi developed during his lifetime and spread widely after his premature death. On September 5, 2019, the Pianzola-Olivelli Association formally decided to request the opening of his cause for beatification.\n\n- September 7, 2019: Msgr. Paolo Rizzi is appointed postulator of the cause.\n- September 18, 2019: The Bishop of Vigevano, Msgr. Maurizio Gervasoni, approves this appointment.\n- January 14, 2020: The Congregation for the Causes of Saints grants the nihil obstat.\n- June 6, 2020: The diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness is solemnly opened in the Cathedral of Vigevano.\n- October 2, 2021: Closing of the diocesan inquiry.\n- January 12, 2022: The decree of legal validity of the diocesan inquiry is issued by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

On January 22, 2026, Pope Leo XIV authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Nerino Cobianchi, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. The official presentation of the decree of venerability took place on March 27, 2026, at the Cathedral of Vigevano, during a solemn celebration presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. For Nerino Cobianchi to be proclaimed Blessed (beatification), the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is now required.

The spirituality of Nerino Cobianchi is that of an "everyday holiness" (santità feriale), lived in a suit and tie, between the commuter train and the bank office. His faith rested on simple but absolutely demanding pillars: daily participation in Mass (sometimes several times a day), frequent communion, the assiduous recitation of the Rosary (which he often shared with fellow travelers on the train), and Eucharistic adoration. For Nerino, the poor, the sick, and refugees were the very face of Christ. He knew how to reconcile in an exemplary manner his duties as a husband and an attentive father with boundless devotion to the most destitute. Stricken in October 1996 with an inoperable cancer of the head of the pancreas, he lived his illness in total abandonment to the divine will, offering his sufferings for the Church and for his poor. Because of his illness, the Bishop of Vigevano, Msgr. Giovanni Locatelli, had to abandon his plan to ordain him as a permanent deacon. Nerino Cobianchi passed away on January 3, 1998, in Cilavegna, at the age of 52. His grave, located in the Cilavegna cemetery, remains an active place of pilgrimage today. The Pianzola-Olivelli Association continues his charitable work today in Italy and throughout the world.