House of Friar Cecilius

From Lorenzo Cortinovis and Angela Gherardi, Pietro Antonio, future Frà Cecilio Maria, was born in 1885. The family was very exemplary and earned their bread through hard work in the fields and woods. Piero Antonio was the seventh of 8 brothers and sisters, among whom Christian virtues and the practice of the sacraments flourished. His devotion was visible from his earliest years; in fact, he was 4 years old when, taken to church by his mother, he was invested with Eucharistic light, and from that moment he learned to look upon all the churches scattered over the mountains as the houses of Jesus. Destined for various convents, he held various offices of religious life. Called to arms during World War I, he was discharged for health reasons. A difficult experience that made him more tenacious in his spirit of faith, so much so that the serenity with which he carried out his duties became for soldiers and military leaders a warning and example. He died in Bergamo in 1984. Ongoing cause for beatification.