On May 19, 1892, Celestino Zini Sch.P. died in Siena (Italy). This marked the end of 67 years of an intense, full and active life at the service of children and young people.
Zini was born in Florence; from a modest family, he attended the Piarist school near his home in the central Via Martelli as a child. Seduced by the Calasanzian ideal of Piety and Letters, he decided to join the Order at the age of 15. After his initial formation he was sent to Siena, and a little later to Florence where he remained for 40 years.
Teacher, director of the school, master of juniors and Provincial of Tuscany for more than two decades, Father Zini stands out for his solid intellectual preparation, his teaching ability and a singular gift of listening and advice in spiritual direction. Convinced of the presence and action of the laity, he started a movement of “Tertiaries” among the many people he directed, inviting men and women to live Calasanzian spirituality.
A man of deep relationships, he met Mariana Donati, a young florentine woman with whom he founded the Congregation of the Poor Daughters of St. Joseph of Calasanz (Suore Calasanziane) in 1889. Appointed archbishop of Siena, he would occupy the episcopal see for almost three years, during which he would deepen his vocation as an educator and pastor in the image of St. Joseph Calasanz.
To learn more: www.calasanziane.org
