Cagliari commemorates Saint Joseph Calasanz, founder of the Piarist Order, who arrived in the city in the late 1640s. Today, Tuesday, August 25th, his liturgical feast day, a Mass officiated by Father Marco Lai will be celebrated at 6:00 PM in the Church of Sant'Eulalia. This is an opportunity to keep alive the memory of the priest who—as scholar Franco Meloni, editor of Aladinpensiero and a member of Unica Alumni, writes in Giornalia—founded, in 1597, Europe's first free public school for the children of less well-off families.
"Saint Joseph Calasanz," Meloni explains, "was proclaimed "Patron before God of all Christian popular schools in the world" by Pius XII in 1948. He was a friend of great scientists such as Galileo Galilei and Tommaso Campanella. He too was persecuted by the Holy Office. His Order has left a profound mark on the island due to its uninterrupted commitment to education."
In the Castello district, next to the Elephant Tower , the College buildings and the church, damaged by Anglo-American bombing in 1943 , remain in memory of the Saint. In recent times, it has experienced a turbulent period. For many years, it has been unusable due to restoration work that has dragged on well beyond the planned timeframe. Franco Meloni has proposed to Rector Francesco Mola "that the University acquire the church for cultural purposes, which could be entrusted to the newly formed Unica Alumni Association. Discussions on this matter must be initiated with all interested parties."
It would be a way to return it to the city and bring the human and religious journey of Saint Joseph Calasanzio to the forefront of the public's attention: "It is important," concludes Franco Meloni, "to plan cultural activities and celebrations related to worship (in some circumstances) in the church dedicated to the Saint who cared about the rights of the less well-off and believed in the saving power of education."
