Giovanni Ferro

Giovanni Ferro (13 November 1901 – 18 April 1992) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate and professed member from the Somascans, who served as the Archbishop of Reggio Calabria from 1950 until his resignation in 1977.

[1][2] His work earned him praise in 1971 from both Pope Paul VI and the Italian President Giuseppe Saragat who awarded him with a silver goblet dating back to the 1700s as a sign of his esteem for the prelate.

[1] Ferro soon came to the decision to enter the priesthood and commenced his studies under the Somascan order on 5 August 1912, while he obtained a licentiate in 1917 in Milan after he had completed his high school education.

[1][2] Ferro made his solemn profession into the order on 14 March 1924 at the Santa Maria Maddalena parish church in Genoa.

Ferro likewise oversaw the repair of the Sacramento chapel in the archdiocesan cathedral and helped in the construction of new schools and sporting facilities.

In 1971 the President Giuseppe Saragat awarded him with a silver chalice dating back to the 1700s in recognition for all Ferro had done in his archdiocese and as a token of his esteem.

The municipal council in Reggio Calabria made him a citizen on 11 August in a unanimous decision in recognition and praise for Ferro's works and for his efforts in the archdiocese.

Ferro suffered from disease in the 1980s that took its toll on his health and led to his death during the morning on 18 April 1992 which happened to be Holy Saturday.

[1][2] The beatification process commenced on 8 April 2008 under Pope Benedict XVI after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints titled Ferro as a Servant of God and issued the nihil obstat (no objections) edict that opened the cause.

The diocesan process was launched in the Reggio Calabria-Bova archdiocese on 21 May 2008 and concluded on 29 September 2011, after having collected documentation and witness testimonies in regards to Ferro's life and reputation for holiness.