GIUSSANI 100

Giussani 100 is the access application to the virtual exhibition realized on the occasion of the Centenary of the birth of Father Luigi Giussani (1922–2022).

A rich variety of audio and video content–some of which have never been seen before–offers visitors the chance to encounter the figure of Father Giussani through different narrative keys and exhibition formats. The exhibition alternates brief reflections and comments on Father Giussani–including those of three Popes–with various moments of direct listening to audio and video excerpts taken from his talks and speeches.

Music, images and photographs provide glimpses of the atmosphere of his life. And they document its intensity: the educational commitment with young people, the encounter with personalities from the intellectual and religious world, the ability to dialogue with the most diverse cultural and artistic expressions.

Conceived and realized this way, the exhibition is offered to visitors of all ages and from all countries– it will be available in six language versions–as an immersive and engaging experience, dynamic and shareable.

STRUCTURE

The tour runs into an entrance hall and four rooms.

In each setting, a different angle is proposed for an in-depth study of the legacy and reflection of Father Giussani.

Room 1. His Legacy

Room 2. The Christian Proposal

Room 3. The Story of the Gospels

Sala 4. The Religious Sense

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Luigi Giussani was born in Desio (Milan) on October 15, 1922. He attended the seminary of Milan and completed his studies in the Theological Faculty of Venegono. He was ordained a priest in 1945.

He left a teaching position in the seminary and taught for twelve years (1954–1966) at the classical high school “Liceo Berchet.” From 1965 to 1990, he taught Introduction to Theology at Sacro Cuore Catholic University of Milan.

He was the founder and president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation and of the ecclesial Association Memores Domini. He directed the “Books of the Christian Spirit” series (1993–2005) and the “Spirto Gentil” music series (1997–2005). He is the author of numerous works that have been translated into multiple languages. His most famous text, The Religious Sense, has been translated in twenty-two languages.

John Paul II named him a Monsignor with the title of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness (1983), and appointed him as a Consultant to the Pontifical Council for the Laity (1987) and to the Congregation for the Clergy (1994). In 1995, he was awarded the International Catholic Culture Prize.

He died on February 22, 2005. On February 22, 2012, the request to open the cause for his beatification and canonization was announced. Then Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, accepted the case.