Blessed Gabriele M. Allegra and Maria Valtorta
Blessed Gabriele-Maria Allegra (26 December 1907 – 26 January 1976) was a Franciscan known for completing the first full translation of the Bible into Chinese (1968), followed by the first biblical dictionary in that language (1975).
He was beatified on 29 September 2012 in Acireale, Sicily, by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Benedict XVI.
This biblical scholar was, from 1965, passionate about Maria Valtorta, on whom he wrote in Macao the first exegesis of her work from 1968 to 1970, published in 1985 at the opening of his beatification process. He notably declared there:Producing good fruits among an ever-growing number of readers, I think that (The Gospel as Revealed to Me) by Maria Valtorta comes from The Spirit of Jesus.
His Life[edit | edit source]
Youth and Education[edit | edit source]
Giovanni Stefano Allegra was born in Sicily in the Province of Catania, in San Giovanni la Punta, at the foot of Mount Etna, on 26 December 1907. He attended the minor seminary of Acireale (1918) then the novitiate of Bronte (1923), both towns in Sicily.
In 1926, he went to study at the Pontifical University of Saint Anthony in Rome.
At 21 years old, in 1928, a lecture about Saint John of Montecorvino (1247–1328), a Franciscan and author of an attempt to translate the Bible into Chinese in the 13th century, profoundly impacted him. He decided to undertake a task that would occupy forty years of his life: translating the Bible into Chinese.
Priest in China[edit | edit source]
In 1930, he was ordained priest, took the name "Gabriele-Maria," and departed for Hunan, a province in southern China. There he learned Chinese and formulated an initial Bible translation project.
In 1937, his health forced him to return to Italy, where he continued his studies in languages and biblical archaeology.
In 1940, he left again for Kobe in China where he met the Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, with whom he had lengthy conversations.
This period corresponded with the Second Sino-Japanese War. He could not reach Hunan and took refuge north of Beijing. Adding to these challenges was the loss of the only copy of his translation project.
As chaplain to the Italian Embassy in China, he was not disturbed by the Japanese occupiers and was able to continue his translations. Despite this, he remained active, notably helping missionaries imprisoned in Weihsien, northern China, and obtaining the release of several prisoners. Later, he dedicated his free time to visiting lepers in Macao.
In 1945, together with some Chinese Franciscans, he founded the "Studium Biblicum Franciscanum" of Beijing (Franciscan Biblical School)[1] under the patronage of Saint John Duns Scotus, whose scholarship he specialized in.
Hong Kong[edit | edit source]
The takeover by the Chinese Communists forced him to take refuge in Hong Kong (Kowloon), where he spent the remainder of his life, except for a one-year trip in 1954 with four brothers to the Biblical School in Jerusalem to study the original biblical texts.
In 1965, he organized the first Ecumenical Bible Fair in Hong Kong.
In 1968, finally, on Christmas Day, the Bible translated into Chinese was released, followed by the Biblical Dictionary in 1975. He died shortly after, in Hong Kong, on 26 January 1976. He is buried in the Church of San Biagio in Acireale (Province of Catania – Sicily).
He was known for working very hard, often to the detriment of his health[2]. In his correspondence, he authored phrases such as:The most enviable fate for a Franciscan who does not receive the grace of martyrdom is to die at work.or:
Everyone thinks I am ill: I can still work, so let’s go! The ideal is a value higher than life!
His Work[edit | edit source]
His Writings on Maria Valtorta[edit | edit source]
Gabriele Allegra studied the work of Maria Valtorta, about whom he was passionate. It had been communicated to him by his confrere, Father Fortunato Margiotti[3] in 1965. At that time, the Index was not yet abolished, but Maria Valtorta’s work was already spreading, confirming the words of the Father Berti on the turnaround of the Holy Office[4] in 1961.
He wrote from 1968 to 1970, in Macao, an analysis intended for publication. He recognized a supernatural origin and historical interest but adopted the Church’s position on private revelations: these are given for "the good of the Church and the edification of the Body of Christ", but not as alternatives to public Revelation.
The 11 typed pages, found in his journal by Father Leonardo Anastasi, were sent to the publisher who published them in his "Bollettino" No. 6 of September 1972.
Following the opening of the beatification process on 14 January 1984 in Hong Kong, his "critique," in an updated version, was republished in issue No. 29 of the "Bollettino" (January–June 1984), followed by excerpts of his journal in No. 30 (July–December 1984).
These latter elements were communicated by the same Father Leonardo Anastasi, who had meanwhile become vice-postulator of the beatification cause.
The Bible in Chinese[edit | edit source]
In 1948, the first three volumes of the Old Testament were published in Chinese by the "Studium Biblicum Franciscanum." The continuation of translations required twelve more years of effort until their completion on 2 August 1961, and the release, on Christmas Day 1968, of the first Bible in Chinese. This consecrated forty years of labor (almost to the day) and numerous difficulties.
This publication was supplemented by the Biblical Dictionary published in 1975. His work continues through the Franciscan Biblical School and the Catholic Biblical Institute of Hong Kong.
Pope Pius XII is said to have said of him:Tell this young priest that he has my special blessing and that I pray for him every day. He will encounter many difficulties, but help him not to lose courage. Nothing is impossible for one who prays. I will not live long enough to see this work completed, but I will pray for it in heaven.
The Philosophy of Blessed John Duns Scotus[edit | edit source]
G. M. Allegra was a specialist in the philosophy of Blessed John Duns Scotus (1266–1308), a Scottish Franciscan theologian, notably a defender of the Immaculate Conception[5]. He spoke in 1966 especially at Oxford University for the 700th anniversary of the birth of the “Subtle Doctor.”
His Beatification[edit | edit source]
His beatification cause was introduced on 14 January 1984 by Monsignor John Wu, bishop of Hong Kong.
On 15 December 1994, Gabriele M. Allegra was declared Venerable[6].
On 29 September 2012 in Acireale, Sicily, Cardinal Angelo Amato, on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, beatified Father Gabriele Allegra.
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Gabrielle Maria Allegra and Fr. Teilhard de Chardin – "My Conversations with Teilhard de Chardin on the Primacy of Christ"
- Gabrielle Maria Allegra – "Mary's Immaculate Heart: A Way to God"
Reading Journal and Critique of Maria Valtorta’s Work[edit | edit source]
Notes and References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Later renamed the “Hong Kong Catholic Biblical Institute”, apparently linked to the S.B.F. of Jerusalem.
- ↑ In his later years he suffered from heart troubles and hypertension. Despite that, he cut short a forced rest in Italy.
- ↑ See the presentation sheet of the Maria Valtorta association and the text of the correspondence (archive), in English, on Brother Chrysostome’s site.
- ↑ He attests on his honor that after the polemical placement on the Index, the Holy Office, learning about the encouragement from Pius XII and support from prominent figures, verbally retracted the condemnation, later confirmed by the secretary of Paul VI.
- ↑ See the homily dedicated to him by Benedict XVI, of 2 July 2010.
- ↑ The canonization process, during which someone is declared "saint," involves several steps. In the first step, he is declared "Venerable." By this, the Church declares "the heroic virtues" of the postulant. In the next step, he is declared "Blessed" (beatification), then "Saint" (canonization). The last two steps must be accompanied by a miracle, attesting to God’s intervention. Some may remain at the first stage for a very long time: this is the case with the Venerable Marie d'Agréda for three and a half centuries. Others are beatified only after several centuries (A.C. Emmerich: 180 years) or canonized late (Grignion de Montfort = 231 years).