“Italian Interpretations of St. Vincent de Paul” Three Authors for a New Understanding of the Vincentian Spirit: Mezzadri – Toscani – Antonello
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35312/j43kjg98Keywords:
Mezzadri, Toscani, Antonello, Bibliography of Vincentian InterpretationAbstract
This introductory study presents the original contributions of three Italian Vincentian scholars—Luigi Mezzadri, Giuseppe Toscani, and Erminio Antonello—to a renewed understanding of the spirit and spirituality of Saint Vincent de Paul. Written within the context of the post-Vatican II renewal of the Congregation of the Mission, their works seek not merely to recount the life of Saint Vincent but to offer comprehensive syntheses that illuminate the theological, spiritual, and historical foundations of the Vincentian charism. Mezzadri emphasizes the primacy of charity through a historically grounded interpretation of Vincent's life; Toscani develops a theology of the “mysticism of the poor,” centered on Christ's love as the heart of Christian existence; and Antonello proposes an “aesthetics of the gaze,” highlighting charity as a spiritual perception shaped by faith. Together, these complementary perspectives continue to enrich Vincentian formation, theological reflection, missionary identity, and the ongoing renewal of the Congregation today.
References
[Mezzadri] Making History and Writing It. A Study on Vincentian Christocentrism in Dialogue with Luigi Mezzadri, in Various Authors, Mission and Charity. Writings in Honor of Fr. Luigi Mezzadri, CM, edited by F. Lovison and L. Nuovo, Edizioni CLV, Rome 2008, 31–73.
[Toscani] Fr. Giuseppe Toscani, CM. Bio-bibliographical note, in G. Toscani, You Did It to Me. Theological Meditations on the Works of Mercy, CLV – Edizioni Vincenziane, Rome 2015, 211–219; St. Vincent the Mystic. Rereading The Mysticism of the Poor by Father Giuseppe Toscani, CM, in “Charity and Mission.” Annual Monograph of Vincentian Studies, Memoirs, and Formation, New Series, 1 (2020), 35–66; Father Giuseppe Toscani CM’s “Mysticism of the Poor,” in G. Toscani, Becoming Charity. Reflections on the Mysticism of Charity, CLV, Rome 2023, 95–119.
[Antonello] Review: Saint Vincent de Paul, Works, Volume 11 – Documents, Introduction, translation, and notes edited by Erminio Antonello, CLV – Edizioni Vincenziane, Rome 2019, in “Carità e Missione.” Annual Monograph of Vincentian Studies, Memoirs, and Formation, New Series, 1 (2020) 155–159; Review: Saint Vincent de Paul, Works, Volume 6 – edited by Erminio Antonello, CLV – Edizioni Vincenziane, Rome 2022, in “Carità e Missione.” Annual monograph of Vincentian studies, memoirs, and formation, New Series, 3 (2022) 151–157.
(The complete bibliography is integrated into the text).
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