Fr. Caesar Gualandi
Caesar, son of Domenico and Luigia Naldi and brother of Fr. Joseph, was born in Bologna on 19.12.1829. After the classical high school, he entered the major seminary of Bologna where he obtained a degree in philosophy, theology and law and was ordained a priest on 18 September 1852.
He totally embraced and shared the mission of Fr. Joseph, that of preaching the gospel "even to the deaf " and he did so with such enthusiasm and organizational genius that he assumed the role of leader, recognized him also by his older brother. To ensure stability and continuity to their work Fr. Joseph and Fr. Caesar gathered around them volunteer collaborators and started the religious family "Pious Congregation of St. Joseph and St. Francis de Sales, for the deaf", which was later called Little Mission for the Deaf, which obtained a diocesan approval in Bologna in 1872.
Fr. Caesar worked with love, intelligence and extraordinary ability, not only to raise the quality of the school, but also for the training of the religious and of the master teachers. He was a scholar of special pedagogy, he visited many Institutes to learn about their teaching system and wrote, together with his brother Venerable Joseph, some spiritual works and on the education of deaf.
Unfortunately he was frail in his health and died at the age of 57, on December 16, 1886, after his paralysis had made him almost motionless and had also taken his word from him, he who for thirty-six years had tried to give his best to the deaf.
Fr. Joseph Moschiano in his story of the Little Mission "The Brothers Gualandi in the centenary of their deaf apostolate" wrote to us: "On the morning of December 16th, the lamp is off. The good and faithful servant entered into the joy of his Lord. The Little Mission for the Deaf lost her co- founder, their teacher, their father, their apostle.
The times were sad for the Church; there were no spirit of sympathy for the clergy and his works. The death of Fr. Caesar therefore, went unnoticed. He was not notice at all, and the press, which especially in those days, deafened every honest and balanced ear, in celebrating sectarian nothingness, making their way with their name, erecting monuments to their memory, was also dumb.
But Fr. Caesar Gualandi goes down in history as one of the greatest masters of the deaf. His name does not look good next to those of the Pendola, of the Provolo, of the Tarra, of the Fabriani ... He did not leave us great literary works, but the two pamphlets Notes of morality and Notes on the Italian language are enough to demonstrate the profound knowledge he had of deaf, the balanced intuition of his needs, the right position taken in the battle of methods".
The remains of Fr. Caesar rests in Bologna, in the chapel of the Sisters of the Little Mission for Sordomuti, in via Vallescura 6.
Caesar, son of Domenico and Luigia Naldi and brother of Fr. Joseph, was born in Bologna on 19.12.1829. After the classical high school, he entered the major seminary of Bologna where he obtained a degree in philosophy, theology and law and was ordained a priest on 18 September 1852.He totally embraced and shared the mission of Fr. Joseph, that of preaching the gospel "even to the deaf " and he did so with such enthusiasm and organizational genius that he assumed the role of leader, recognized him also by his older brother. To ensure stability and continuity to their work Fr. Joseph and Fr. Caesar gathered around them volunteer collaborators and started the religious family "Pious Congregation of St. Joseph and St. Francis de Sales, for the deaf", which was later called Little Mission for the Deaf, which obtained a diocesan approval in Bologna in 1872.
Fr. Caesar worked with love, intelligence and extraordinary ability, not only to raise the quality of the school, but also for the training of the religious and of the master teachers. He was a scholar of special pedagogy, he visited many Institutes to learn about their teaching system and wrote, together with his brother Venerable Joseph, some spiritual works and on the education of deaf.
Unfortunately he was frail in his health and died at the age of 57, on December 16, 1886, after his paralysis had made him almost motionless and had also taken his word from him, he who for thirty-six years had tried to give his best to the deaf.
Fr. Joseph Moschiano in his story of the Little Mission "The Brothers Gualandi in the centenary of their deaf apostolate" wrote to us: "On the morning of December 16th, the lamp is off. The good and faithful servant entered into the joy of his Lord. The Little Mission for the Deaf lost her co- founder, their teacher, their father, their apostle.
The times were sad for the Church; there were no spirit of sympathy for the clergy and his works. The death of Fr. Caesar therefore, went unnoticed. He was not notice at all, and the press, which especially in those days, deafened every honest and balanced ear, in celebrating sectarian nothingness, making their way with their name, erecting monuments to their memory, was also dumb.
But Fr. Caesar Gualandi goes down in history as one of the greatest masters of the deaf. His name does not look good next to those of the Pendola, of the Provolo, of the Tarra, of the Fabriani ... He did not leave us great literary works, but the two pamphlets Notes of morality and Notes on the Italian language are enough to demonstrate the profound knowledge he had of deaf, the balanced intuition of his needs, the right position taken in the battle of methods".
The remains of Fr. Caesar rests in Bologna, in the chapel of the Sisters of the Little Mission for Sordomuti, in via Vallescura 6.