Giovanni Antonio Grassi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 27th Rector of thePontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide | |
| In office 1840–1842 | |
| Preceded by | Liberio Figari |
| Succeeded by | Giovanni Batta Dessi |
| 9th President of Georgetown College | |
| In office 1812–1817 | |
| Preceded by | Francis Neale |
| Succeeded by | Benedict Joseph Fenwick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1775-09-10)10 September 1775 Schilpario, Lombardy, Republic of Venice |
| Died | 12 December 1849(1849-12-12) (aged 74) Rome, Papal States |
| Alma mater | Jesuit College in Polotsk |
Giovanni Antonio GrassiSJ (anglicized asJohn Anthony Grassi; 10 September 1775 – 12 December 1849) was an ItalianCatholic priest andJesuit who led many academic and religious institutions in Europe and the United States, includingGeorgetown College in Washington, D.C., and thePontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide in Rome.
Born in theRepublic of Venice, Grassi was a promising student ofmathematics and thenatural sciences, especiallyastronomy. He completed his studies at theJesuit College in Polotsk, in theRussian Empire, in 1804 and was appointedrector of theInstitute for Nobles. The following year, he was ordered to replace the last remainingJesuit missionary in China; this began a five-year journey across Europe in which he was ultimately unable to secure passage to the distant country. He instead began teaching atStonyhurst College in England.
Grassi was sent to the United States in 1810, where he became the superior of theJesuits' Maryland Mission and thepresident of Georgetown College. For significantly improving its curriculum and public reputation, as well as obtaining itscongressional charter, Grassi became known as Georgetown's "second founder". He returned toRome in 1817 as ArchbishopLeonard Neale's representative before theCongregation dePropaganda Fide. He later became the rector of theCollege of the Holy Martyrs inTurin andprovincial superior of the Jesuits' Turin Province. Grassi became a close confidant of KingCharles Felix ofSardinia and spent time inNaples asconfessor to Charles Felix's widow, QueenMaria Cristina. He also intervened on behalf ofCharles Albert to allow him to succeed Charles Felix on the throne. In 1835, Grassi moved to Rome as the rector of the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide, a school formissionaries, and was later named theJesuit Superior General's assistant for Italy.
Giovanni Antonio Grassi was born on 10 September 1775 inSchilpario, Lombardy, in theRepublic of Venice. He studied under theSomaschi Fathers, before going to the diocesanseminary ofBergamo, where he studiedtheology for two years and wasordained apriest.[1] On 16 November 1799, Grassi entered theSociety of Jesus,[2] which had beenofficially suppressed by thepope since 1773.[1] He proceeded to the Jesuitnovitiate inColorno, on 21 November 1799,[3] becoming one of the novitiate's first students.[1]
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Due to the nearly worldwide suppression of the Jesuit order, the novices at Colorno were allowed only to pronounce theirsimple vows.[4] Because EmpressCatherine the Great had declined to suppress the Jesuits,[a] the order fled Western Europe and survived in theRussian Empire, andPolotsk (in present-dayBelarus) became the order's center.[6] Grassi went to theJesuit College in Polotsk in 1801 to complete his priestly education,[4] while themaster of novices of the Colorno novitiate,Joseph Pignatelli, assured him that he would eventually return to Italy.[7] Grassi was an excellent student in thenatural sciences,[7] and he completed his theological studies at the college in Polotsk in 1804. He then became therector of the college'sInstitute for Nobles and a teacher of higher mathematics.[8]
Upon completing his education, Grassi began preparing for an assignment to minister toArmenians inAstrakhan, and was studyingArmenian.[9] He and two others were then summoned toSaint Petersburg byGabriel Gruber, theJesuit Superior General.[b] On their arrival on 19 January 1805,[9] Gruber informed them that they would be sent toPeking to replace the one remainingJesuit missionary in China,Louis Antoine de Poirot.[8] The Superior General determined that it would be preferable for the missionaries to travel by sea, rather than overland with a departing Russian delegation.[10]
The General outfitted them with newvestments andchalices for celebratingMass, mathematical and scientific instruments, medicines, furs for the winter, and gifts for the people. The trio departed by sled for Sweden,[11] intending to go to London, where the Superior General had arranged for a ship to take them toCanton.[10] Shortly after departing, Grassi and two others fell ill and were attended by a doctor for ten days in a small town on theRussian–Swedish border. They eventually reachedStockholm, Sweden, on 22 March 1805,[12] where theRussian minister to Sweden informed them that the British would not permit them to sail from London.[13] Therefore, the party instead went toCopenhagen, but discovered that there were no ships that could take them to Canton, and spent a month in Copenhagen waiting for the next ship to take them to London.[14] The party reached London on 25 May, but found no ships that would take them to China.Lord George Macartney, the formerBritish ambassador to China, failed to convince thedirectors of theEast India Company to allow the Jesuits to travel on their vessels.[15]
The party set sail forLisbon, Portugal, where they hoped to secure passage toMacau. Their journey was delayed by a stop inCork, Ireland,[16] and they eventually arrived in Lisbon on 28 September 1805.[17] Theapostolic nuncio to Portugal informed them that due to the Portuguese persecution of the Jesuits under theMarquis of Pombal, they would not be permitted to board a Portuguese vessel without written approval from the pope. Meanwhile, Grassi studied astronomy underCount Damoiseau de Montfort.[18] In March 1806, the three were informed that theCongregation dePropaganda Fide inRome had become uneasy about their mission to China.[19] Realizing that they would be in Portugal for considerably longer, the party began studying at theUniversity of Coimbra for two months.[20] Grassi also started tutoring the eldest son of Count Arcos in mathematics.[21]
Due to an escalation of thepersecution of Christians in China,[22] the Superior General decided that he would no longer permit their mission. On 23 September 1807, he ordered them to go toStonyhurst College inLancashire, England, and await further instruction.[23] Their vessel had to circumvent theFrench fleet invading Portugal, causing it to run out of food and almost run out of water.[24] They finally reachedLiverpool and then Stonyhurst College on 21 December 1807.[25] At the college, Grassi taught Italian andLatin, while studyingcalculus and astronomy.[25] He also studied mathematics and astronomy at theRoyal Institution in London.[26]
In 1810, Gruber's successor as Superior General,Tadeusz Brzozowski, ordered Grassi to go to the United States.[27] Grassi set sail from Liverpool on 27 August, and landed inBaltimore, Maryland, on 20 October.[28] He met withJohn Carroll, theArchbishop of Baltimore, and proceeded toGeorgetown College in Washington, D.C. He found Baltimore "completely deserted," contrary to what a map of the city suggested; Washington was an even greater contrast to the cities of Europe he was used to, describing it as "not even one-eighth ...built up" and theCapitol unfinished. He also discovered the country was largely hostile to Catholics and especially wary of the Jesuits.[29]
Grassi applied forAmerican citizenship immediately upon arriving, and would become anaturalized citizen on 27 December 1815.[30] When Grassi arrived at Georgetown, he found the college in a state of severe mismanagement. Its enrollment had dropped precipitously, tuition was prohibitively expensive, the size of the faculty was inadequate.[31] The college was also operating on a significant financial deficit.[32] In the preceding two decades, the school had had eight presidents, and there was a perennial debate about what the school's purpose should be. Bishop Carroll described Georgetown as having "sunk[en] to its lowest degree of discredit."[31] In his first year, Grassi taught Italian and Spanish.[33] On 12 August 1812, he attained the rank ofgradus in the Society of Jesus,[2] indicating that he had passed theexamen ad gradum at the end of hisJesuit formation and had professed all four vows of the Jesuit order.[34]
Grassi was appointedpresident of Georgetown College on 1 October 1812, succeedingFrancis Neale.[35] He was also appointed by the Superior General as the superior of theJesuits' Maryland Mission, to succeedCharles Neale,[36] Francis' brother.[37] Due to theNapoleonic Wars, the letter of his appointment did not reach Washington until June,[38] and he assumed office on 15 August.[26] John Carroll informed Grassi that the Superior General did not have authority to appoint Grassi as president and rector, as Georgetown College was not owned by the Jesuit order itself but by the Corporation of Roman Catholic Clergymen;[c] indeed, Grassi was the first president who had not been elected bythe board of directors or appointed by Carroll. Nonetheless, Carroll did not oppose Grassi's assumption of leadership, and the board unanimously elected Grassi, but did not confer on him all the powers normally associated with the office.[40] The following year, he went toSt. Inigoes, Maryland, to complete hisretreat before pronouncing hisfinal vows, where he contracted a fever that lasted for a year.[41]
When Grassi assumed office, Georgetown was struggling financially, with just 31 students enrolled, and Carroll was considering closing the school.[42] Grassi immediately instituted a significant reform of the faculty and curriculum, hiring talented faculty and firing those who were inferior. He also improved discipline among the students. The number of subjects taught at the college increased, and the number of enrolled students increased four-fold.[43] During his presidency, he continued to teach algebra,mensuration, and arithmetic. He also instructed students in astronomy, using instruments he had brought from Stonyhurst.[33] Grassi made by his own hand or had a Jesuit brother make woodenorreries (since the college did not have money to purchase brass ones) for displaying the motion of the planets, as well as other apparatuses to demonstrate principles ofmechanics orhydraulics. He also established a museum, that housed these devices, among other items; this museum drew members of the public, including U.S.senators andrepresentatives.[44] Upon request, Grassi used these instruments to calculate thelongitude of Washington, D.C.,[d] and the timing ofeclipses.[22]
Grassi also oversaw Georgetown during theBritish burning of Washington in theWar of 1812. He maintained good relations with the American political leaders and with theRussian ambassador to the United States,Andrey Yakovlevich Dashkov, who frequently visited the college.[43] Though he opposed what he viewed as unbridled freedom in the United States, he approved that it was conducive to thefree exercise of religion, which was banned by some of Europe's civil governments.[30] He criticizedslavery in the United States as being inconsistent with a national spirit of liberty, and considered it the country's greatest flaw, but wrote that the material conditions of some slaves were superior to those of Europe'speasantry, and regarded immediate, universalemancipation as too dangerous.[46] He also wrote of how Black people were children of God and spoke positively of their faith. While he opposed slavery in the abstract, Grassi's appointment as superior of the Maryland Jesuits thrust him into a world in which slavery was accepted and quotidian. As superior, he was responsible for managing the slaves owned by the Maryland Jesuits.[47]
After the pope restored the Society of Jesus in 1814,[48] Grassi negotiated aconcordat with Carroll's successor, ArchbishopLeonard Neale (a brother of Charles and Francis) regarding the division ofparishes in the United States between the Jesuits and thesecular clergy.[49] He took advantage of the enrollment of the sons of various members ofCongress at Georgetown to obtain, through the assistance ofWilliam Gaston (a Georgetown alumnus and the only Catholic member of Congress), acongressional charter for Georgetown College on 1 March 1815,[30] which raised the institution touniversity status.[50]
In Archbishop Carroll's estimation, Grassi had "revived the College of Ge-Town, which [had] received great improvement in the number of students and course of studies."[44] For this, Grassi has been described as Georgetown's "second founder".[51][e] With this great number of students came an increase in the religious and ethnic diversity of students, including moreProtestant, French and Irish students.[41] Overall, this led to an increase in the public reputation of Georgetown.[54] His presidency ended on 28 June 1817, and he was succeeded byBenedict Joseph Fenwick.[55] His term as superior of the Maryland Mission also ended, where he was replaced byAnthony Kohlmann on 10 September.[36]
In July 1817,[56] Archbishop Neale sent Grassi to Rome to persuade the Congregation dePropaganda Fide to reverse a previous order to reinstate several priests inCharleston, South Carolina,[57] whom Neale had removed from ministry.[49] Grassi would remain in Europe for the rest of his life, despite the calls ofPeter Kenney, thevisitor to the United States on behalf of the Superior General, to return Grassi to Georgetown.[58]
His removal from the United States was lamented by many of the church leaders, including one BishopBenedict Joseph Flaget, who had proposed Grassi to become theBishop of Detroit.[56] Notwithstanding initial instructions to return to the United States,[59] Grassi remained in Italy, as his physicians told him that he would not survive a voyage across theAtlantic due to ahernia.[60] While in Rome, he successfully pleaded before the Propaganda Fide for the full canonical restoration of the Jesuit order in England.[61]
Grassi became theprocurator (approximately equivalent to atreasurer)[62] of the Jesuit province of Italy, as well as thesocius (assistant) to the Jesuitprovincial superior of Italy.[60] On 17 November 1821,[22] he became the rector of theCollege of Nobles in Turin, a position he held until 1831.[63] During his rectorship, the school prospered and became the premier Jesuit boarding school on theItalian peninsula.[64] While inTurin, he developed a relationship with theHouse of Savoy, and was appointed confessor to KingCharles Felix and QueenMaria Cristina ofSardinia. As a result of his closeness with the royal family, King Charles Felix frequently sought Grassi's advice on several matters, and died in Grassi's arms.[64]
In March 1821, Charles Felix's cousin,Charles Albert, had encouraged a revolt against Charles Felix's predecessor and brother,Victor Emmanuel I, that had forced Victor Emmanuel toabdicate. When Charles Felix ascended to the throne, he quashed the revolt.[65] He later discovered the role that Charles Albert played in instigating the plot and intended to remove him from theline of succession. Grassi persuaded Charles Felix not to take this action against Charles Albert.[66] In thanks, when Charles Albert succeeded Charles Felix, he pledged to protect the Jesuits in his kingdom;[64] this promise would later be broken when Charles Albert expelled the order from the Kingdom of Sardinia.[66]
On 10 May 1831, Grassi was appointed the first provincial superior of the newly created Jesuit Province of Turin as well as the rector of theCollege of the Holy Martyrs. During this time, he was permitted to continue serving as confessor to Maria Cristina,[22] for a total of 25 years,[67] even though it required that he reduce his duties as provincial. Eventually, he moved toNaples without first notifying the Superior General, and he became the rector of the San Sebastian boarding school.[22] Grassi resumed his position at the College of the Holy Martyrs in 1832, but soon thereafter traveled with Maria Cristina to the Jesuit college inChambéry.[22]
Wanting him to choose a permanent residence, the Superior General recalled Grassi in 1835. He returned to Naples as the confessor to PrincessMaria Vittoria of Savoy. He remained in the city to undertake charitable work during thecholera pandemic of 1836.[22] In 1840, Grassi became the rector of thePontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide, replacing Liberio Figari. He held this position for two years, and was succeeded by Giovanni Batta Dessi.[68] He then served as the assistant to the Superior General for Italy from 1842 to 1849,[59] and was the archivist of the Jesuit generalate house in Rome.[63] His transfer to Rome was made despite strong protests fromFiliberto Avogadro di Collobiano, a Sardinian senator, on the grounds that it would be cruel to Maria Cristina. Grassi also assisted in writing the biography of Joseph Pignatelli, his former novice master, and testified in 1842 during his cause forbeatification.[22] By virtue of his American citizenship, he was permitted to remain in Rome—as well as even wear his cassock in public and teach classes—during therevolution of 1848 and under the government of theRoman Republic in 1849.[22] Grassi died on 12 December 1849 in the house of CardinalAngelo Mai in Rome.[58]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | 9thPresident of Georgetown College 1812–1817 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by – | Rector of theTurin College of the Holy Martyrs 1831–1835 | Succeeded by – |
| Preceded by Liberio Figari | 27th Rector of thePontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide 1840–1842 | Succeeded by Giovanni Batta Dessi |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by | 23rd Superior of theJesuit Maryland Mission 1812–1817 | Succeeded by |
| New office | 1st Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Province ofTurin 1831–1835 | Succeeded by – |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
