Friar Sebastião Benito Quaglio

International Guardian of the Charisma of the Militia of the Immaculate.

History

Benito Quaglio, was born on July 20, 1938, in Lendinara, in the province of Rovigo, in northern Italy. He entered the seminary of the Conventual Friars Minor on October 10, 1951, at just 13 years of age. After vows of poverty, obedience and chastity he took the name Friar Sebastião Benito Quaglio.

In Padua, Italy, he completed his studies in Philosophy, a Bachelor's degree in Theology and in Brazil he graduated in Vocational Guidance and Sociology.

His priestly ordination was in the town of Lusia, Rovigo on April 17, 1966. He celebrated his first Mass, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Monte Bérico in Vicenza – Italy, on April 24, 1966.

He arrived in Brazil on November 29, 1966, on the first day of the Novena in Preparation for the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. To this day he has a commitment, almost a love pact with Our Lady, and makes a point of praying the Novena to the Immaculate, every year.
He worked in several Parishes: Paróquia São Pedro, Taboão (SP); Santa Edwiges Parish, Rudge Ramos (SBC); Our Lady of Fátima Parish (SBC); Community of Santa Rita de Jordanópolis Parish (SBC) and São Judas Tadeu Parish (SBC). He took over the Holy Virgin Parish (SBC) on July 4, 1974, where he was pastor for more than 4 decades.

At the same time, he served other parishes and worked intensely at the São João Batista Parish in Riacho Grande (SBC), where he remained for almost three years.

Still as parish priest of the Holy Virgin Parish, he founded the Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro Chapel (today elevated to a Parish) in a large favela, the DER (SBC). The Community developed quickly under the leadership of Friar Sebastião and some lay people. Some time later, the community built a large and beautiful Church, under the Friar's leadership and encouragement.

In these words of Dom Cláudio Hummes, we can understand, a little, what Friar Sebastião's dedication was like:

“Among so many other good priests, Frei Sebastião always stood out for his intense pastoral dynamism and great spirituality. A man of prayer and a lot of action, the Holy Spirit enlightened him – and still certainly enlightens him today – in his intimate desire to get closer to the people, who were entrusted to him in the Parish of the Holy Virgin, in São Bernardo do Campo. Also in others, when the bishop, in addition to his parish, simultaneously entrusted him with the temporary care of another that was vacant. His objective was to evangelize, to bring Jesus Christ to the people in their lives, which were often very arduous and complicated. This continues today. The people responded and respond positively to this pastoral zeal and affection.”

(Cardinal Archbishop Dom Cláudio Hummes, bishop of the Diocese of Santo André from December 1975 to May 1996).

“The Immaculate is the Visibility of God’s Tenderness”

The then young friar Sebastião, even before being ordained a priest, had a burning desire to know and delve into the mystery of the Immaculate, the being without blemish, all beautiful, all God. She was always his ideal of holiness and the model on which he wanted to model his entire spiritual life.
In a moment of deep contemplation, meditating on the mystery of the Trinity, he saw in the Immaculata the creature that would lead him to understand this mystery of love. Then, this prayer emerged from his passionate heart, which presents itself as a true spirituality, very similar to that which Saint Maximilian intuited and offered as an ideal of life:

O Immaculate One, My Heavenly Mother
Make me fight according to the heart of Jesus, to be perfect praise of glory of the Holy Trinity. Praise of love to you.
Holy Trinity, hand me over to Mary; may She lead me, sanctify me. May she take me to heaven close to her, in You, God of Tenderness.
Heavenly Father, I ask you for an immense heart capable of embracing all souls and taking them to you.

Eternal Word, give me your face, make me your living image!
Holy Spirit, infuse me with the fullness of your gifts!
My God, I praise you for the one who is your daughter, your mother, your wife! You created her excellent! Wonderful!
You made her our Mother, the flower more beautiful than your omnipotence
could create.

In it I love you, I glorify you, I sing you!
Make me able to love you, to know you!
Show me your beauty, as only You can do!
Let Her lead me to the most intimate Mystery of Your love!

Militia of the Immaculata

Frei Sebastião came from Italy with the purpose of making everyone know the love of Our Lady to better welcome Jesus into their hearts. He saw in the charisma of the Militia of the Immaculate, a work started by Saint Maximilian Kolbe in Italy, the same spirituality and missionary dynamism that he wanted to undertake.

He then founded the Milícia da Imaculada on November 14, 1987, initially in Santo André, on the same land as the convent itself. With some lay people he began the challenging work with the media. Buying the first radio station was a big challenge: together with Dom Claudio he went to Italy to raise funds and achieved little.

With the help of many lay people committed to the cause of evangelization, encouraged and trained by the Friar, numerous campaigns were carried out in the Diocese for the acquisition of the station and, in a few years, the work developed admirably, becoming thefirst large Catholic network in Brazil. Several other radio stations were acquired by the Association and many broadcasters in Brazil joined the Rede Milícia SAT, broadcasting its programming, today calledImmaculate Communication Network which also has a TV station, and uses all the means that the internet makes possible to evangelize.

Missionary Institute of the Immaculate – Father Kolbe

With the growth of the Network and the need to deepen the charisma, Father Kolbe called the Missionaries of the Immaculate Institute from Italy. The Missionaries reinforced the work of the Militia with great dedication and quality. And once again, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he proposed to the founder of the Missionaries – Father Luigi Faccenda, to start the male branch of the Institute. After much insistence, the proposal was accepted and Frei Sebastião became the co-founder of the Institute of the Missionaries of the Immaculate – Father Kolbe, founded on February 11, 1995. Today there are several priests (MIPK) who work in different places in Brazil.

“Sometimes we have to be “a little crazy”, bold, fight for what we want and believe in, otherwise we won’t achieve anything. Things do not fall from the sky, they need to be conquered, the sky is not a place where things fall, the sky is the mountain, which we need to climb to reach it”.

(Friar Sebastião to the Missionaries on February 11, 2016).

INTERNATIONAL GUARDIAN
OF THE CHARISMA OF THE IMMACULATE MILITIA

A few years ago, Frei Sebastião received the title of International Guardian of the Charisma of the Milícia da Imaculada. He himself explains his commitment from then on:

"AFollowing the appointment of “Guardian of the Charisma” issued by the International Presidency of M.I., I felt the need to work on the elaboration of a Charisma Formation Project, aimed at deepening the knowledge of all soldiers/consecrated people, whether they are from the headquarters local, national and other countries, providing training material in several languages...
I also thought of a “school” structure, where all interested parties can delve deeper into the Charisma experienced at M.I., based on its roots and historical bases; the theological foundation, Marian and Missionary, from the perspective and inspiration of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, with an emphasis on the Mystery of the Immaculate, which inspired him, both in the mission and in the dedication of his life for the love of Christ and his brothers.
The “school will serve any person, lay or religious, or priest, who is interested in seeking support in the Marian evangelizing dimension of the Church”.

At the moment, all that remains is for the physical structure to be ready. The content is already programmed.