St. Benedict Monastery Online: Memorials

Few people would have imagined that a young man of a poor humble village in Italy could come to the United States and make a great impact in the Church, a religious congregation and a local community in northwest Detroit. Fr. Livius was a man who allowed the power of God to work through him to accomplish great things. Our community as well as a great number of people who were touched by Father celebrated his call to eternal life last Tuesday during his funeral Mass. Our Prior, Fr. Daniel Homan was the principle celebrant at the Liturgy which was also attended by Bishops John Quinn and Moses Anderson. The touching event was highlighted by Fr. Daniel's recount of Livius' life in his homily. Calling him "Cool-hand Livy" encompasses the wit, talent, charisma and pastoral care that characterized his life.

Born in 1913, Fr. Livius grew up in northern Italy of a poor Catholic family. He answered the call to monastic life at an early age after being inspired by the saintly Benedictine, Fr. Hildebrand Gregori (who is now in the process of being declared a saint by the Church). Upon completion of his novitiate in 1931, he undertook studies in Rome in preparation for receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders. Just a year after his ordination, he was sent to the U.S. where he spent the majority of his life ministering at St. Scholastica Parish in Detroit. There, he developed a small wooden church into a large spacious parish along with a preschool, a grade school and a high school. As pastor of St. Scholastica Parish, he was known for the kindness and genuine concern he had for the

parishoners and his ability to give comfort to those who were suffering in any way. Despite the physical shortcomings that age can impose upon a person, Father's service as pastor did not end until January of this year! Although he did not receive a formal education in managing finances, many describe him as being a financial genius and a shrewd negotiator. Through his direction, all our properties (parish, schools, retreat house, monasteries) in New Jersey and Michigan were all purchased and developed. In 2004, the LP Foundation was formed as a resource to serve the various needs of the community surrounding the parish. With the little spare time he had, Fr. Livius enjoyed working in his studio where he developed his talent for making mosaics. Today, many of his works are displayed in our monasteries, grade school and our parish.

During the last year of his life, Fr. Livius endured the burden of many physical sufferings. From diabetes, migraine headaches, a weak heart as well as other ailments Father was never known for being a person who "sat down in misery". On the contrary, his radiant zest for life enabled him to use his broad voice to sing in the hallways of the monastery, share in the concerns of our monastic community and work on mosaics until the night before he was taken to the hospital before his death on June 7, 2007. Father will be greatly missed! While he was still with us, one custom he practiced was to make a mosaic for each of our deceased monks. It seems fitting that no one in the community can continue this tradition because without Fr. Livius, the personality of our congregation will never be the same.