The Servant of God, Fr. Lodovico Longari, was born in Montodine (Cremona), Italy in 1889. His profoundly Christian parents, Antonio and Laura, had eleven children, three of whom became priests.
He entered the seminary of his diocese, Crema, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1912.
Attracted by the spirituality of the Apostle of the Eucharist, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, he entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament.
From 1915-1918 he served as a Private attached to the Medical Corps at the front line. Priest, soldier, adorer! Often he would transform his lowly tent into a sanctuary of prayer and eucharistic adoration. His fellow soldiers were drawn to him by his example of goodness and heroic charity.
With his religious Profession in 1920 he began the mission which 
characterized him, an educator of the young men who were called to the religious life. He formed in them an enthusiasm for the eucharistic vocation.
He was called to the government of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, first as Provincial Superior, then as Superior General for twelve years.
He proved to be a man of paternal kindness and gentleness in his dealings with others: he aimed at making them understand and be convinced rather than simply issuing commands. He anticipated the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, employing a style of communion and openness. He loved the “dear and holy Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament” as his family, and worked tirelessly for its development, extending it into a further fourteen nations.
During the Second World War he preached in many different parts of the country. Fr. Longari was appreciated for his simplicity and warmth, and his fervent manner of expressing himself. Many priests found in him a most tender father and an enlightened counselor.
A devoted son of the Church, he became a personal friend of Pope Pius XII whom he periodically consulted. He died on June 17, 1963, not long after the death of the revered Pope John XXIII. His message: let Jesus in the Eucharist become the source and center of our Christian life.
O Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
we believe that you are the one and only God,
all powerful and merciful,
and we thank you for having given us the priest,
Father Lodovico Longari, SSS,
as a teacher and guardian
of numerous priestly and religious vocations,
and as a spiritual guide and model for our souls.
Grant to us an ardent love for the Eucharist,
and for the Immaculate Virgin.
We beseech you to glorify this your servant,
making him a sign of your holiness,
for priests and for all vocations within the Church.
In the name of Jesus and through
the intercession of this your servant,
grant to us the graces we need. AMEN.
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