Renato Raschi was born in Cetona (Siena) on the 6th of July, 1902 to Federico and Ida Moretti. He entered the Order of Friars Minor in February 1921 as a clerical aspirant. In November of 1924 he was received canonically, assuming the name of Bonaventura Maria. He spent his novitiate in Padova, where he took his vows in 1925. In 1929 he received the Orders Minor in Susa, and in that same year, on the feast of the Immaculate, he took his solemn vows.

After a period as Subdeacon and Deacon, he was ordained as a priest on June 29th, 1930.
The 1952 in the Provincial Chapter of St. Francis of Albaro, he was elected Provincial Minister, an assignment which was confirmed for the second time at the Provincial Chapter in 1955. He wound up as the Superior of the "Small City of the Immaculate".

         
 
 

FROM THE HOMILY BY FATHER RASCHI ON 4TH NOVEMBER 1979

 

But I have not grown under the skirts of a Father Guardian, which I do ...

I have taken Brother when I was on the verge of a good banking career and yet I came away and I've done with religious conviction, because we believe.

 

FROM THE HOMILY BY FATHER RASCHI ON 6TH January 1980 10:30 am

 

I read and I say it even if I had said to you. I read in the book entitled “Working 43” written by Maria Valtorta famous, which I had the joy is a little 'feel, you understand, but also happiness, to assist close to death while celebrating his Mass close to his read, his book, this book very famous and always will be more famous, he says in a paragraph of a terrible thing. A terrible thing. He says that three quarters, three quarters of humanity is of the beast. Three-quarters of humanity is the beast, only a quarter of God Jesus adds these words, Jesus has said, and says, and sadly, these My sacrifice was in vain. Calvary vain then, as if he had not paid even one drop of blood, empty your prayer “Father forgive them for they know not what you do” in vain. Vana your affliction “Father why hast thou forsaken me? My soul is sad until death.”

Vano the sweat of blood in the Garden of Olives, led by an atrocity agony, with the most by the Spirit from the body. This, suffered by the Savior, for the redemption of the men of yesterday, today and tomorrow, as the fruit has three quarters of humanity who are of the beast, for which three quarters, vain is your sacrifice.

This is terribly serious. Well, of our own time? This Yes, Jesus said so in 43, 42, 43. I remember these things, I then, I wrote by hand, because they were not printed, been directly inspired by the mysticism, perhaps the greatest mystic of the church.

We are therefore timely and much improved tremendously murderers and degrading human dignity, we are precisely those points as most, you might say. And I believe we're going to tap the fund. Then what will the end, we think the Lord. After all, at some moment it will be the shot of the sky, the wonderful resurrection of life, will be the triumph dell'Immacolata. But meanwhile we must pass this passion. Here's the event.

 
 
 
 
 

FROM THE HOMILY BY FATHER RASCHI ON 24TH FEBRUARY 1980

 

Now who is he? It is the devil who is the mountain of temptation. I have been there and I saw that terrible place and historically tremendous.

When you hear talk of the devil, I repeat for the umpteenth time, especially when it talks about the Master of the people, the Pope, do not say that we dream, as our press and Masonic diabolical! It is a terrible and frightening reality, and we are aware of how the world goes, just for that.

I remember, even down to Syria, even in Damascus, he saw the so-called tram divided into two parts: a tram at all Persian words, divided by the light, etc., for women and a free tram for men. It was the harem, the harem meant, women. What these people do? Having a lucky ground for oil, if to be successful, I do not know, over the current situation with spite and a little 'to one a little' to another, thus breaking the harmony of man and divided by reasons of struggle and war.

And I say: be careful because the body is now we believe we must if we want, above all, save that our eternity is what is true. It is a beautiful thing.

 
FROM FATHER RASCHI'S MANUSCRIPTS FOR "THE CALL".
         

It was Sunday, January 9th, 1921.
I believe the holy Mass was longer than usual because a monk was making his profession and taking his Solemn vows.
During the ceremony first came the hymns, then the solemn homily, and, finally, homages. It was already around 11:30 by the time I managed to slip all by my self into the Chapel (I believe it was St. Joseph's Chapel), where a splendid Crucifix by Maragliano, (I Believe) was hanging on the left wall.
As I looked at that crucifix, Christ opened his arms from the cross and cried out to me
"COME AND FOLLOW ME".

I let out a cry, and He repeated both the gesture and the words. One month later I was made a Brother: I entered the monastic order on Ash Wednesday of 1921.
I lived a monastic life in the community for a while, after which I spent a year in the military. After my year of military Service

I returned to the monastery and continued my training - in Padova as a novice - all of which led to the great truth of the Sanctuary.

FROM THE HOMILY BY FATHER RASCHI ON 4TH MARCH 1979

I have seen it, the Mount of Temptation. I remember. In 1937 I went to visit the place where Jesus was tempted. I didn’t go on purpose because I couldn’t afford it, but as I was preaching in Turkey I went to the Holy land and visited everything in the Holy Land. This is how I visited the place.

 

 
 
 
 
 

FROM THE HOMILY BY FATHER RASCHI ON 25TH NOVEMBER 1979

… As a good humble and faithful subject I say :”My Lord, please, will You show Yourself a little? Will You work inside me with Your law of love so that I could taste Your love and the knowledge of You?”

Mah... the Lord... the Lord answers, you know, to these questions. And, a lot of times, He answers in a colossal way. We face some impressive statements. We attain something enormous.

I remember, at the pulpit at Our Lady of Lourdes, at the time there was a pulpit in the grotto, and I had to preach there. They obliged me to do it saying that it was too easy to ask for some graces from the Virgin without working, so I had to preach. And I went to the pulpit thinking that I was going to sermonize to about 400 Italians, while the pilgrims present who had invaded the whole square and its surroundings were more than 52 thousand, from all the nations of the world. And so? I was embarrassed and said: “My Lord, show Yourself to me, help me”.

And I had only the time to utter a few words that I noticed that the people in the crowd had handkerchiefs in their hands and were wiping their tears. What had they understood if I had just begun to speak? And the thing went on for almost half an hour. It was a real Whitsunday.

The Lord answered one simple and logic question. What can a Priest ask, a Priest facing a huge crowd of people speaking different languages and understanding a few ones? In what language can he speak and what can he say?

And then there is the necessity that, at least sometimes, God should show Himself and should make people understand that His reign is inside them and that it reaches their conscience, with the simplicity and, we should say, even the impotence of the poor human word. And so it happened. So that at the bureau at Lourdes, the attentive and terrible President of the civil hospitals of Paris, who was an atheist: he was an atheist, he was able to inquire into the event and at a certain point he said:” I didn’t believe, but today I believe because the event was colossal”.

And God’s subjects, faithful to His reign, had understood the Lord’s word that was poorly uttered by my lips, in an extemporized way, as well as I could, as the case was.

What is this? It was such a manifestation of God’s answer that the hearts were touched and the crowd was crying and the people were praying more and I was obliged to go to a confessional…

HOMILY OF 7 SEPTEMBER 1980

… I was at this time a strange reading of some literature, as we call it, in short, true, hunters demons. Special gifts are exercising against indemoniamento of so many people. Why there?

Believe, I speak to you with a lot of experience. In the past I have exercised many exorcisms and I know what means the diabolical power, do not have the idea. I would like to present some people in some cases. I remember a priest who decorate the title of theologian, a graduate in theology, very educated, who did not believe at all and did not know how to be a priest! But it was found to Sarcina near Bologna, the relic of a great saint where, by virtue of this wonderful relic, exercising the exorcism to free the poor creatures from the bondage of Satan. And what happened? He was so impressed with the truth of this indemoniamento, of the strength of that dreadful creature could not get rid of Satan – especially since the beauty of 5 professors neurologists, assisted checking perfectly and excluding any factor neurosis, and so on. Really a devil who speaks all languages, which identifies consciences, which reveals the sins of those present, which is why so many are fearful. They are afraid of being crooks by word of Satan, for charity! It is better to be afraid that he triumphs, yes. – However this priest said: “I sacrifice everything, all my opinion, but now I strongly believe these things.”. We wanted a kind of fear.

My father, I must say the truth? As soon as I entered the Convent threatened with the revolver if not back home. I said, “if I kill, I go first in paradise.”. The fell the revolver, he began to cry.

God must win at all costs. Behold the power of the Gospel. Just as the world becomes better, the only way you really personifies the religious life. It is not a small poem, a church, Please, it is fine, and then the world continues with all its dirt and smell whole life is disorganized and corrupt. But no, it is not.

Thenus understand it. I am not saying that we must do punched, I say only, in the words of Christ, “dates to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.” This is the great will of the Lord to which at all costs must obey.

24 DECEMBER 1980 HOLY NIGHT

Remember that once the Our Lady in this sanctuary, forgive if you do a trust, as is the same, the Our Lady I said, “speaks clearly.” And Our Lady Shrine in this round and said clearly that he wanted small, simple, pilgrims who need your help, your tenderness. She, the Our Lady? Eh sure.

… I left the world because this is true: to follow this. I worked to follow this. Gentlemen I fell in the midst of life of men to serve this and went up in this mountain that is my Calvary to follow this.

And from there I miss a thousandth of a lie is the truth.