Saint Giovanni Antonio Farina was born in Gambellara in the Venetian Province. At the age of 21, Farina began teaching at the seminary, where he continued to serve for 18 years, and he taught grammar. He was ordained to the priesthood on 15 January 1827 and remained as a teacher at the seminary and even served as a librarian for a brief period and the canon of the local cathedral.
In 1831, he founded the first school for poor girls in Vicenza, and on 11 November 1836, the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts.
He was known for his compassionate treatment of the poor and for his enlightened views of education; he was sometimes dubbed as the “Bishop of the Poor”. He remains the patron saint of his religious order and of his hometown as well as the dioceses in which he served.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Antonio_Farina#:~:text=His%20liturgical%20feast%20day%20is,the%20date%20of%20his%20death.
"Giovanni Antonio Farina". The Holy See
"Saint Giovanni Antonio Farina". Santi e Beati
"Homily of John Paul II". The Holy See. November 4, 2001.
