1597
At the age of 40, St. Joseph Calasanz walked the streets of Rome, visiting needy families. He realized that 80% of children spent their childhood on the streets, unprepared for the future and vulnerable to bad habits. This was not just a Roman issue; it was widespread across Europe. Deeply moved, Calasanz felt God calling him to care for these children. He started in a small school in Santa Dorotea Parish, in the Roman Trastevere.
1601
As the number of students grew to around 500, Calasanz expanded his work, moving to a second house also near Campo dei Fiori.
1604
The schools established by Calasanz at the parish of Santa Dorotea became known as the "Pious Schools".
During this year, the foundational document of Calasanzian pedagogy, the Documentum princeps, was written. This included a Brief Report, a Regulation for Teachers, and a Regulation for Pupils.
1612
The Pious Schools moved to the House of San Pantaleon, which became their Mother House. Calasanz lived there until his death.
1616
The first Piarist school outside Rome was founded in Frascati, and it remains in operation over 400 years later.
1618
Establishes the school of Narni.
On 15th July, a model contract was signed with the lay professor Ventura Sarafellini (expert calligrapher, author of the inscriptions on the dome of St. Peter's in the Vatican).
1620
From October to mid-February of the following year, he wrote the Constitutions in Narni.
1622
On 31st January, Pope Gregory XV approves the Constitutions (Brief Sacri Apostolatus ministerio). Establishes the school of Savona. Receives from the Pope the Church of San Pantaleo to meet the religious needs of the pupils.
1626
Establishes the school of the Duchesca in Naples.
1628
Creation of the schools of Poli, San Salvator Maggiore, and Campi Salentina.
1630
The Collegio Nazareno in Rome, founded by the generosity of Cardinal Michelangelo Tonti, is inaugurated on 1st January. Calasanz is its first rector. Establishes the schools of Florence and Somma (Naples).
1632
Establishes the school of Ancona.
1636
Establishes the school in Chieti (Italy).
1638
Establishes the school of Carmañola.
1640
Establishes the schools of Leitomischel (Bohemia) and Cáller (Sardinia).
1642
On Friday, 8th August, Calasanz and four other Piarists are led to the Holy Office.
Establishes the Royal College of Warsaw and the College of Podolieniec in Poland.
1644
On 10th March, the second session of the Cardinal's Commission, which deals with the affairs of the Pious Schools, is held.
1646
The number of religious exceeds 500, working in 37 houses throughout Italy and Central Europe.
On 3rd February, the Commission of Cardinals held the Fifth Session (last session) in which it decreed the reduction of the Order of the Pious Schools to a Congregation without vows.
Pope Innocent X ratified the decision to dissolve the Order on 16th March (Brief Ea quae pro felici), leaving the houses entirely subject the bishops and ordinaries of each place, with an express prohibition to admit novices.
Calasanz accepted this unjust decision with saintly patience, in imitation of holy Job. But, convinced that the Pope had been misinformed, he did not cease to encourage and exhort his religious to continue, with joy and unity, the work of the schools, which were undoubtedly the work of God. And he also accepts the representations in favour of the Institute that come from various Courts in Europe (Poland, the Austrian Empire, Florence, etc.).
1656
On January 24, 1656, the Brief of Alexander VII entitled Dudum felicis recordationis Paulus Papa V was signed, initiating the restoration of the Pious Schools.
Fr. John García, Rector of San Pantaleo, is elected as the new General. Francis Castelli, Joseph Fedele, John Stephen Spinola and Camillo Scassellati were appointed as Assistants.
1665
The General Chapter was held, where Cosimo Chiara was elected as Father General.
1669
In October 23, 1669, Clement IX published the Brief Ex iniuncto nobis, which began the restoration of the Pious Schools.
1677
Charles John Pirroni, who is considered to be a great restorer and propagator of the Order of the Pious Schools, takes over as Father General.
The foundation in Spain, in Barbastro, was achieved, but it failed 3 years later.
1685
Father Alexius Armini takes over as General, following the death of Father Pirroni. In 1686 the General Chapter ratified his appointment.
Fr. Armini was the first to write a Documented Life of the Venerable Joseph Calasanz, which was published only after his death.
1695
The Piarist presence is established in Peralta de la Sal, the place of origin of the Founder.
1718
One of the most important General Chapters of the 18th century in the history of the Order was held. At this Chapter, various ordinances were issued concerning the studies of the young and numerous other aspects of Piarist life.
1748
On August 18, 1748, Joseph Calasanz was proclaimed Blessed by Pope Benedict XIV, who, on the one hundredth anniversary of his death, on the 25th of the same month, went personally to San Pantaleon to prostrate himself at the tomb of the new Blessed.
1767
On 16 July 1767, Joseph Calasanz was proclaimed a Saint by Clement XIII.
1789
This is the maximum expansion of the Order: about 3000 religious, the highest number ever reached in history.
1812
The first foundations were made in America, initially without the Piarist presence prospering. Havana, between 1812 and 1815 (it will last until 1829); Montevideo, in 1835 (it will last until 1875); Camagüey, in 1835 (it will not prosper).
1857
Again, the first Piarists were sent to Cuba where they founded in Guanabacoa (1857) and in Camagüey (1858).
1884 - 1896
Piarist foundations in America:
- Tucumán (Argentina): 1884
- Concepción (Chile): 1886
- Yumbel (Chile): 1886
- Copiapó (Chile): 1887
- Panama: 1889
- Buenos Aires: 1891
- Córdoba (Argentina): 1894
- Puerto Rico: 1894
- Santiago de Chile (Providencia): 1896
1900
Piarist Father Alfonso Mª Mistrángelo, who was Bishop of Pontremoli and Archbishop of Florence, is appointed by the Pope as Father General. He was later appointed Apostolic Visitator of the Order.
1915
Fr. Mistrangelo is named Cardinal by Pope Benedict XV, the first Piarist to receive this title.
1940
A new publication of the Constitutions of the Order is issued, taking over the Canon Law in force in 1918.
1950
The first Piarists are sent to Asia: to Japan.
1963
The Pious Schools arrive on the African continent, in Oussouge (Senegal).
1971
On 15 August 1971, the new Constitutions were promulgated ad experimentum, written in a style and outline different from those composed by the Founder, as indicated by the Special General Chapter.
1997
IV Centenary of the birth of the Popular Christian School, in Santa Dorotea, by St. Joseph Calasanz.
2015
The Calasanz Movement is born, a commitment of the Pious Schools to accompany the pastoral processes among children and young people.
The Fraternity of the Pious Schools is born, an experience where religious and lay people share the Piarist life: spirituality, ministry and community.
2022
IV Centenary of the Memorial to Cardinal Tonti and of the first Constitutions of the Order of the Pious Schools, written by St. Joseph Calasanz.
1600
Calasanz moved the school to the center of Rome, establishing his school near Paradiso Inn, close to Campo dei Fiori.
1602
The Pious Schools moved to Palazzo Vestri to accommodate more children. Pope Clement VIII, impressed by the mission, supported the foundation after Cardinals Baronio and Silvio Antoniano visited the schools.
1605
Calasanz rented Mannini Palace to further expand his educational mission.
1614
Calasanz considered entrusting the schools to the religious of Santa Maria de Lucca but eventually decided to found a religious institute himself. He believed this would provide more dedicated and consistent teachers for the ministry of education.
1617
Pope Paul V approved the Pauline Congregation of the Poor of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (Brief Ad ea per quae). Such was his esteem for these schools that he lent them his name. Calasanz was appointed General Prefect.
1619
Establishes the college of Borgo, next to the Vatican, as well as the Mentana and Moricone schools
1621
In 4 years, the number of religious reaches 77, and the schools for them. But Calasanz was not yet satisfied. Such is the appreciation he feels for that work of teaching and educating, that he wishes to see his Institute elevated to the highest category within the Church, on a par with the Institutes of contemplative or apostolic life, so venerated throughout the history of the Church. Calasanz writes the Memorial to Cardinal Michelangelo Tonti defending the elevation of his Congregation to a solemnly professed religious Order. Pope Gregory XV, on November 18, 1621, declares the Pious Schools an Order of Cleric Regulars (Brief In Supremo Apostolatus). Calasanz is again appointed Superior General. Establishes the schools of Fanano, Norcia (or Nursia), and Carcare.
1625
Istituisce il Collegio di Genova.
1627
Establishes the schools of Porta Reale in Naples and Bisignano.
1629
Calasanz's first known contacts with Galileo Galilei.
1631
The Order is growing and expanding at breakneck speed: 300 religious, with 21 schools. Establishes the schools of Consenza (Italy) and Nikolsburg in Germania (Mikulov, Czech Republic). Thomas Campanella (Italian philosopher and poet, of the Order of Preachers) teaches philosophy to the Piarist juniors.
1633
Establishes school in Leipnik (Moravia).
1637
Calasanz writes the Declarations on the Constitutions, Rules and Rites.
1638-1641
An attempt was made to found Guissona (Lérida, Spain), which failed because of the "Reapers' War".
1641
It creates the schools of Pieve di Cento, Guia (Guiglia) and Pisa.
1643
On January 15th, the Congregation of the Holy Office (Roman Inquisition), while dealing with a personal matter of Fr. Mario Sozzi (opponent of Calasanz), decides to suspend Calasanz from his position as General, to depose the four Assistants and to appoint Mario Sozzi as First Assistant. A General Visitation is imposed by the Vatican.
On 1st October, the special Commission appointed by Pope Urban VIII held its first session to deal with the Order.
1645
Calasanz undertakes the defence of the Order of the Pious Schools:
Presentation to the Commission of Cardinals defending the juridical structure of the Order, the right of the poor to know, the importance of secondary education or Latin, among other issues concerning the serious problem of the survival of the Pious Schools.
In a letter to Cardinal Giulio Roma, president of the Commission of Cardinals, Calasanz asks that the request for the reduction of teaching and the juridical status of his Order not be granted, as this would be to the detriment of the Church, of Society and especially of the poor.
Exhibition defending the right of the poor to education.
The Third Session of the Cardinal's Commission is held on 18th On 8th September, the Cardinal Commission meets for the Fourth Session, at which it is reported that Pope Innocence X reduces the Order of the Pious Schools to a Congregation.
Establishes the school of Turi.
1648
On August 1st Calasanz celebrates his last Eucharist. On Sunday, August 2nd, he receives the communion at the Oratory, in the Eucharist of the students celebrated by Fr. Vincent Berro.
With an admirable interior peace and with a certain hope that the situation of his schools would be remedied, the Founder died in San Pantaleon, surrounded by his religious, on August 25, 1648. His funeral was a veritable apotheosis with which the Roman people paid tribute to Father Joseph, "the saint", as the children repeated.
1659
Father Juan García died, almost suddenly, on February 16, 1659, at the age of 75, when the General Chapter had already been convened for the following May.
Fr. Camillo Scasselati is elected as the new Father General. He was a prestigious humanist, Rector and teacher at Collegio Nazareno for many years. He manifested his love for the holy Founder and collaborated very actively in the efforts for the restoration of the Pious Schools.
1666
The process of beatification of the Founder begins. Fr. Charles John Caputti leads the process.
1671
Father Joseph Fedele was elected General by the Holy See. His generalate was of great benefit to the Pious Schools and he resolved many matters concerning the life of the Order.
1683
The first stable foundation is made in Spain: in Catalonia, in Moyá.
1689
On July 30, 1689, a decree was issued declaring "that there was proof of the Founder's reputation for holiness, virtues and miracles in general".
1710
Saint Pompilio Maria Pirrotti, Piarist, is born. Dies in 1766.
1731
Pope Clement XII issued the Bull "Nobis quibus" of May 1, 1731, which resolved the cause in favour of the Piarists' freedom to teach. With this brief it was established that the Piarists:
- They are obliged to teach the first rudiments of letters and accounts, of the Catholic Faith, and grammar. They are also allowed to teach the liberal Latin and Greek subjects, as well as the sciences, and the major sciences (philosophy and theology), provided that they observe their Constitutions with regard to the minor schools.
- They are obliged to admit poor children, and it is permissible for them to admit rich and noble children.
- They can run and care for youth with schools, university residences, seminaries and boarding schools.
- They can found houses without the consent of the other Regulars, provided they have adequate means, without the need to ask for alms.
1761
The Constitutions written by Calasanz are published for the first time, unofficially.
1781
As a result of the political situation, the Order was divided into three branches: the Austrian Empire, Spain and Italy.
The Constitutions are officially published.
1804
Pope Pius VII, with his Bull "Inter graviores" of 15 May 1804, tried to regulate, as far as possible, the reality of the division of the Order for political reasons, without completely breaking the original unity. Thus the Order had two Generals: one in Rome and the other in Spain.
1837
In Spain, the Cortes passed the Law for the suppression of Religious Congregations, but made an exception for the Pious Schools, leaving the schools maintained by at least by 12 Piarists. But they impose several conditions on them: they will be considered "public schools"; their superiors and their union as a corporation will not be recognised; they will have to be dressed like diocesan priests; they will not be able to admit novices. It is clear that the Pious Schools are eminently popular, and it is the people who defend them.
1861 / 1868
Pope Pius IX (1846-1878), a former pupil of the Piarists of Volterra in Etruria (beatified on 3 September 2000), attempted, in 1861, the reunification of the Order, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
He tried again in 1868 by putting the Spaniard Calasanz Casanovas at the head of the Order. He tackled the issue decisively, but at the same with great tact. He paid a courtesy visit to the provinces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He could achieve no more at the time, but the way for reunification began to be paved.
1893
It began with the publication of the official organ of the Order: the Ephemerides Calasanctianae, under Fr. General Mauro Ricci. It was suspended in 1915 because of the wars, and resumed by Fr. Giusseppe del Buono.
1904
Reunification of the Order takes place.
Pope Pius X, on 22 June 1904, issued the Brief Singularitas Regíminis ordering the unification of the entire Order under the Superior General in Rome.
It is significant to recognise that the Pious Schools, although divided in their functioning, remained everywhere faithful to the spirit of the Holy Founder and united at least in spiritual matters, as for example, in the suffrages for the deceased. As a result, when the Order was reunited in 1904, all the Piarists recognised themselves as sons of Calasanz.
1934
Canonisation of Pompilio Maria Pirrotti.
1948
In the middle of the 3rd centenary of the death of St. Joseph Calasanz, Pope Pius XII, by the Brief Providentíssimus Deus of 13 August 1948, proclaimed the saint "Universal Patron of all Christian popular schools".
1952
Piarist presence begins in Yokohama (Japan).
1967 / 1969
Celebration of the Special General Chapter, to adapt the legislation and the life of the Order to the spirit of the Council and to renew it by returning to the roots of our charism.
1983-1985
The Sacred Congregation for Religious gave its definitive approval to the Constitutions in 1983. Finally, in 1984, the definitive text of the Constitutions was published. In the meantime, the Rules underwent several revisions until they were approved at the 1985 Chapter.
2007
450 years since the birth of Saint Joseph Calasanz.
2017
400 years since the origin of the Pauline Congregation of the Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools.
Canonisation of Fr. Faustino Míguez, Piarist, founder of the Daughters of the Divine Shepherdess -Calasancias-.
