THE FOUNDER
Giuseppe Lazzati was born in Milan in 1909. He graduated from the Catholic University Bachelor of Arts degree in 1931. For many years (from 1934 to 1945) he was President of the Youth Branch of the Diocesan Catholic Action of Milan. In 1939, having matured his choice for a “lay consecration”, thanks to the Archbishop Cardinal Schuster’s support, he gave life with some friends to the lay society “Milites Christi”. In 1969 this group took on the present name of Secular Institute Christ the King.
From 1943 to 1945 Lazzati was interned in concentration camps in Poland and Germany, thus living the evangelist experience in difficult situations and setting an example of solidarity, fraternity and comfort to the men that shared this painful situation.
In 1946 he was elected to the municipal council of Milan and as a deputy to the Constituent Assembly and then to the Republic Parliament until 1953.
Upon his return to Milan, he lived a period of
theological and spiritual affinity with Cardinal Montini, the future Pope Paul VI, going
as far as becoming President of the Catholic Graduate Movement and then diocesan president
of Catholic Action.
From 1961 to 1964, by Montini’s appointment, he was director of the Milanese daily “L’Italia”.
Upon his return to the Catholic University of Milan as a teacher, he was elected dean of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy and finally, from 1968 to 1983, he was Rector of that University, in one of the most difficult periods of the Italian school.
From 1976 to 1986, despite the progression of a serious illness, he tenaciously persevered in an uninterrupted and impassioned service of apostolate and spiritual accompaniment of many youths, activities that mainly took place at San Salvatore Hermitage above Erba.
Giuseppe Lazzati died on the dawn of Pentecost, 18 May 1986. Since September 1988 his remains are buried at San Salvatore Hermitage.