Paolo Manna was an Italian Catholic priest and missionary who dedicated his life to supporting global evangelization. Born in Avellino in 1872, he served extensively in Burma and held the position of Superior General for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). He is best known for founding the Pontifical Missionary Union and creating various publications and movements to foster missionary zeal. Throughout his career, he advocated for missionary work while simultaneously opposing cultural imperialism, influencing later church developments regarding missions.
Life and work
After studying in Rome and Milan, Manna was ordained in 1894. He traveled to Burma in 1895, where he worked for many years despite facing health challenges from tuberculosis. As a writer and leader, he established several magazines, including Propaganda Missionaria, to engage the public with missionary causes. He also founded Italia Missionaria to educate adolescents and created an institute in Ducenta to encourage new vocations.
Veneration
Manna's path to beatification began in 1973. After being declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1989, he was beatified in 2001 following the validation of a miracle. He is commemorated in the Catholic Church, with his feast day observed on 15 September. His remains are located in Ducenta, where Pope John Paul II visited his tomb in 1990.