Quick Facts
- Educated at Saint-Paul-Outside-the-Walls abbey, Rome from age 11.
- Entered the Cassinese Benedictine monastic noviate in 1896, taking the name Ildefonso.
- Made his formmal monastic confession on 13 November 1900.
- Ordained on 19 March 1904 in Rome.
- Novice master of his house from 1908 to 1916.
- Prior of the abbey from 1916 to 1918.
- Procurator general of the Congregation of Monte Cassino from 1914 to 1929.
- Abbot-ordinary of abbey nullius of Saint-Paul-Outside-the-Walls on 6 April 1918.
- President of the Pontifical Oriental Institute from 7 October 1919 to 4 July 1922, and teacher at several colleges and institutes.
- Consultor to the Sacred Congregation of Rites in the sections for the Liturgy and for the Causes of Saints.
- Censor of the Academy of Sacred Liturgy.
- President of the Commission for Sacred ArtApostolic Visitor to seminaries of Lombardy and Calabria.
- Appointed Archbishop of Milan on 26 June 1929 by Pope Pius XI.
- Created cardinal on 15 July 1929.
- Papal legate to several events and congresses in Europe.
- Participated in the conclave of 1939.
- Founded the Institute of Amrosian Chant and Sacred Music and the Ambrosianeum and Didascaleion cultural centres, and wrote for the daily publication L'Italia.
- There was some controversy during the investigation of his Cause for beatification as some people claimed he was sympathetic to Fascism. Evidence, however, shows that he denounced Fascism's meddling with the youth organization Catholic Action, refused to participate in ceremonies involving Mussolini, and condemend racism legislation. The cardinal was primarily concernd with the spiritual well-being of his flock, the physical needs of the poor, assistance to newly married couples in order to create strong marriages, and with the administration of the Archdiocese.
- Died: 30 August 1954 at Venegono, Italy of natural causes; buried in Metropolitan Cathedral, Milan, Italy
