Vincenzo Toppi was born on 26 June 1925 in
Brusciano to humble and simple peasants. Toppi had total and unconditional love for the
Blessed Mother and desired nothing more since his childhood than total self-giving all for
Jesus Christ. But his piousness was often countered with mischievousness since he liked pranks that appealed to his often exuberant character. He was also noted for his keen intelligence and was seen as a brilliant student due to his academic achievements. His father had initial doubts about his son's vocation but encouraged him after giving him his blessing. He commenced his ecclesial studies on 19 October 1936 in the San Agnello district in
Sorrento and in 1940 completed high school which he had spent in both
Nola and
Avellino where he had completed his theological education from 1944 until 1948. He commenced his
novitiate in the
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1940 when he entered their order and he later made his perpetual profession of vows on 7 July 1947. Toppi graduated from the
Pontifical Gregorian in
Rome in historical sciences on 20 June 1951. Toppi began teaching in
Naples in the old
convent of Sant'Efremo (1957–71) while from 1959 to 1968 serving as the provincial superior for the Naples province of his order; he held exactly the same position from 1971 to 1976 though for the Sicilian province when he was based in
Palermo. It was during this period that he made visits to both
Africa and
Latin America. He later taught at the Ateneo San Giovanni Evangelista in Palermo from 1974 to 1976 of which he was one of the co-founders of. Toppi later published the historical thesis entitled "
Maria Lorenza Longo e l'Opera del Divino Amore a Napoli"; he was also a writer. He once met with
Saint Pio da Pietrelcina and with
Chiara Lubich of the
Focolare Movement. Toppi collaborated with
Catholic Action in
Benevento and with the
Secular Franciscan Order in Naples and he served on the Diocesan Pastoral Council of the
Nola diocese from 1984 until 1989.
Pope John Paul II appointed Toppi on 13 October 1990 as the
Bishop-Prelate of Pompei while elevating him as an archbishop (the holder of the said office was a bishop in rank). Cardinal
Michele Giordano conferred
episcopal consecration upon Toppi on the following 7 December in the
Santuario della Beata Vergine del Rosario di Pompei. In 2000 he submitted his resignation to the pope in accordance with
canon law and this was accepted later in 2001. Toppi died at 1:00am on 2 April 2007 in a Franciscan convent after a prolonged period of frail health and Cardinal
Crescenzio Sepe presided over his funeral at 4:00pm on 3 April. His remains were interred in the Santuario della Beata Vergine del Rosario di Pompei. ==Beatification process==