Early life and education Giacomo Abbondo was born in
Vercelli on 27 August 1720 as the second of six children to Carlo Benedetto Abbondo and Francesca Maria Naya (married 8 September 1717). His mother was widowed at the time she married Abbondo; her first marriage was to Giovanni Battista Massera. Abbondo's siblings were Maria Margherita, Pietro Francesco, Carlo Vittorio, Giovanni Eusebio, and another Maria Margherita. The decisive factor in his Christian upbringing was the presence and example of his paternal uncle, Father Giovanni Carlo Abbondo. Giacomo attended school in Tronzano and received
Confirmation from Cardinal Carlo Vincenzo Maria Ferreri on 15 December 1740. It was at this time his religious calling blossomed, and his father had, on 11 August 1738, announced his son's desire to become a priest. The same day as his Confirmation, the cardinal gave him the first clerical tonsure and on 12 August admitted him to minor orders. On 27 May 1741, the cardinal also gave him the minor orders of
exorcism and acolyte. Mgr. Giovanni Pietro Solaro elevated him to the
subdiaconate on 21 December 1743 and elevated him to the
diaconate on 29 February 1744.
Priesthood He felt called to religious life and so decided to join the
priesthood; he commenced his theological studies in
Vercelli where he was
ordained on 21 March 1744. He received a papal dispensation from
Pope Clement XII for his ordination since he had not reached the canonical age for becoming a priest. He obtained a
degree in
literature on 31 October 1748 in
Turin and was assigned to teach in Vercelli. In 1757 he left teaching to remain as a simple parish priest. He tried to help his parishioners to discover the goodness of
God and to know and praise God. He believed that this was of greater importance since the previous pastor was a known
Jansenist. He was devoted to the
sacraments and was a renowned preacher. He loved the children and insisted that he be the one who admitted the
Eucharist to them when the children were ten. He viewed his mission as a priest as a service that had to be available to all people. Abbondo would visit his parishioners in their homes when he had the chance in his role as the head of thirteen churches but also did this in order to maintain fruitful relationships and connections with the people. He scheduled lectures each
Lent season and on 3 April 1759 obtained from
Pope Clement XIII the privilege of indulgences for those that partook of the spiritual exercises offered in Tronzano. He also referred to the spiritual exercises of
Ignatius of Loyola as a guide. He preached to the Sisters of Saint Agatha in 1775 and to the Sisters of the Holy Spirit in 1782.
Death and burial He died in 1788 with a deep reputation for holiness and was well known across the area for the pious life that he led. Pilgrimages to his tomb became common and there were immediate calls for his beatification to commence. His remains were later transferred on 13 March 1922. An elementary school was named in his honour in 1994. ==Beatification==