Giovanni Merlini

Giovanni Merlini (28 August 1795 – 12 January 1873) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member in the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Merlini was a close friend of Saint Gaspare del Bufalo who founded the order and was also a close friend to Pope Pius IX who provided assistance in helping the order spread for its activities. He also served as the third Moderator General for the order from 1847 until his death. He was also a noted spiritual director and provided spiritual counsel to Saint Maria de Mattias as she went establishing a religious congregation of her own.

The beatification process for Merlini opened in the 1880s in Rome and took several decades to complete. In 1973, he was named Venerable after Pope Paul VI confirmed that the late priest had practised heroic virtue during his lifetime. The formal introduction to the cause came under Pope Pius XI on 25 June 1927, granting Merlini the title of Servant of God. Since then, the Vatican has announced his beatification would take place at St. John Lateran on Sunday, 12 January 2025.