Father Theodosius Florentini(Anton Crispin) was born on 23rd May 1808, in the Munster Valley of Canton Graubunden in Switzerland. His father was Paul Florentini and mother was Anna Fallet. As he lost his father at the age of eight, his education was taken care byone of his elder brother who had joined the capuchins and was teaching at Stans.His uncle was a Franciscan and taught in Meran. Both of them were concerned about the education of the fatherless boy.
Unfortunately the young priest died of typhus at the age of 27. While praying at the grave of his brother that Anton Crispin felt his call and joined in the same order. At the age of eighteen, he made his vows as capuchins at Sitten and four years later he was ordained as priest in 1930.
He worked in Baden for nine years. As Guardian of the Capuchin Monastery, he took an active part in cultural and political disputes and thus became the leading spirit among the Catholics of the Canton Aargau. He saw with all clarity the need to struggle for a new society.
When he was stationed at Altdorf and was engaged in preaching, teaching and writing books. In August 1845 he was transferred to Chur. There he became the parish priest of the catholic community and superior of the Capuchin Hospice. Both these offices he administered for fifteen years until 1860, when he was nominated Vicar General of the diocese of Chur. Father Theodosius had a clear vision and saw and understood ten things where others saw hardly one. During his speeches and lectures he kept audience spell bound. Fired by his enthusiasm they listened him for hours. He was a man of quick decision and if he once conceived an idea he would carry it out despite difficulties and opposition.
Fr. Theodosius had a kind heart. He wished to help everyone. He would part with his last coin to enable a needy farmer to get wood to the train, whether a request was genuine or not, did not worry him much. He completely spent himself in education, care of the sick, the poor and the worker.
His ideas were simple, effective and concentrated on the solution of practical problems.
Fr.Theodosius was a man of practical energy. It was evident in small things. He understood every kind of handicraft and knew how to handle different types of machines. He knew how to work a typesetting machine and a hand printing press. He considered it important to have schools provided with necessary scientific apparatus. It was said of him that he could do anything and everything. The innate interest in tools and technical things probably led to his interest in factories and industries and taught him how to serve machines. Hence his idea to include various practical techniques in the educational and social programme.
Fr. Theodosius was like a physician who felt impelled to bring healing to his time. He wished to help all in their corporal and spiritual needs. He was convinced that such help could come only through the Church, by manifesting God’s love and on his part he looked upon his work as done in the service of the Church.
His ideas took practical shape: under his direction religious worked for the relief of the moral, intellectual and material needs of time. The two congregations founded by him at Menzingen and Ingenbohl helped him in realization of his plans.
Fr. Theodosius did all this through his boundless confidence in God. God was his partner in all his financial calculation. “Where would I be with your weak confidence in God,” he used to say to those of little faith.
Although Fr. Theodosius regarded the Catholic Church as the authority to solve the social problems, in practice he co-operated intensely with Protestants and Liberals of various views who shared his concerns and were occupied with works similar to that of his. This resulted in astounding mutual sympathies.
Fr. Theodosius lived a life of great simplicity. Hewas a popular preacher and good confessor. It is said that at night he would keep his vigil of prayer in the crypt of the cathedral. The untiring worker, entangled in business, plans and cares said of him, “I do not think that there is an hour in my priestly life, when God was not consciously present to me. Death may strike me where it will never find me unprepared.” Before his death he had written these last lines:
In essential matters unity,
In doubtful ones freedom,
In everything love.
His people gave him a tomb stone that reads -
To a noble priest,
The teacher of youth,
The nurse of the sick,
The father of the poor.
He died on 15th February 1865. He died but his spirit will remain forever through holy cross Sisters all over the world.