Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
October 4, 2000
Italy has provided world with many saints
Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 at the family castle of Roccasecca near Aquino, Italy, the son of Count Landulf of Aquino, a relative of the Emperor and of the King of France and Theodora. When he was five years old he was sent to nearby Benedictine Monte Cassino monastery to be educated.
Thomas was a teacher and writer on virtually the whole range of philosophy and theology. Principal works were Summa Contra Gentiles, a manual and systematic defense of Christian doctrine and Summa Theologiae, a new (at that time) exposition of theology on philosophical principles.
Thomas died in 1274. He was canonized in 1323, proclaimed doctor in 1567; called doctor communis, doctor angelicus, and the great synthesizer because of the way in which he related faith and reason, theology and philosophy. Thomas was named patron of Catholic schools and education in 1880. His feast day is Jan. 28.
Ambrose of Siena
Blessed Ambrose Sansedoni, also known as Ambrose of Siena, was born in 1220 and died in 1286. Ambrose joined the Dominicans when he was seventeen, studied at Cologne under St. Albert the Great, had Thomas Aquinas as a fellow student, and became noted for his teaching ability and knowledge. He taught at Paris for three years.
Frances Xavier Cabrini
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the youngest of thirteen children of Augustine Cabrini, a farmer and Stella Oldini, was born on July 15, 1850 at Sant' Angelo Lodigiano, Italy and was christened Maria Francesca. She was destined to be a school teacher but when orphaned at 18, she decided to follow a religious life. She was refused by two communities, but in 1874 she was invited by Msgr. Serrati to take over a badly managed orphanage, House of Providence, at Codogno which was eventually closed by the bishop of Todi because of fierce opposition by its foundress, Antonia Tondini.
Frances became an American citizen in Seattle in 1909. When she was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1946, she was the first American citizen to be so honored and was patroness of immigrants by Pius in 1950. Her feast day is Nov. 13.
Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy, was born in 1181 in Assisi. Born to a wealthy silk merchant, he was christened John by his mother during his father's absence; on his return he insisted the child be renamed Francis.
Francis spent his youth in extravagant living and pleasure-seeking, went gaily to war and was taken prisoner in 1202. On his release he resumed his carefree ways, was seriously ill for a time and returned to the wars in 1205.
A vision of Christ he experienced at Spoleto, followed by another on his return to Assisi, caused him to change his whole life style. He went on pilgrimage to Rome in 1206 and on his return devoted himself to a life of poverty and care of the sick and the poor. He was angrily denounced by his father as a madman and disinherited in one of the most dramatic scenes in religious history.
Francis died at Assisi on Oct. 3, and was canonized in 1228. Though never ordained, Francis' impact on religious life since his time has been enormous. Probably no saint has affected so many in so many different ways as the gentle saint of Assisi. He is also recognized as patron saint of animals. His feast day is October 4.
Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine of Siena was born on March 25, 1347 at Siena, Italy. Daughter of a dyer and the youngest of 25 children, she began to have the mystical experiences she was to have all her life when she was only six. She resisted all efforts of her parents to have her marry and devoted herself to prayer and fasting. She became a Dominican tertiary when she was sixteen and increasingly experienced visions of Christ, Mary, and the saints, interspersed with diabolical visions and periods of spiritual aridity. She ministered to the ill in hospitals, devoting herself to caring for patients with particularly distressing illnesses like leprosy and advanced cancer. Her supernatural gifts attracted ardent supporters, but many believed she was a fake and caused her to be brought before a chapter general of the Dominicans in Florence, where the accusations were dismissed.
Catherine worked unceasingly to secure support for Pope Urban VI, whose election as pope was contested by a group of dissident cardinals. She never hesitated to censure Urban for some of his actions. He welcomed her criticisms and brought her to Rome, where she continued her efforts to gain support for him. Catherine suffered a stroke on April 21, 1380 and died in Rome on April 29.
Catherine was canonized in 1461, made patron of Italy in 1939, and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Her feast day is April 29.
John Bosco
St. John Bosco was born in 1815 at Becchi, Piedmont, Italy, of poor parents. At the age of two he lost his father and at the age of 16 he entered the seminary at Chieri and continued his studies at Turin where he was ordained.
He began his work with neglected boys at Turin at the encouragement of Father Joseph Cafasso. He was appointed chaplain of St. Philomena's Hospice for girls in 1844, and in an old building on the grounds of the Hospice, he housed his boys. When they became too unruly he was ordered to give up his care of the boys or resign as chaplain. He resigned and with his mother opened a refuge for the boys. He began workshops and schools, built a church, and by 1856 he was housing 150 boys and had another 500 in oratories with 10 priests.The work expanded and he paid for it by preaching, writing popular books and from charitable donations.
John's need for assistants led him to found the Society of St. Francis de Sales (the Salesians), which received approval from Pope Pius IX in 1884. In 1872 he founded the Daughters of Our Lady, Help of Christians to care for poor and neglected girls and followed this with a third order called Salesian co-operators. He died in Turin on Jan. 31, 1888 and was canonized in 1934. His feast day is Jan. 31.
Clare of Assisi
St. Clare was born at Assisi, Italy on July 11, 1194, the daughter of the noble Faverone Offreduccio and Ortolanadi Fiumi.
In 1215, Clare moved to a house adjoining the church of St. Damiano, was made superior by Francis, and ruled the convent for 40 years. The Poor Clares were thus founded and spread to other parts of Italy and to France and Germany, and Clare's influence became such that she was consulted by popes, cardinals, and bishops. She was credited with many miracles, and in 1241 her prayers were credited with saving Assisi from the besieging soldiers of Emperor Frederick II. She, next to St. Francis, was most responsible for the growth and spread of the Franciscans. She died on Aug. 11, 1253 and in 1255 she was canonized. She is the patroness of television. Her feast day is Aug. 11.
Information included in this article was taken from Dictionary of Saints and the 1995 Catholic Almanac.
