Benedict the Moor ( it, Benedetto da San Fratello; 1526 – 4 April 1589) was a Sicilian

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

who is venerated as a saint in the

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church. Born of enslaved Africans in San Fratello, he was freed at birth and became known for his charity. As a young man he joined a

-affiliated

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

group, of which he became the leader. In 1564 he was sent to the Franciscan friary in Palermo, where he continued good works.

Life

Benedict was born to Cristoforo and Diana Manasseri,

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

ns who were taken as slaves in the early 16th century to San Fratello (also known as ''San Fradello'' or ''San Philadelphio''), a small town near Messina, Sicily. They were given Italian names and later converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. The

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"il Moro" for "the dark-skinned" has been interpreted as referring to Moorish heritage. Because of his appearance, Benedict was also called ''Æthiops'' or ''Niger'' (both referring to black skin color and not the modern-day countries). Benedict's parents were granted freedom for their son before his birth because of their "loyal service". Like most peasants, Benedict did not attend any school and was illiterate. During his youth, he worked as a shepherd and was quick to give what he had earned to the poor.Venable, Cecelia Guiterrez. "St. Benedict the Moor (1526-1589)", BlackPast.org
/ref> When he was 21 years old, he was publicly insulted for his color. His forbearance at this time was noted by the leader of an independent group of hermits on nearby

Monte Pellegrino Mount Pellegrino is a hill facing east on the bay of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy, located north of the city. It is 606 metres (1,970 ft) high with panorama views of the city, its surrounding mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea. In his b ...

, who followed the Rule for hermit life written by Francis of Assisi. Benedict was quickly invited to join that community, and shortly thereafter he gave up all his earthly possessions and joined them. He served as the cook for the community and at the age of twenty-eight succeeded Jerome Lanze as leader of the group."Black Saints: Benedict the Moor", ''National Catholic Reporter'', November 18, 2013
/ref> In 1564 Pope Pius IV disbanded independent communities of hermits, ordering them to attach themselves to an established religious Order, in this case, the Order of Friars Minor. Once a friar of the Order, Benedict was assigned to Palermo to the

Friary of St. Mary of Jesus. He started at the friary as a cook, but, showing the degree of his advancement in the spiritual life, he was soon appointed as the

master of novices In the Roman Catholic Church, a novice master or master of novices, lat. ''Magister noviciorum'', is a member of a religious institute who is responsible for the training and government of the novitiate in that institute. In religious institutes f ...

, and later as Guardian of the community, although he was a

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

rather than a priest, and was illiterate. Benedict accepted the promotion, and successfully helped the order adopt a stricter version of the Franciscan Rule of life. He was widely respected for his deep, intuitive understanding of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

, and was often sought for counseling. He also had a reputation as a healer of the sick. Combined, these characteristics continued to draw many visitors to him. As he enjoyed cooking, he returned to kitchen duty in his later years. Benedict died at the age of 65 and, it is claimed, on the very day and hour which he had predicted. At the entrance of his cell in the Franciscan friary of St. Mary of Jesus, there is a plaque with the inscription: "This is the cell where Saint Benedict lived", and the dates of his birth and death – 1524 and 1589. Other sources list the year of his birth as 1526. In a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review of the 2012 exhibit, ''Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe'', at the

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, his birth date is given as 1526. Upon his death, King

Philip III of Spain Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621. A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...

ordered the construction of a magnificent tomb to house his remains in the friary church.

Veneration

Benedict was beatified by

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Be ...

in 1743 and canonized in 1807 by Pope Pius VII. It is claimed that his body was found

incorrupt Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their ...

upon exhumation a few years later. Benedict is remembered for his patience and understanding when confronted with racial prejudice and taunts. He was declared a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of African Americans,Foley O.F.M., Leonard. "St. Benedict the African", ''Saint of the Day'', (revised by Pat McCloskey O.F.M.), Franciscan Media
/ref> along with the Dominican lay brother,

Martin de Porres Martín de Porres Velázquez (9 December 1579 – 3 November 1639) was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of mixed-r ...

. In the United States, at least seven historically Black Catholic parishes bear his name, including but not limited to the following cities:

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

;

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;

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

(St. Benedict the African);

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

;

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;

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North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

;

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

; and,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. Capuchin friars of Milwaukee's serve a meal for the homeless six days a week as part of a ministry to reach out to transient, disenfranchised and isolated people. Grambling, Louisiana also has a parish under his patronage, called St. Benedict the Black. The latest church in the United States to be placed under his patronage is the one in Dayton, established in 2003 under the leadership of Fr Francis Tandoh, a priest from Ghana. The parish maintains a ministry to natives of that country, as well as parishioners from two previous

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

es merged to form it. St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church, established in 1874 and located in the Historical District of

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, is the oldest Catholic Church for African Americans in Georgia and one of the oldest in the Southeastern United States. Churches named for him have been founded in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

and St. Augustine, Florida. Veneration of Benedict is spread throughout Latin America, from Mexico through Argentina. In Venezuela, particularly, his devotion is spread through the country's various states, and he is celebrated on many different dates, according to the local traditions.

Gallery

File:Saint Benedict of Palermo NGA 2022.jpg, Statue of Saint Benedict the Moor (c.1734) at the National Gallery of Art's showing of '' Afro-Atlantic Histories'' in 2022 File:Benito de Palermo-AltarSFrancisco LI-PE.JPG, Altar of Saint Benedict the Moor in the Basilica of Saint Francis, Lima, Peru File:Estatua de Sao Benedito.jpg, Statue of Saint Benedict the Moor in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil File:SanfratelloKonvent.jpg, San Fratello, Sicily — the sanctuary of Saint Benedict and the Convent of Saint Francis File:Ventura Agreda-san benito de palermo.jpg, 18th century intaglio print of Saint Benedict File:St Aug Lincolnville St Benedict the Moor church and school01.jpg, Saint Benedict the Moor Church and Rectory, Saint Augustine, Florida, US File:St. Benedict the Moor Church (Pittsburgh).jpg, Saint Benedict the Moor Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US

References

External links

StBenedicttheMoor.orgSaints.SQPN.com: St Benedict BiographyAnja's Art: St. Benedict Wood Sculpture
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict The Moor 1526 births 1589 deaths People from San Fratello Italian hermits Italian Friars Minor Burials in Sicily Sicilian saints Canonized Roman Catholic religious brothers People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar 16th-century Christian saints Franciscan saints Incorrupt saints Canonizations by Pope Pius VII Religious leaders from the Province of Messina African diaspora in Italy African-American Roman Catholicism Beatifications by Pope Benedict XIV

Life

Veneration

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links