Angelo da Furci (1246 - 6 February 1327) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
and a professed member of the
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were f ...
.
He was a friend and student of
Giles of Rome
Giles of Rome O.S.A. ( Latin: ''Aegidius Romanus''; Italian: ''Egidio Colonna''; c. 1243 – 22 December 1316), was a Medieval philosopher and Scholastic theologian and a friar of the Order of St Augustine, who was also appointed to the ...
and served as Prior Provincial of the
Abruzzi
Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
branch of the congregation.
The recognition of his "cultus" (or popular following) allowed for
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
to preside over his beatification on 20 December 1888.
[
]
Life
Angelo da Furci was born in 1246 to Adalitto and Albazia. The couple was childless and begged for the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
for a son.[
During his childhood he was sent to a ]Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...
where his maternal uncle served as the Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...
.[ He received his education there at the convent of Cornaclano until the death of his uncle in 1264, which prompted him to return home; he completed his philosophical and literary studies with high results.][ Adalitto fell ill in 1265 and revealed to his son the truth about the circumstances of his birth while suggesting that his son become a member of the ]Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were f ...
; his father died not long after.[ The death of his father solidified his decision to do so but he did not seek admission straight after since he remained at home with his aging and despairing mother in order to care for her.
In 1266 he left his home and requested permission to join the order while starting his period of ]novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
and making his profession.[ He underwent theological studies until 1270 when he was ]ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...
to the priesthood.[ He was then sent to ]Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
in 1271 for further studies where one of his teachers was Giles of Rome
Giles of Rome O.S.A. ( Latin: ''Aegidius Romanus''; Italian: ''Egidio Colonna''; c. 1243 – 22 December 1316), was a Medieval philosopher and Scholastic theologian and a friar of the Order of St Augustine, who was also appointed to the ...
- the latter became a close friend as well. The priest earned a Lector's Degree in 1276 and then taught theological studies back in Abruzzo
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
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, demographics1 ...
for 5 years.[ Officials made the unanimous decision in a meeting of 1287 to elect him as Prior Provincial of the Abruzzese branches of the order and he refused at first before Clement of Osimo required him to accept the nomination.][ He proved competent and became well-known for his evangelic zeal and his uprightness as well as being noted for his gentleness of spirit. He was also a skilled orator.
The priest also renounced episcopal appointments to the sees of ]Melfi
Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768.
Geography
On a ...
and Acerra
Acerra () is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, about northeast of the capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain.
History
Acerra is one of the most ancient cities of the regio ...
that Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV ( la, Nicolaus IV; 30 September 1227 – 4 April 1292), born Girolamo Masci, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1288 to his death on 4 April 1292. He was the first Franciscan to be ele ...
offered to him.[
He retired at the age of 81 due to his declining health and died not long after in 1327.][ His remains were later transferred in August 1808.][
]
Beatification
His beatification received the approval of Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
on 20 December 1888 in approval of the "cultus" (or popular devotion) to the late priest.
References
External links
Hagiography Circle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furci, Angelo da
1246 births
1327 deaths
13th-century venerated Christians
13th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
14th-century venerated Christians
14th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
Augustinian friars
Beatifications by Pope Leo XIII
Italian beatified people
People from Chieti
University of Paris alumni
Venerated Catholics
Italian expatriates in France