Antonio Grassi (13 November 1592 – 13 December 1671), born Vincenzo Grassi, was an Italian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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

Oratorians An Oratorian is a member of one of the following religious orders: * Oratory of Saint Philip Neri (Roman Catholic), who use the postnominal letters C.O. * Oratory of Jesus (Roman Catholic) * Oratory of the Good Shepherd (Anglican) * Teologisk Orator ...

. Grassi was known for his humble and pious nature with a strong devotion to the Marian devotions of Loreto to where he made pilgrimages on an annual basis. Grassi was seen in Fermo as a famous confessor and a counselor who often served as a mediator between warring factions. But among the Oratorians he was known for his strong devotion to the Rule of

Saint Philip Neri Philip Romolo Neri ( ; it, italics=no, Filippo Romolo Neri, ; 22 July 151526 May 1595), known as the "Second Apostle of Rome", after Saint Peter, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of th ...

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 ...

celebrated his beatification on 30 September 1900.

Life

Vincenzo Grassi was born on 13 November 1592 in

Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest hum ...

to distinguished parents who ensured that Grassi's childhood was both simple and pious. His father died when he was ten around the same time he had contracted a long illness. After the death of his father he began a period of spiritual direction under Father Ricci who had known

himself. Grassi studied at the Curate of Saint Peter and also attended the Church of S. Spirito dei Padri dell'Oratorio for additional studies. He assumed the name of "Antonio" after he entered the

on 11 October 1609. Grassi was later

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 on 17 December 1617 and received ordination from the

Bishop of San Miniato The Italian Catholic Diocese of San Miniato ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Miniati) is in Tuscany. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Florence.sacred 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 pr ...

as well as

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

and the Church Fathers. In his duties as a priest he was known for his devotion to catechetical work and for preparing children for the reception of the sacraments. He also spent hours in the

confessional A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall in which the priest in some Christian churches sits to hear the confessions of penitents. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Churches, but si ...

and claimed that the main task of a priest was to help and to console parishioners who needed to confess their sins. The Governor admired him to the point of putting Grassi's portrait in the town hall as a form of commemoration and recognition for his services as a mediator between warring factions. His devotion to charitable works was boundless: he provided to all those who were poor and sought alms to continue his work. The extent of this was so proverbial that fellow Oratorians criticized him for excessive donations and works – but Grassi said that Divine Providence would provide and would work through them. In 1625 he travelled on a pilgrimage to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to obtain the

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of ...

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

. During this pilgrimage he visited the churches and other places that were related to the life of Saint Philip Neri; he learnt much more about him from Father Consolini who served as a guide. Soon word of his personal holiness would reach Urban VIII and his advisors and this won Grassi the esteem of the pope. On an annual basis he also made a Marian pilgrimage to Loreto where on one occasion a miracle took place: lightning struck him that knocked him unconscious but left him unharmed and his clothes singed; this took place on 4 September 1621. In 1635 he was elected as the superior of the Fermo Oratorians. Grassi suffered a period of ill health in 1671 and had at his bedside the

Archbishop of Fermo The Archdiocese of Fermo ( la, Archidioecesis Firmana) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in northern Italy, with its seat in the city of Fermo, Marche. It was established as the Diocese of Fermo in the 3rd century, and elevated to a ...

Giannotto Gualterio who was with him when he died on 13 December 1671; Grassi said to his confreres: "What a beautiful thing it is to die as sons of Saint Philip!" His remains were buried in the Chiesa del Carmine di Fermo.

Beatification

The Cardinal Leandro Colloredo – a fellow Oratorian – demanded that the cause for beatification be opened in Fermo. It led to a subsequent investigation on his life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it ...

and the verification of two miracles attributed to his direct intercession. Following the fulfilment of these prerequisites,

beatified him on 30 September 1900.

References

External links

Santi e Beati
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grassi, Antonio 1592 births 1671 deaths 17th-century venerated Christians 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Beatifications by Pope Leo XIII Italian beatified people Italian Roman Catholic priests Oratorians People from Fermo Venerated Catholics