HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Barnabites (), officially named as the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (), are a
religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...
of
clerics regular In the canon law of the Catholic Church, clerics regular or clerks regular are clerics (mostly priests) who are members of a religious order under a rule of life (regular). Clerics regular differ from canons regular in that they devote themselves ...
founded in 1530 in the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. They are associated with the
Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul The Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul () are a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Anthony Maria Zaccaria in Milan, Italy in 1535. The order is a female branch of the Barnabite Fathers. Their purpose was to be co-workers with the Barnabite F ...
and the members of the Barnabite lay movement.


Establishment of the Order

Second in seniority of the orders of regular clerics (the
Theatines The Theatines, officially named the Congregation of Clerics Regular (; abbreviated CR), is a Catholic order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa on 14 September 1524. Foundation The order wa ...
being first), the Barnabites were founded in Milan, by
Anthony Mary Zaccaria Anthony Maria Zaccaria, CRSP (Italian: Antonio Maria Zaccaria; 1502 – 5 July 1539) was an Italian Catholic priest and early leader of the Counter-Reformation. He was the founder of the Barnabites and a promoter of the Passion of Christ, the ...
, Barthélemy Ferrari, and Jacopo Antonio Morigia. The region was then suffering severely from the wars between Charles V and Francis I, and Zaccaria saw the need for radical reform of the Church in Lombardy, afflicted by problems typical for that era: dioceses without a bishop, clergy with inadequate theological training, a decrease in religious practice, and monasteries and convents in decline. It was approved by
Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...
in the brief ''Vota per quae vos'' on 18 February 1533. Later approvals gave it the status of a
Religious Order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...
, but it is still normally referred to as a
congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...
. Both the date and the vocation place it among the Orders associated with the
Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...
. Zaccaria's holiness moved many to reform their lives but it also moved many to oppose him. Twice his community had to undergo an official religious investigation, and twice it was exonerated. The order was given the name of "Regular Clerics of St. Paul" (Clerici Regulares Sancti Pauli). In 1538 the grand old monastery of
Saint Barnabas Barnabas (; ; ), born Joseph () or Joses (), was according to tradition an early Christian, one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Levite. Identified as an apostle in Acts 14:1 ...
by the city wall of Milan was given to the congregation as their main seat, and thenceforth they were known by the popular name of ''Barnabites''.Schaff, Philip. "Barnabites", ''The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I: Aachen - Basilians,'' p.488, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1951
/ref> After the death of Zaccaria in 1539, the congregation was favoured and protected by Archbishop
Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal in 156 ...
of Milan and later by
Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...
because of their successful missionary work in Upper Italy. Charles Borromeo presided, in 1579, as Cardinal Protector, over the commission which wrote the Constitutions of the Order. The
General Chapter A chapter ( or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the reading of a chapter o ...
s of the Order were regularly held at Milan until the reign of
Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, and he held various d ...
(1655–67), who ordered them to convene in Rome.
Pope Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI (; ; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 until his death on 12 August 1689. Political and religious tensions with ...
(1676–89), however, finally decreed that they should be held in Rome and Milan alternately. These assemblies of the
Provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Canad ...
Superiors were held every three years for the election of a new
Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of an 'order' of religious persons (nuns, priests, friars, etc) or, in other words, of a 'religious institute' in the Catholic Church, and in some other Christian denominations. The super ...
, whose term of office was limited to that period, only one re-election being allowed to each incumbent of the office. The Society started pastoral activity among the working classes and in monasteries. In the early 17th century, the Barnabites gradually entered the field of education – work which was to remain a mark of their apostolate. They entered France under Henry IV in 1608, and Austria under Ferdinand II in 1626. The present Constitution is an updated version dated 1983, which takes into account the changes from the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
. There is a female branch of
Religious Sisters A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and lab ...
, the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, found by Anthony Mary Zaccaria, and an organization for lay people, the
Laity In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e ...
of St. Paul, originally called the Married of St. Paul and sometimes referred to in North America as the Oblates of St. Paul. As of March 29, 2025, the new Superior General comes from
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
:
the Very Rev. The Very Reverend (abbreviated as The Very Revd or The Very Rev) is an honorific style given to certain (primarily Western) Christian clergy and ministers. The definite article "the" should always precede "Reverend" when used before a name (e ...
Étienne Ntalé Majaliwa, until that day provincial father in Belgium.


Character of the Order

As indicated by the official name of the order, the work of the Barnabites is inspired by St.
Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...
. In an address in 2000, to the institute's General Chapter,
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
noted, " pointing out the ideal of religious and apostolic life to his spiritual sons, St Anthony Mary Zaccaria emphasized charity."Pope John Paul II. "Address of the Holy Father John Paul II to the Barnabites", Vatican website
The members of the Order make, in addition to the three standard
religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, many different kinds of r ...
of
poverty, chastity, and obedience In Christianity, the three evangelical counsels, or counsels of perfection, are chastity, poverty (or perfect charity), and obedience. As stated by Jesus in the canonical gospels, they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect" (, ). ...
, a
fourth vow A fourth vow is part of religious vows that are taken by members of some religious institutes in the Catholic Church, apart from the traditional vows based on the evangelical counsels: poverty, chastity and obedience or their equivalents stabili ...
never to strive for any office or position of dignity, or to accept such otherwise than under a command of the Holy See. The focus of the goals of the Barnabite Order, besides preaching in general, catechizing, hearing confessions, giving missions, ministrations in hospitals and prisons, and the education of youth, includes also a particular devotion to the thorough study and exposition of St. Paul's Epistles. Their habit is the black
soutane The cassock, or soutane, is a Christian clerical clothing, clerical coat used by the clergy and Consecrated life, male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in ...
which formed the usual garb of Milanese
secular priest In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. Secular priests (sometimes known as diocesan priests) are priests who commit themselves to a certain geographi ...
s in the time of Borromeo. He himself was not a member but is venerated by the Barnabites as a secondary
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of their Order. The first missions undertaken by the Order were in Italy, France, the former
Duchy of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy (; ) was a territorial entity of the Savoyard state that existed from 1416 until 1847 and was a possession of the House of Savoy. It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy f ...
, Austria and
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
. In the 18th century, they started missions in China and Brazil. Today, they serve in 15 countries. Until 2021 they were active in Afghanistan, where they had run the Afghan Catholic Mission since 1933, interrupted only while the
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
regime was in power.


Saints, blesseds, and other holy people

Saints * Antonio Maria Zaccaria (c. 1502 – 5 July 1539), founder of the Order, canonized on 27 May 1897 * Alessandro Sauli (15 February 1534 – 11 October 1592), "Apostle of
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
", canonized on 11 December 1904 * Francesco Saverio Maria Bianchi (2 December 1743 – 31 January 1815), "Apostle of Naples", canonized on 21 October 1951 Venerables * Giovanni Francesco (Carlo Maria) Bascapè (25 October 1550 - 6 October 1615), Bishop of Novara, declared Venerable on 19 December 2005 * Antonio (Bartolomeo Maria) Canale (10 December 1605 - 27 January 1681), priest, declared Venerable on 26 July 1948 * Karl Halfdan Schilling (9 June 1835 - 2 January 1907), the only post-
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
Norwegian to be officially considered for sainthood, declared Venerable on 19 September 1968 * Luigi Maria Raineri (19 November 1895 - 24 November 1918), cleric, declared Venerable on 7 November 2018 * Serafino Maria Ghidini (10 January 1902 - 13 January 1924), cleric, declared Venerable on 2 July 1994 * Vittorio Maria de Marino (7 June 1863 – 16 July 1929), physician and priest, declared Venerable on 21 December 1992 * Cesare Maria Barzaghi (28 March 1863 - 4 May 1941), priest, declared Venerable on 6 July 1993 Servants of God * Antonio Maria Pagni (21 December 1556 - 26 January 1624), priest * Raimondo Maria Recrosio (1 October 1657 - 1 May 1732),
Bishop of Nice The Diocese of Nice (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nice'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Alpes-Maritimes. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ma ...
* Francesco Maria Castelli (19 March 1752 - 18 September 1771), cleric * Fortunato Maria Redolfi (8 November 1777 - 8 April 1850), priest * Giacobbe Maria Priscolo (1 June 1761 - 17 June 1853), priest * Eliseu Maria Coroli (9 February 1900 - 29 July 1982), Bishop of Guamá and founder of the Missionaries of Saint Therese, declared as Servant of God on 20 May 1996


Prominent Barnabites

Vincenzo Sangermano Vincenzo Sangermano, C.R.S.P., (22 April 175828 July 1819) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Barnabite Order, who traveled to South-East Asia in the late 1700s and worked in Burma from 1783 to 1806. He served in the for ...
was a Barnabite who was a
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
in Burma and wrote several books about the
Burmese people Burmese people or the Myanmar people () are citizens from Myanmar (Burma), irrespective of their ethnic or religious background. Myanmar is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. The Burmese government officially recognises ...
. Barnabites engaged in a wide range of teaching, scholarship, and technological practice during the early modern era. Many Barnabites became great scholars and scientists, including the astronomers
Redento Baranzano Padre Redento Baranzano born Giovanni Antonio Baranzano (4 February 1590 – 23 December 1622) was an Italian Barnabite priest, astronomer and writer who wrote a pamphlet ''Uranoscopia'' (1617) which supported a Copernican sun-centric planetary sy ...
and
Paolo Frisi Paolo Frisi (13 April 1728 – 22 November 1784) was an Italian priest, mathematician and astronomer. Biography Frisi was born in Melegnano in 1728; his sibling Antonio Francesco, born in 1735, went on to be a historian. Frisi was educate ...
, the naturalist Ermenegildo Pini and the meteorologist
Francesco Denza Francesco Denza (7 June 1834 – 14 December 1894) was an Italian meteorologist and astronomer. Biography Francesco Denza was born on 7 June 1834 in Naples. He joined the Barnabites at the age of sixteen, and during his theological course at Rom ...
. Several members of the Order became
cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
. The first was Giacomo Antonio Morigia, Archbishop of Florence (1683–1699), one of the founders of the Barnabites, who was raised to the cardinalate on 12 December 1695 by
Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII (; ; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He took a hard stance against nepotism ...
, though his appointment was kept secret (''in pectore reservatus'') until 19 December 1698.
Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil, CRSP (23 June 1718 – 12 August 1802) was an Italian theologian, bishop and cardinal, who was a significant figure in the response of the papacy to the assault on the Catholic Church by the upheavals caused by the ...
, a Consultor of the Roman Inquisition, and former preceptor (supervising teacher), from 1758, of the
Prince of Piedmont The lordship of Piedmont, later the principality of Piedmont (), was originally an appanage of the County of Savoy, and as such its lords were members of the Principality of Achaea#Princes of Achaea, Achaea branch of the House of Savoy. The titl ...
, afterwards King Charles Emmanuel IV, and then, in 1768, of Charles Emmanuel's sons, was named a cardinal in secret (''in pectore'') on 23 June 1777, and announced publicly on 15 December 1777.
Luigi Bilio Luigi Maria Bilio (25 March 1826 – 30 January 1884), was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who, among other offices, was Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office. Life Bilio was born in Alessandria, Piedmont, I ...
(1826–1884), a Consultor of the Congregation of the Inquisition and collaborator in the production of the "
Syllabus of Errors The Syllabus of Errors is the name given to an index document issued by the Holy See under Pope Pius IX on 8 December 1864 at the same time as his encyclical letter . It collected a total of 80 propositions that the Pope considered to be curren ...
" (1864), was appointed a cardinal on 25 June 1866 by
Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
, and named Secretary of the Congregation of the Inquisition by
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
in 1883. Others were:
Francesco Fontana Francesco Fontana (, Naples – July 1656, Naples) was an Italian lawyer and an astronomer. Biography Francesco Fontana studied law at the University of Naples and then he became a lawyer in the court at the Castel Capuano. But failing to alwa ...
, appointed in 1816 by
Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
;
Luigi Lambruschini Luigi Lambruschini (6 March 1776 – 12 May 1854) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in the mid nineteenth century. He was a member of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul and served in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See. Biograp ...
, appointed in 1831 by
Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...
; Antonio Cadolini, appointed in 1843 by Gregory XVI; and Giuseppe Maria Graniello, appointed in 1893 by
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
. John Bellarini (1552–1630), who was the
Visitor A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can interve ...
of the Order, and twice held the office of Assistant Superior General, was also a theologian who wrote a number of works including an influential commentary on the
Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...
.Luigi Maria Ungarelli
''Bibliotheca scriptorum e congregatione clerr. regg. s. paulli,''
, Volumen I (Roma: J. Salviucci, 1836), pp. 140-151.


References


External links


- Paroquia São Rafael - São Paulo - Brazil
{{Authority control 1530 establishments in Europe Religious organizations established in the 1530s Christian religious orders established in the 16th century Paul the Apostle