Francis Maria of Camporosso
Encyclopedia
Saint
Francis Mary, O.F.M. Cap., (1804 - 1866) was a Capuchin
lay brother
from the town of Camporosso
, in the Liguria
region of modern Italy
.
He was beatified by Pope Pius XI
on June 30, 1929 and canonized by Pope John XXIII
on December 9, 1962.
Saint Francis' feast day is celebrated on September 19.
, today belonging to the Province of Imperia
in the Ligurian region of northwestern Italy
. As a youth, he helped his father in the farmwork.
In 1825 he entered the novitiate
of the Capuchin
friary of Saint Barnabas in the hills of Genoa
.
After the novitiate year, he was sent to the friary of the Immaculate Conception, close to the center of Genoa and to the port area. There he was appointed as the quaestor (alms collector of the city) for the community, devoting his life to collect donations for the support of the friars and their charitable works. He was to spend the next 40 years of his life at this task.
As he used to say, he was more blessed in giving than in receiving, providing help and comfort to everybody in need by disseminating mercy
and example of virtue amongst the workers and the poor people of the port.
During an epidemic of cholera
in 1866 he gave his help to the victims of the plague, up to the supreme act of charity, giving his life on September 17 of that year, another victim of the disease.
The Genoese people call him Padre Santo, that is to say, the "Holy Father".
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His body rests exposed for the veneration and the prayers of his devotees in a dedicated chapel of the friary of the Immacualte Conception, where he spent most of his life.
Popular iconography
shows him as a tall, lean and austere friar.
There are many images of the saint represented by painters and sculptors of renown, among them is one of his face in a copper engraving
by Antonio Frixione
, done when he was still alive, as well as a monument
to him in the port area, done by Guido Galletti.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Francis Mary, O.F.M. Cap., (1804 - 1866) was a Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
lay brother
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
from the town of Camporosso
Camporosso
Camporosso is a comune in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about 160 km southwest of Genoa and about 45 km west of Imperia...
, in the Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
region of modern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He was beatified by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
on June 30, 1929 and canonized by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
on December 9, 1962.
Saint Francis' feast day is celebrated on September 19.
Biography
Francis was born to Anselmo Croese and his wife Maria Antonia Garza at the village of CamporossoCamporosso
Camporosso is a comune in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about 160 km southwest of Genoa and about 45 km west of Imperia...
, today belonging to the Province of Imperia
Province of Imperia
The Province of Imperia is a mountainous and hilly province, in the Liguria region of Italy, situated between the Maritime Alps to the north and the Ligurian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea to the south...
in the Ligurian region of northwestern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. As a youth, he helped his father in the farmwork.
In 1825 he entered the novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
of the Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
friary of Saint Barnabas in the hills of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
After the novitiate year, he was sent to the friary of the Immaculate Conception, close to the center of Genoa and to the port area. There he was appointed as the quaestor (alms collector of the city) for the community, devoting his life to collect donations for the support of the friars and their charitable works. He was to spend the next 40 years of his life at this task.
As he used to say, he was more blessed in giving than in receiving, providing help and comfort to everybody in need by disseminating mercy
Mercy
Mercy is broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts.The concept of a "Merciful God" appears in various religions from Christianity to...
and example of virtue amongst the workers and the poor people of the port.
During an epidemic of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in 1866 he gave his help to the victims of the plague, up to the supreme act of charity, giving his life on September 17 of that year, another victim of the disease.
The Genoese people call him Padre Santo, that is to say, the "Holy Father".
Cult and iconography
Popular iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
shows him as a tall, lean and austere friar.
There are many images of the saint represented by painters and sculptors of renown, among them is one of his face in a copper engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
by Antonio Frixione
Antonio Frixione
Antonio Frixione was an Italian landscape and portrait painter and printmaker.- Biography :He was born in Genoa on January 8, 1843 and educated in Genoa at the Accademia ligustica di Belle Arti, which he attended from 1859 to 1866...
, done when he was still alive, as well as a monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
to him in the port area, done by Guido Galletti.
External links
- International website of the Capuchin friars http://www.db.ofmcap.org/ofmcap/s2magazine/index1.jsp?idPagina=1234