Antonio Lucci (2 August 1682 – 25 July 1752), born Angelo Nicola Lucci, 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 ...

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 lette ...

professed member from the

Order of Friars Minor Conventual The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

(the "Franciscans") and served as the

Bishop of Bovino The Diocese of Bovino (Latin: Bivinensis, or Bovinensis) was a Roman Catholic diocese in the civil province of Apulia, southern Italy. It is 23 mi (37 km) southwest of Foggia.Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

while he was later titled as

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

on 13 June 1847 under

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

beatified Lucci on 18 June 1989 in

Saint Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighborhood (rione) of Borgo. Bot ...

Life

Angelo Nicola Lucci was born on 2 August 1682 to the cobbler and coppersmith Francesco Lucci and his wife, Angela Paolantonio. He attended the local school that the Franciscans managed and later joined them in 1698. Lucci made his solemn profession in 1698 in the religious name of "Antonio". He completed his studies for the priesthood in

Assisi Assisi (, also , ; from la, Asisium) is a town and ''comune'' of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born aroun ...

where 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 va ...

in 1705. He studied rhetoric and philosophical studies at Venagro and Alvito as well as in

Aversa Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical bu ...

before doing theological studies at both

Agnone Agnone is a ''comune'' in the province of Isernia, in the Molise region of southern Italy, some northwest of Campobasso. Agnone is known for the manufacture of bells by the Marinelli Bell Foundry. The town of Agnone proper is complemented with ...

and Fasani. Further studies led to a doctorate in theological studies and appointments as a professor in Agnone as well as at the Franciscan school in

Ravello Ravello (Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' situated above the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno, Campania, Southern Italy, with approximately 2,500 inhabitants. Its scenic location makes it a popular tourist destination, and earned it a ...

(from 1709 to 1712) and at the Franciscan school of San Lorenzo in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

(from 1713 to 1718). He also served as

guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

of the

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 Anglican ...

in Naples. Lucci was elected as the Minister Provincial in 1718 and held that post until 1719; in 1719 he was appointed as a professor at the Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure in

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 ...

and remained there until his appointment to the episcopate. In 1725 he received instructions from

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

to write against

Jansenism Jansenism was an early modern theological movement within Catholicism, primarily active in the Kingdom of France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. It was declared a heresy by t ...

. It was rumored that Benedict XIII would appoint him as a cardinal but this did not happen: the pope had decided to name him in 1729 as the

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

upon Lucci in

Saint Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

. Lucci had a reputation for being reserved but his episcopate was marked with frequent visits to his local parishes in the diocese as well as a renewal of

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

application amongst the faithful; he dedicated his episcopal income to works of education and set up catechesis classes for children and the poor. He also repaired churches and enforced discipline on priests who indulged in vanities while also visiting hermits to ensure the

magisterium The magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition." According to the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Chur ...

was being upheld in those places of hermitage. The

Minister General Minister General is the term used for the leader or Superior General of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi. He chose this word over "Super ...

for his order requested he write a hagiographical account in 1740 and so he wrote a major book about the Franciscan saints and blesseds in the first two centuries. Lucci studied with, and was a close friend of,

Francis Fasani Francis Anthony Fasani (6 August 1681 – 29 November 1742) was an Italian friar of the Order of Conventual Friars Minor who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church. He was a friend of another Conventual friar, Antonio Lucci. Early life ...

who, after Lucci's death, testified on 29 November 1742 at the diocesan hearings regarding the holiness of Lucci's life; he and Fasani were both ordained as priests together.

Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori Alphonsus Liguori, CSsR (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787), sometimes called Alphonsus Maria de Liguori or Saint Alphonsus Liguori, was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosop ...

wrote of Lucci and heaped great praise upon him. Lucci died in of a high fever in mid-1752 and his remains were interred in the Bovino Cathedral.

Beatification

The cause commenced under

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

on 5 December 1764 and Lucci became titled as a

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

while

confirmed that Lucci had lived a model 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 so named him as

on 13 June 1847. The informative process for the miracle needed for beatification spanned from 1779 until 1780 and received validation in Rome from the

Congregation for Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was charged with the ...

on 10 September 1782 before a medical board met and approved this miracle two centuries later on 3 February 1988. Theologians approved the miracle on 7 July 1988 as did the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

on 8 November 1988.

approved this miracle on 28 November 1988 and beatified Lucci on 18 June 1989 in

. The current

postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Roman Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Obse ...

for this cause is Fra Angelo Paleri.

References

External links

Hagiography CircleSaints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucci, Antonio 1682 births 1752 deaths 18th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops 18th-century venerated Christians Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Conventual Friars Minor Franciscan theologians Franciscan beatified people Franciscan bishops 18th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians Italian beatified people Italian Franciscans People from the Province of Isernia Venerated Catholics