Charles of Sezze (19 October 1613 – 6 January 1670) - born Giancarlo Marchioni - 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 ...
professed religious from the
Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...
.
He became a religious despite the opposition of his parents who wanted him to become a
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 partic ...
and he led an austere life doing menial tasks such as acting as a
porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets
* Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer
* H.K. Porter, Inc., ...
and gardener; he was also a noted writer. He was also held in high esteem across the
Lazio
it, Laziale
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, population_blank1 =
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region with noble families like the
Colonna
The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Martin V) and many other church and pol ...
and
Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following:
*Angel ...
praising him and seeking his counsel as did popes such as
Innocent X and
Clement IX
Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669.
Biography
Ear ...
.
His beatification was celebrated in 1882 while
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
approved his canonization in 1958; but the pope died before he could canonize the friar so his successor
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...
did so on 12 April 1959.
Life
Giancarlo Marchioni (also known as Charles) was born in
Sezze
Sezze (from the Latin "Setia") is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Latina, central Italy, about south of Rome and from the Mediterranean coast. The historical center of Sezze is located on a high hill commanding the Pontine plain.
T ...
on 19 October 1613 to the poor farmers Ruggero Marchioni and Antonia Maccione. His
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
was celebrated on 22 October 1613.
[ His mother - when he was a toddler - liked to dress him in a dark tunic with a cord and hood in honor of friars ]Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
and Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bo ...
and she kept this 'habit' even after he outgrew it.[
His maternal grandmother Valenza Pilorci instilled devout practices and other religious values within him in his childhood. He worked on the farm as a shepherd to help his parents with the exhaustive workload and liked to plough in the fields because he liked the ]oxen
An ox ( : oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE, AusE, and IndE), is a male bovine trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration inhibits testosterone and aggression, which makes th ...
.[ He made a private vow to remain chaste in 1630 and in 1633 fell ill to the point of near death that he pledged to join the ]Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...
if he were to be healed of his ailment.[ His parents encouraged his call to become a priest, though he was a poor student and largely illiterate, leaving seldom hope of his excelling in advanced studies.
He felt a desire to serve in the missions in ]India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
and later became inspired from the lives of Pascal Baylon and Salvador of Horta - who were both professed religious. Marchioni was admitted into the order at the San Francesco 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 Angl ...
in 1635 at Nazzano
Nazzano is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about north of Rome.
Twin towns
* Iași
Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historicall ...
; he received the habit of the order on 18 May 1635. He later recounted that he did so out of a desire to live a poor life and to beg alms "for the love of Christ".[ He again set his heart on the missions but poor health halted this dream.
He lived the life of a religious and never requested ]ordination
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 ...
to the priesthood despite the protests of his parents to do so. He made his solemn profession into the order on 19 May 1636 into the hands of Father Angelo Maria and his religious name was "Cosmas" at first but his mother's insistence saw it changed to "Carlo".[ He worked at a range of jobs in various friaries: he cooked and served as a ]porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets
* Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer
* H.K. Porter, Inc., ...
and also worked as both a sacristan
A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents.
In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decreta ...
and gardener; he also went out into the streets as a beggar
Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public plac ...
. He was not qualified in all of them as he became notorious for setting the kitchen of one house on fire. From 1640 to 1642 he was stationed at the convent of Saint John the Baptist at Piglio
Piglio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about east of Rome and about northwest of Frosinone, offering a panoramic view on the valleys of the Sacco and Aniene rivers.
History
It ha ...
and at San Francesco at Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo (, , ; la, Castrum Gandulphi), colloquially just Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. Occupying a height on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, Castel G ...
. In October 1648 he attended Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different ele ...
at the church of San Giuseppe a Capo le Case and a beam of light emanated from an elevated Host that pierced his side and left a visible open wound at his side.[
On one occasion the ]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, Unit ...
of a convent ordered him - who was the porter at the time - to give food to traveling friars who came to the door. He did this in obedience and alms to the friars decreased. He persuaded the guardian that the two facts were related. Once the friars resumed giving help to all who sought assistance at their door alms to the friars increased.[ Though he was not a priest he was instructed to write the account of his life after his ]confessor
Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways.
Confessor of the Faith
Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.[spiritual director
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...]
he himself - though not a priest - was often sought for spiritual advice and even Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in Januar ...
and Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro 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, an ...
sought him out for advice. In 1656 he tended to victims of cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...
at Carpineto
Carpineto is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Corse department
The following is a list of the 236 communes of the Haute-Corse department
Department ...
.[ On 22 August 1664 he was at ]San Pietro in Montorio
San Pietro in Montorio (Saint Peter on the Golden Mountain) is a church in Rome, Italy, which includes in its courtyard the ''Tempietto'', a small commemorative '' martyrium'' (tomb) built by Donato Bramante.
History
The Church of San Pietro ...
when he fell ill with malarial fever and so was taken to San Francesco a Ripa
San Francesco a Ripa is a church in Rome, Italy. It is dedicated to Francis of Assisi who once stayed at the adjacent convent. The term ''Ripa'' refers to the nearby riverbank of the Tiber.
History
The origins of this church are related to a Fr ...
to recuperate; he recovered on 30 August after bed rest was prescribed to him. On 28 July 1665 he had a vision of Pope Victor I
Pope Victor I (died 199) was the bishop of Rome in the late second century (189–199 A.D.). The dates of his tenure are uncertain, but one source states he became pope in 189 and gives the year of his death as 199.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1912). "Po ...
and Teresa of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila, OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada; 28 March 15154 or 15 October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.
Active during t ...
.[
]Pope Clement IX
Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669.
Biography
Ear ...
summoned him to his deathbed for comfort and a blessing not long before the two men died. In the first week of December 1669 the pope summoned him but the friar was ill so was taken to the pope on a chair. He greeted the pope: "Holy Father, how are you?" and the pope responded: "As well as God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
wants me to be".[ Present in the room was Cardinal Giacomo Rospigliosi and the friar asked him to bless the pope with a special relic he carried but the pope wanted the frail friar to bless him and so he did. Clement IX asked when the two would meet again and the friar told him it would be on the ]feast of the Epiphany
Epiphany ( ), also known as Theophany in Eastern Christian traditions, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation (theophany) of God incarnate as Jesus Christ.
In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not ...
to which those present thought the pope would get well and the two would meet in a month. But the pope died on 9 December and people questioned how the friar was wrong though after the friar died on the Epiphany itself it was realized the pope would greet him as a friend in Heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
thus the two met again.[
On 31 December 1669, he was forced to his bed due to ]pleurisy
Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity ( pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...
. On 6 January 1670, he died in the convent attached to San Francesco a Ripa 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 ...
; he was buried in that church, where a chapel dedicates to his name still hosts his remnants. The friar had predicted that Innocent X and Alexander VII would be elected as popes and likewise predicted Clement IX would be elected as well. But he also managed to predict that Cardinal Emilio Altieri would be elected as pope - which happened not long after his death.[
The families of Rome held him in high esteem and even sought him out for advice. Families such as Ludovisi, ]Boncompagni
The Boncompagni is a princely family of the Italian nobility who settled in Bologna around the 14th century, but which was probably originally from Umbria.
In 1572 they obtained the papal throne thanks to Ugo Boncompagni, who, with the name of ...
, Borghese
The House of Borghese is a princely family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century and held offices under the ''commune''. During the 16th century, ...
, Caetani
The House of Caetani, or Gaetani, is the name of an Italian noble family, originally from the city of Gaeta, connected by some to the lineage of the lords of the Duchy of Gaeta, as well as to the patrician Gaetani of the Republic of Pisa. It play ...
, Cibo, Colonna
The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Martin V) and many other church and pol ...
, Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following:
*Angel ...
and Salviati regarded him well and sought him out wherever possible while cardinals such as Gianstefano Donghi, Francesco Barberini, Celio Piccolomini, Michelangelo Ricci
Michelangelo Ricci (1619–1682) was an Italian mathematician and a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.
Biography
Michelangelo Ricci was born on 30 January 1619 in Rome, then capital of the Papal States, to a family of low social standing th ...
, Cesare Facchinetti
Cesare Facchinetti (17 September 1608 – 30 January 1683) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal.
Early life
Facchinetti was born 17 September 1608 in Bologna. He was the son of Ludovico Facchinetti (2nd Marquis of Vianino), Senator of Bologna, Amba ...
, Carlo Barberini
Carlo Barberini (1 June 1630 – 2 October 1704) was an Italian Catholic cardinal and member of the Barberini family. He was the grand-nephew of Maffeo Barberini (Pope Urban VIII) and son of Taddeo Barberini ( Prince of Palestrina).
Early life a ...
and Benedetto Odescalchi - the future Pope Innocent XI
Pope Innocent XI ( la, Innocentius XI; it, Innocenzo 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 to his death on August 12, 1689.
Poli ...
- also did likewise.[
]
Sainthood
The confirmation of 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 ...
allowed for Pope Clement XIV
Pope Clement XIV ( la, Clemens XIV; it, Clemente XIV; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in Sep ...
to title the late Franciscan friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...
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
Cat ...
on 14 June 1772, while the ratification of two miracles attributed to his intercession on 1 October 1881 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-ol ...
to preside over the beatification celebration on 22 January 1882 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 ...
. Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
confirmed two additional miracles on 7 January 1958 but died before he could canonize the friar; Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...
canonized him on 12 April 1959 as a saint.
Published works
* Birth of Holy Mary's Novena
* Christmas Novena
* Holy Settenario
* Invalid Path of the Soul
* Jesus Christ's Talk about Life
* The Grandeurs of the Mercies of God
* The Three Ways
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Hagiography Circle
Saints SQPN
BeliefNet
Catholic News Agency
Franciscan Media
{{Authority control
1613 births
1670 deaths
17th-century venerated Christians
17th-century Christian saints
17th-century Italian Christian monks
Beatifications by Pope Leo XIII
Burials at San Francesco a Ripa
Canonizations by Pope John XXIII
Canonized Roman Catholic religious brothers
Franciscan saints
Italian autobiographers
Italian Friars Minor
Italian religious writers
Italian Roman Catholic saints
Italian male writers
People from the Province of Latina
Venerated Catholics