Joseph Mary Pignatelli, SJ ( es, José María Pignatelli) (27 December 1737 – 15 November 1811) was a Spanish
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 ...
who was the unofficial leader of the
Jesuits
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
in exile in
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, after the
suppression of the Society. Supervising its restoration, he is considered the second founder of the Society of Jesus.
Life
Early life
Pignatelli was born in
Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
, Spain, of
Neapolitan descent and noble lineage. He did his early studies in the Jesuit College of Zaragoza, along with his brother, Nicolás. There he developed
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
, which was to plague him his entire life. He entered the
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
at the age of 15 on 8 May 1753 in
Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...
, despite his family's opposition. On completing his theological studies 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 ...
a priest, and assigned to teach at the College of Zaragoza.
In 1766 the Governor of Zaragoza was held responsible for a threatened
famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...
, and so enraged was the populace against him that they were about to destroy his palace by fire. Pignatelli's persuasive power over the people averted the calamity. Despite the letter of thanks sent by King
Charles III of Spain, the Jesuits were accused of instigating the above-mentioned riot. Pignatelli's refutation of the charge was followed by the decree of expulsion of the Jesuits of Zaragoza on 4 April 1767.
["St. Joseph Pignatelli, SJ (1737-1811)", Ignatian Spirituality]
/ref>
The Count of Aranda, a favorite of the king and a supporter of the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain, offered to allow Pignatelli and his brother, Nicolás (also a member of the Society), as members of the nobility, to remain in the city, provided that they leave the Society. In spite of Joseph's ill-health, the brothers stood firm and went into exile with their confreres.[
]
Exile
Not permitted by 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. ...
to land at Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia (; meaning "ancient town") is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located west-north-west of Rome. The harbour is formed by two pier ...
in Italy, along with the other Jesuits of the province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of Aragon, they sailed to the Corsican Republic
In November 1755, Pasquale Paoli proclaimed Corsica a sovereign nation, the Corsican Republic ( it, Repubblica Corsa), independent from the Republic of Genoa. He created the Corsican Constitution, which was the first constitution written in I ...
, where Pignatelli displayed a marked ability for organization in providing for 600 priests and seminarian
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
s.[ His sister, the Duchess of ]Acerra
Acerra () is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, about northeast of the capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain.
History
Acerra is one of the most ancient cities of the regio ...
, aided them with money and provisions. He organized studies and the Jesuits were able to maintain their regular religious observances.
When France took control of Corsica in 1770, the Jesuits were obliged to go to Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
for shelter. Pignatelli was again required to secure shelter in the legation of Ferrara, not only for the Jesuits of his own province, but also for those forced home from the missions in New Spain. The community, however, was dissolved upon the suppression of the entire Society by 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 ...
in August 1773. The two Pignatelli brothers were then obliged to seek refuge in Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
, where they lived in retirement, being forbidden to exercise their Christian ministry. They devoted themselves to study and Pignatelli began to collect books and manuscripts bearing on the history of the Society.
Restoration
A few years later, the newly elected Pope Pius VI granted permission for the surviving ex-Jesuits to reunite with the members of the Society of Jesus still functioning in the Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. Pignatelli sought to go there, that he might join them, but for various reasons he was obliged to defer his departure. During this delay Pignatelli was permitted by Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
Ferdinand I (''Ferdinando Maria Filippo Lodovico Sebastiano Francesco Giacomo''; 20 January 1751 – 9 October 1802) was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla from his father's death on 18 July 1765 until he ceded the duchy to France by the Trea ...
(who had violently expelled them from his lands in 1768), to re-establish the Society in his duchy. In 1793, having obtained through Empress Catherine II of Russia a few Jesuit fathers from Russia, along with some other Jesuits, the new establishment was made.
On 6 July 1797, Pignatelli renewed his religious vows. In 1799 he was appointed master of novices
In the Roman Catholic Church, a novice master or master of novices, lat. ''Magister noviciorum'', is a member of a religious institute who is responsible for the training and government of the novitiate in that institute. In religious institutes f ...
for a new novitiate in Colorno
Colorno (Parmigiano dialect, Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about north of Parma.
Colorno borders the following municipal ...
, which had been authorized by the pope. On the death of the Duke of Parma in 1802, the duchy was absorbed into France. Nevertheless, the Jesuits remained undisturbed for eighteen months, during which period Pignatelli was appointed provincial superior of the Jesuits within Italy in 1800 by Pope Pius VII. After considerable discussion he obtained permission for the Jesuits to serve in the Kingdom of Naples. The papal brief
A papal brief or breve is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a papal bull.
History
The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 Marc ...
authorizing this (30 July 1804) was much more favorable than that which had been granted for Parma. The surviving Jesuits soon asked to be received back, but many were engaged in various ecclesiastical posts where they were obligated to stay. Schools and a college were opened in Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, but when this part of the kingdom fell into Napoleon's power the dispersion of the Jesuits was ordered, though the decree was not rigorously enforced. Pignatelli founded colleges 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 ...
, Tivoli, and Orvieto, and the Jesuit fathers were gradually invited to other cities.
During the exile of Pope Pius VII and the French occupation of the Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
, the Society continued untouched, owing largely to the prudence of Pignatelli; he even managed to avoid any oaths of allegiance to Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. He also secured the restoration of the Society in Sardinia in 1807.
Death and veneration
Pignatelli died in Rome, then under French occupation, on 15 November 1811, due to hemorrhaging resulting from his tuberculosis, which had begun the previous month. His remains rest today in a reliquary under the altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
of the Chapel of the Passion in the Church of the Gesù
, image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg
, imagesize =
, caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque
, mapframe = yes
, mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a full ...
in Rome.
The cause for Pignatelli's canonization was introduced under Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio 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 1 June 1846. He ...
. He was beatified
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
on 21 May 1933 by Pope Pius XI, and was canonized on 12 June 1954 by Pope Pius XII.
Legacy
The Society of Jesus was fully restored in the Catholic Church in 1814.
After St. Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...
, the founder of the Society of Jesus, Pignatelli is arguably the most important Jesuit in its subsequent history, linking the two Societies, the old Society which was first founded in 1540, and the new Society which was founded forty years after it had been suppressed by Pope Clement XIV in 1773. Pignatelli can thus be rightly considered the savior and restorer of the Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pignatelli, Joseph Mary
1737 births
1811 deaths
Jesuit saints
People from Zaragoza
Spanish people of Italian descent
House of Pignatelli
Spanish Roman Catholic saints
Canonizations by Pope Pius XII
18th-century Spanish Jesuits
19th-century Spanish Jesuits
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Burials at the Church of the Gesù
Tuberculosis deaths in Italy
Infectious disease deaths in Lazio