Marcantonio (Mark Anthony) Durando (22 May 1801 - 10 December 1880) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the

Congregation of the Mission , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...

in an effort to follow the teachings of Vincent de Paul - an ardent focus of his life and pastoral career. Durano was also the founder of the Daughters of the Passion of Jesus the Nazorean (1865) - or Nazarene Sisters - and founded that order with the assistance of Luigia Borgiotti (1802-1873). Durando was made 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 ...

on 23 March 1941 under

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 ...

once the beatification process started and Pope John Paul II both declared him as Venerable on 1 July 2000 and beatified him on 20 October 2002.

Life

Marcantonio Durando was born in 1801 in

Mondovì Mondovì (; pms, Ël Mondvì , la, Mons Regalis) is a town and ''comune'' (township) in Piedmont, northern Italy, about from Turin. The area around it is known as the Monregalese. The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into ...

as one of ten children to Angela Vinaj (d. 1822); two siblings died as infants. The home overlooked the main square and near the

Mondovì Cathedral Mondovì Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Mondovi; Cattedrale di San Donato) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Mondovì, Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy, dedicated to Saint Donatus of Arezzo. It is the seat of the bishops of Mondovì. Hi ...

. He was

baptized 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 ...

in 1801. Durando's mother was religious and instilled faith in her children while his father possessed liberal ideas and was of

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

tendencies. Durando had as brothers Giacomo (4 February 1807 - 21 August 1894) - the foreign affairs minister of the 1862 Rattazzi Government - and

Giovanni Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

(23 June 1804 - 27 May 1869) - a papal soldier and general who refused the orders of

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 ...

in 1848 and moved his soldiers past the

Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...

to defect. His brothers were therefore involved in the Risorgimento. In 1841 he commenced his studies for the priesthood in Mondovì. In 1816 he desired to join the missions in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Durando made his perpetual vows as a member of the

in 1818 after completing his philosophical studies and having had received the tonsure and the minor orders. After his time in the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

he was sent to resume his theological studies in Sarzana. The Vincentian superior who oversaw his novitiate reported to the superior of his theological studies: "Brother Durando is someone of the highest quality in every way, and is clearly sent by God for the current needs of the congregation ... He is calm, he is sympathetic, is respectful and humble; so I hope you will be very pleased with him". His studies were suspended in 1822 due to the ill health he faced and the death of his mother. Durando was ordained to the priesthood on 12 June 1824. His superiors refused to send him to the missions despite his requests. He remained in

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Beyond the river lies the v ...

until 1829 when he relocated to Turin. He remained in Turin until his death and was made superior of the Turin branch of the congregation in 1831. In 1837 he was appointed as the Major Superior of the Vincentians in the north and held that post until his death. This forced him to reduce his workload due to the greater work he had to undertake. Nevertheless, he continued to organize priests for the missions and preached spiritual retreats that attracted numerous people. He re-established the Ladies of Charity in 1835 for the noblewomen of Turin. Durando supported the new work of the Propagation of the Faith - created in France in 1822 that Pauline-Marie Jaricot founded - and in 1855 instituted the Brignole-Sale school for those wanting to join the foreign missions in which he oversaw the formation of priests who applied for missions. Luigi Fransoni - the

Archbishop of Turin The Archdiocese of Turin ( la, Archidioecesis Taurinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Italy.Poor Clares. Tancredi Falletti and his wife Juliette Colbert were the founders and heads of those two orders branched for the two genders. Durando tried in his mission as a priest to oppose the rigors of Jansenism that plagued the times. He saw the usefulness in introducing the

Vincentian Sisters Vincentian can refer to: *A citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A person from Saint Vincent (island), the largest island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A member of one of the orders or societies in the Vincentian Family, both Roman C ...

from France to the Italian peninsula and so petitioned

King Carlo Alberto King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

to welcome them; the king did so in 1833 and the sisters assumed charge of hospitals with an emphasis on those with soldiers in places such as Genoa and Turin. The first two religious came on 16 May 1833 with more arriving in August. In 1855 he sent the sisters to the frontlines during the Crimean War to help the wounded. Around this time the bishop

Giustino de Jacobis Giustino Sebastiano Pasquale de Jacobis, CM (9 October 1800 – 31 July 1860) was an Italian Catholic bishop and member of the Congregation of the Mission who became a Vicar Apostolic in Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Titular Bishop of Nilopoli ...

invited Durando to serve with him in Ethiopia but the latter refused for his obligations tied him to Turin. On 21 November 1865 he founded an order for women - the Nazarene Sisters - alongside Luigia Borgiotti who became one of the new order's first postulants. He also spread the message of the

Miraculous Medal The Miraculous Medal (french: Médaille miraculeuse), also known as the Medal of Our Lady of Graces, is a devotional medal, the design of which was originated by Catherine Labouré following her apparitions of the Blessed Virgin MaryAnn Ball, 20 ...

of Catherine Labouré and to that effect established the Children of Mary in 1856. This caused an increase in vocations so much so that Carlo Alberto in 1837 granted them the convent of S. Salvario in Turin to use for their work. In 1857 he wrote to his brother Giacomo during the period of anti-clerical sentiment and greater conflict: "With all my heart I want peace between the government and the church, and that there should be an end to this uneasiness in which we find ourselves all the time, and an end, in short, to this attacking of the church and its institutions and its rules, and, in short, that we be allowed to live and breathe". Durando wrote a long letter again to his brother in 1870 to explain his puzzlement at the hostile situation that also saw the loss of the Papal States. Durando died on 10 December 1880. Giovanni Rinaldi - the superior of the Casa della Pace branch in

Chieri Chieri (; pms, Cher) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont (Italy), located about southeast of Turin, by rail and by road. It borders the following municipalities: Baldissero Torinese, Pavarolo, Montaldo Torine ...

- said of Durando's death: "we have lost another

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

Beatification

The beatification process opened in Turin after Cardinal

Giuseppe Gamba Giuseppe Gamba (25 April 1857 – 26 December 1929) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and an archbishop of Turin. Biography Early life and ministry Giuseppe Gamba was born in Asti, Italy and was educated at the local ...

inaugurated the informative process in 1928.

Maurilio Fossati Maurilio Fossati, O.SS.G.C.N., (24 May 1876 – 30 March 1965) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Turin from 1930 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933. Biography Born in Arona ...

closed the process in 1930 which received validation from the

Congregation of 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 ...

in 1951. Fossati's spiritual writings were approved by theologians on 14 November 1934 and 27 November 1937. Fossati also inaugurated the beginning of an apostolic process that started in 1940 and concluded not long after. The formal introduction to the cause came on 23 March 1941 under

, granting Durando the title of

. The official Positio then was submitted to Rome at which point theologians voiced a favorable response to the dossier on 12 January 1971 while a historical commission met and approved the cause on 21 September 1978. The members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voiced their approval as well on 27 March 1979 though met for a second time to discuss the cause further on 20 June 2000. Durano became titled as Venerable - on 1 July 2000 - after Pope John Paul II confirmed the fact that the late priest had in fact lived a life of heroic virtue. The process for a miracle opened in Turin in 1936 and concluded not long after in which all interrogatories and medical documentation was collected. The C.C.S. validated this process decades later on 13 January 1995 while a medical board approved the healing to be a miracle on 19 February 2001. Theologians followed this verdict on 12 October 2001 while the members of the C.C.S. did so as well on 20 November 2001. The pope approved the miracle on 20 December 2001. John Paul II beatified Durando on 20 October 2002. The miracle in question involved the cure of Mrs. Stella Ingiani who grew ill and later was comatose after the 28 November 1932 birth of her daughter in her home. Durando's order begged for their founder's intercession and Ingiani awoke from her coma to a rapid cure.

References

External links

Hagiography CircleSaints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durando, Marcantonio 1801 births 1880 deaths 19th-century venerated Christians 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Congregation of the Mission Founders of Catholic religious communities Italian beatified people People from Mondovì Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II Vincentians