Nicola Riezzo (11 December 1904 - 20 August 1998) 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 ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

who served as the

Archbishop of Otranto The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Otranto (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Hydruntina'') is a see of the Catholic Church in Italy. The seat of the diocese is at Otranto Cathedral in the city of Otranto, Apulia. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lec ...

from 1969 until his retirement in 1981. He had served prior to this as the

Bishop of Castellaneta The Roman Catholic Diocese of Castellaneta ( la, Dioecesis Castellanetensis) is in Apulia. It is a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Taranto.apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

for another diocese. Riezzo was well known for his holiness, with the priests in his diocese coming to love and admire him due to his careful attention to

evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

and

catechesis Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

. He had served as a

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following his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

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and

Molfetta Molfetta (; Molfettese: ) is a town located in the northern side of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has a well restored old city, and its own dialect. History The earliest local signs of permanent habitation are at ...

prior to being nominated to the episcopate. Following his retirement in 1981 he moved to his hometown where he served as a pastor in his childhood San Nicola parish where he was known for remaining for extended periods in the confessional and out visiting the sick. His holiness had been noted as a bishop in both dioceses and steps were taken after his death in 1998 in order to launch the cause for his beatification. These initial steps culminated in 2004 after the cause commenced and Riezzo was 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 ...

Life

Nicola Riezzo was born on 11 December 1904 in

Squinzano Squinzano ( Salentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is ...

in the

Lecce province The Province of Lecce ( it, Provincia di Lecce; Salentino: ) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy whose capital is the city of Lecce. The province is called the "Heel of Italy". Located on the Salento peninsula, it is the second most-po ...

as the third of six children. 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 ...

on 12 December in the local San Nicola parish church. His paternal uncle Vincenzo Riezzo was 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 particu ...

and served as an influence on Nicola's childhood and approach to faith. He attended school first at the Calasanzio-run institute at Campi Salentina and then in 1923 entered the Capranica College 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 ...

in addition to the Pontifical Gregorian where he earned a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

in theological studies. He received his

to the priesthood in the San Nicola parish on 21 August 1927 from Gennaro Trama and following this taught students in

Lecce Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...

. Riezzo later started serving as a professor for theological studies in

from 1932 until 1934 and then taught dogmatics in

from 1934 until 1958 in addition to teaching

asceticism Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

. His teaching methods were noted for being both exceptional and methodical.

Salvatore De Giorgi Salvatore De Giorgi (born 6 September 1930) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Palermo from 1996 until his retirement in 2006. He was made a cardinal in 1998. He was first made a bishop in 1973 and led other dioc ...

- future

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

- was a student of his while he served as a professor. Riezzo was nominated in 1958 as the newest

Bishop of Castellaneta The Roman Catholic Diocese of Castellaneta ( la, Dioecesis Castellanetensis) is in Apulia. It is a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Taranto.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 ...

in the

Lecce Cathedral Lecce Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Lecce; ''Cattedrale dell'Assunzione della Virgine'') is the cathedral of the city of Lecce in Apulia, Italy, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Lecce. History The c ...

on 29 June 1958 from

Francesco Minerva Francesco Minerva (31 January 1904 – 23 August 2004) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate; at his death he was the second-oldest living bishop in the Roman Catholic Church, after Corrado Bafile. He was also one of its longest-serving priests ...

and with

Corrado Ursi Corrado Ursi (26 July 1908 – 29 August 2003) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Naples from 1966 to 1987, and was created a cardinal in 1967, given the titular church of San Callisto.co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. He was known in his diocese for being humble but firm when required and was well known for his wisdom and for his tireless apostolic zeal in

. His priests in the diocese came to love and admire him for his affection and for his pastoral sensitivities.

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

later appointed him on 28 April 1969 as the

where he was enthroned on 1 June and began visiting all the parishes. He had new churches constructed and was close to the archdiocese's seminarians whom he lunched with once a week. On 5 October 1980 he hosted

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 ...

in his diocese. On 26 November 1972 he announced that he would commence his first pastoral visit, which began two months later. He announced the second on 8 December 1977 which began in

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

in 1978. On 14 August 1979 he opened in his archdiocese the "Year of Christian Witness" that ended in 1980. Concurrent to his duties in Otranto he served as the

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of another diocese from 28 April 1969 until a new bishop was appointed to head the see on 12 October 1974. He had also attended all sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

. Riezzo retired from his duties in 1981 and in retirement moved back to his hometown where he offered his services as a parish priest to the San Nicola parish. He was known for spending long periods in the confessional in addition to speaking with people out on the streets and comforting the sick. He was known to also often teach

catechism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...

to children. He died on 20 August 1998 in his hometown and his

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

was celebrated there on 22 August with Archbishop of Lecce Cosmo Francesco Ruppi presiding.

Beatification process

The beatification process opened under Pope John Paul II on 27 October 2004 after 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 ...

issued the ''

nihil obstat ''Nihil obstat'' (Latin for "nothing hinders" or "nothing stands in the way") is a declaration of no objection that warrants censoring of a book, e.g., Catholic published books, to an initiative, or an appointment. Publishing The phrase ''ni ...

'' decree and titled Riezzo as a

; the diocesan process was opened in Lecce on 27 June 2005 and later closed on 7 October 2008. The

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 Fr. Luigi Manca.

References

External links

Hagiography Circle

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riezzo, Nicola 1904 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Almo Collegio Capranica alumni Bishops appointed by Pope Pius XII Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI Italian Servants of God Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from the Province of Lecce Pontifical Gregorian University alumni