Pompilio Maria Pirrotti (29 September 1710 – 15 July 1766), born Domenico Michele Giovan Battista, was an Italian

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 ...

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 a professed member of the

Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

. He operated across the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

as a teacher and as a preacher and he received widespread criticism from detractors that led to his immediate expulsion from the kingdom at the behest of the King. He was later readmitted into the kingdom after public pressure. Pirrotti assumed the name of Pompilio Maria of Saint Nicholas upon becoming a professed member of the order and assumed his deceased brother's name (Pompilio Maria) when he commenced his notiviate. In 1890,

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-old ...

beatified him and

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

proclaimed him to be a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on 19 March 1934.

Life

Domenico Michele Giovan Battista Pirrotti was born on 29 September 1710 as the sixth of eleven children to the nobleman Girolamo Pirrotti and Orsola Bozzuti - his father was a Doctor of Law. One brother was named Pompilio Maria Pirrotti. He was baptized the following 30 September. Despite the opposition of his parents when he was sixteen, he consulted with his confessor on his religious vocation and fled his parents' home. He travelled to

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

in order to pursue a path in a religious order. His father wrote to him a moving letter explaining his position on the matter and asking for his son's forgiveness; Girolamo also gave Pirrotti his blessing for his son's future. At the age of eighteen, he entered the

Piarist The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

order and assumed the name of "Pompilio Maria" in honor of his dead brother of that same name. The name 'Pompilio' derives from the Medieval Latin 'Pompilius,' meaning 'fifth born'. Perhaps the most famous person with that name was Numa Pompilius, who was the legendary second King of Rome, succeeding Romulus. After entering the order, Pompilio toured various Italian regions close to his hometown during his religious formation. He assumed the habit in the novitiate of Santa Maria di Caravaggio 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 ...

on 2 February 1727, and at the end of the first year of his novitiate, obtained a special dispensation allowing for him not to proceed into the second; he made his solemn profession on 25 March 1728 in Brindisi, and it was then that he changed his name to that of "Pompilio Maria of Saint Nicholas". Pirrotti was sent to

Chieti Chieti (, ; , nap, label= Abruzzese, Chjïétë, ; gr, Θεάτη, Theátē; lat, Theate, ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Central Italy, east by northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. ...

in order to continue his philosophical studies, but fell ill around this period. He believed that a change of climate would be to his benefit so was moved to

Melfi Melfi (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,7 ...

Potenza Potenza (, also , ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one ...

where he continued his studies. He later travelled for further studies in Turi in

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

in 1733 after recovering from his illness. It was there in Bari that he served as a teacher of literature. Pirrotti returned to Naples where he was assigned to a Piarist house in Lecce as its superior and the Master of Novices. Pirrotti 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 ...

to the priesthood on 20 March 1734 from the

Archbishop of Brindisi The Italian Catholic Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostium ( la, Archidioecesis Brundusina-Ostunensis) in Apulia, has carried its present name since 1986. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lecce.Ortona Ortona (Neapolitan language, Abruzzese: '; grc, Ὄρτων, Órtōn) is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants. In 1943 Ortona was the site of a Battle o ...

from 1739 to 1742. During the famine that occurred near his hometown in 1765, he was on hand to distribute bread to the poor and to those suffering the most from the famine. He became known as a saint in his hometown and in the surrounding areas and was known for his strong Marian devotion to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

whom he dubbed "Mamma Bella". Pirrotti also had a strong devotion to the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This dev ...

and spread the devotion of the

Via Crucis The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitati ...

. He also established the "Charity of God" as a means of spreading the Christian virtues and also to support the dying. From 1747 he began to suffer persecutions from detractors which led to him being suspended from hearing

Reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...

on the orders of the Cardinal

Archbishop of Naples The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples ( la, Archidioecesis Neapolitana) is a Roman Catholic archdioceses in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded there in the 1st century AD and the diocese of Naples was r ...

Antonio Sersale.

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

later signed a decree that led to Pirrotti's expulsion from the Kingdom of Naples; he rescinded the order upon increasing public pressure. On 15 April 1765, Pirrotti began the long journey to

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

and arrived 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 ...

on 12 July 1766. After celebrating Mass on 13 July, he went to hear confessions, but was suddenly taken ill and immediately confined to his bed. He died and was buried where he was, in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

; but in 1966 his remains were transferred to the Sanctuary created for him, Santuario San Pompilio Maria Pirrotti.

Legacy

There is a Roman Rite Catholic Church in Montecalvo Irpino, Italy, which is located in the Archdiocese of Benevento and is dedicated to St. Pompilio Maria Pirrotti. On 2 July 2006, a park in Campi Salentina was named in his honor. A "Pompiliano Year" was initiated in 2010 to commemorate the third centenary of his birth; in August 2010 his remains were briefly moved to his birthplace for the commemorations that took place in his hometown.

Sainthood

The proceedings for sainthood commenced in a diocesan process in Leece in 1835 and formal assent to the cause was granted not long after in which Pirrotti was accorded with the title

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 ...

. Another process opened sometime after with the same intent of collecting documentation and material for compiling a large dossier on his life and works which was later transferred to 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 ...

. On 17 November 1878 he was proclaimed to be

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 ...

after

recognized that the late priest 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 ...

. The same pope celebrated his beatification on 26 January 1890 after he recognized two miracles attributed to Pirrotti. The pope later issued a decree allowing for the resumption of the cause on 4 December 1892. Following the recognition of two other miracles

canonized Pirrotti as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on 19 March 1934.

Family

Domenico Pirrotti was born in Montecalvo, Italy on September 29, 1710, the sixth of the eleven children of Jerome and Donna Pirrotti. His father was a lawyer and was of the noble class. At the age of 16, he left home and joined the Piarist fathers in

References

External links

Hagiography Circle

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirrotti, Pompilio Maria 1710 births 1766 deaths 18th-century venerated Christians 18th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Beatifications by Pope Leo XIII Canonizations by Pope Pius XI Founders of Catholic religious communities Italian educators Italian Roman Catholic saints Piarist saints People from Avellino Venerated Catholics