Blessed Antonio Rosmini-Serbati
Blessed Antonio Rosmini-Serbati (born March 24, 1797 AD in Rovereto, Trentino, then in the County of Tyrol under Austria; died July 1, 1855 AD in Stresa, Piedmont, Italy) was an Italian Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian, and founder of the Institute of Charity (the Rosminians) and the Rosminian Sisters of Providence. One of the most important Catholic thinkers of the nineteenth century, he sought to renew philosophy and theology in the service of the faith and to reform the Church from within. His feast day is July 1.
Rosmini's writings, especially *Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church*, drew both admiration and controversy in his lifetime, and some of his propositions were the subject of long ecclesiastical examination. In 2001 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith affirmed that earlier concerns were resolved, and he was beatified in 2007.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Antonio Rosmini-Serbati
| Blessed Antonio Rosmini-Serbati | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 01 |
| Profession | Priest; philosopher; theologian; founder of the Institute of Charity (Rosminians) and the Rosminian Sisters of Providence |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Institute of Charity (Rosminians) |
| Patronage | Philosophers; theologians; Catholic educators; the Rosminian family |
| Attributes | Priestly cassock; book; pen; Rosminian habit |
| Birthplace | Rovereto, Trentino (then County of Tyrol, Austria) |
| Death Place | Stresa, Piedmont, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died at Stresa in 1855 after a life of priestly ministry, scholarship, and the foundation of the Institute of Charity |
| Primary Shrine | Church of Santi Filippo e Giacomo (Il Sacro Monte Calvario), Stresa, Italy |
Biography
Early life and formation
Antonio Rosmini-Serbati was born on March 24, 1797, in Rovereto, a town in Trentino then belonging to the County of Tyrol under Austrian rule. He came from a noble and wealthy family. Gifted and studious from youth, he devoted himself to reading in philosophy, theology, and the sciences, and resolved early to place his talents and his fortune at the service of the Church.
He studied at the University of Padua and was ordained a priest in 1821. His deepening desire was to work for a renewal of Catholic thought and for the reform of the Church according to the principle he called the "principle of passivity"—undertaking works of charity and reform only as Providence clearly indicated, rather than by his own initiative.
The Institute of Charity
In 1828 Rosmini founded the Institute of Charity, whose members (the Rosminians) bind themselves to works of charity—spiritual, corporal, and intellectual—wherever the Church has need. He also inspired the foundation of the Rosminian Sisters of Providence. The Institute spread in Italy and later to England and elsewhere.
Scholarship and controversy
Rosmini was among the foremost Catholic philosophers of his century. He wrote extensively on epistemology, ethics, politics, and theology, seeking to defend the objectivity of truth and the harmony of reason and faith against the currents of his age. His work *A New Essay concerning the Origin of Ideas* and many other writings were widely influential.
His reforming treatise *Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church* (*Delle cinque piaghe della santa Chiesa*), which diagnosed what he considered grave problems in the life of the Church, together with a work on political philosophy, were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1849. Rosmini submitted humbly to the Church's judgment. After his death, forty propositions drawn from his works were condemned in 1887; his followers maintained that these did not reflect his true thought.
Later years and death
In his final years Rosmini lived at Stresa on Lake Maggiore, continuing his writing and guiding his Institute. He enjoyed the friendship and esteem of Alessandro Manzoni, who was at his bedside. Antonio Rosmini died at Stresa on July 1, 1855.
Vindication and beatification
In 2001 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a note affirming that the reasons for concern in the 1887 decree were now to be considered surpassed, and that Rosmini's cause could proceed. He was beatified on November 18, 2007, at Novara, in a ceremony celebrated on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins.
Significant events
- 1821 — Ordained a priest at Chioggia.
- 1828 — Founds the Institute of Charity (Rosminians).
- 1849 — *Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church* placed on the Index; Rosmini submits.
- 1855 — Dies at Stresa on July 1.
- 2001 — The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith clears the way for his cause.
- 2007 — Beatified on November 18.
Significant locations
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Feast day
July 1
Books
Written by
- *A New Essay concerning the Origin of Ideas*
- *Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church* (*Delle cinque piaghe della santa Chiesa*)
- *The Philosophy of Right*
- *Principles of Ethics*
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