Blessed Bernard Scammacca
Blessed Bernard Scammacca (born c. 1420 AD in Catania, Sicily, Italy; died February 9, 1487 AD in Catania, Sicily, Italy) was an Italian Dominican friar from Catania in Sicily who, after a dissolute youth spent in aristocratic revelry and a near-fatal wound sustained in a brawl, underwent a dramatic conversion, entered the Dominican Order, and became a renowned mystic, confessor, and miracle-worker. Born into the noble Scammacca family of Catania — one of the great baronial families of eastern Sicily — he spent his early years in the worldly pleasures of the Sicilian aristocracy. Wounded severely in a duel or street fight, he turned to prayer during his convalescence and resolved to enter religious life. He joined the Dominicans at Catania and was ordained a priest. He became renowned for his mystical gifts, his penances, and his miracles. He died February 9, 1487, in Catania. He was beatified by Pope Pius VI in 1825 (or by Gregory XVI in 1825 — confirmed by Leo XIII). His feast day is February 9.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Bernard Scammacca
| Blessed Bernard Scammacca | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | February 09 |
| Profession | Dominican friar and priest; converted Sicilian nobleman; mystic; confessor; miracle-worker; penitent |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Preachers (Dominicans); Dominican Province of the Kingdom of Sicily; Sicilian Catholic tradition; 15th-century Italian Dominican mysticism |
| Patronage | Catania; Sicily; converted sinners; those who undergo radical conversion; the Dominican Order in Sicily |
| Attributes | White Dominican habit with black cappa; wound on body (his conversion wound); cross; a crown of thorns (penance); lily (conversion to purity); Mount Etna in the background |
| Birthplace | Catania, Sicily, Italy |
| Death Place | Catania, Sicily, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died February 9, 1487, in Catania; he was approximately 67 years old; he had spent his priestly life as a Dominican friar at the Convent of San Domenico in Catania; he was renowned for mystical experiences, charity to the poor, healing miracles, and intense penances that compensated for the sins of his youth; his beatification is confirmed in the Dominican and Sicilian Catholic tradition; feast February 9 |
| Primary Shrine | Catania, Sicily, Italy — Basilica of San Nicola l'Arena or former San Domenico convent; February 9 feast; Dominican Order veneration |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; February 9 feast in the Dominican Order and in Catania |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Bernard Scammacca was born around 1420 in Catania, Sicily, into the noble Scammacca family — one of the great baronial houses of eastern Sicily. He spent his early years in the worldly pleasures typical of the 15th-century Sicilian aristocracy.
He was wounded severely in a brawl or duel. During his convalescence, facing the possibility of death, he underwent a profound conversion and resolved to enter religious life.
He entered the Dominican Order at the Convent of San Domenico in Catania, was ordained a priest, and devoted the remainder of his life to prayer, penance, and ministry. He became renowned for mystical gifts, healing miracles, and his passionate compensation for the sins of his youth through asceticism and charity.
He died February 9, 1487, in Catania. He was beatified in 1825. His feast day is February 9.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Catania, Sicily, Italy
Death location: Catania, Sicily, Italy
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Feast day
February 9
Veneration
Blessed Bernard Scammacca (c. 1420–1487) was a Sicilian Dominican friar of the noble Scammacca family of Catania who, after a near-fatal wound and dramatic conversion from a dissolute aristocratic youth, became a renowned mystic and miracle-worker. Beatified 1825. Feast February 9.
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