Blessed John Colombini
Blessed John Colombini (born c. 1304 AD in Siena, Tuscany, Italy; died July 31, 1367 AD in Acquapendente, Lazio, Italy) was an Italian Catholic layman, former merchant, and founder of the Gesuati (Company of Jesus/Jesus Brothers), a lay religious movement dedicated to radical poverty, care for the sick, and itinerant preaching. He was beatified by Pope Gregory XI in 1367, the year of his death. His feast day is July 31.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed John Colombini
| Blessed John Colombini | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 31 |
| Profession | Italian Catholic layman, merchant, convert, and founder; born Siena Tuscany c. 1304; Sienese merchant and politician; dramatic conversion c. 1355; gave away wealth; cared for sick and poor; founded Gesuati (Company of Jesus) lay movement; approved Pope Urban V 1367; died July 31 1367 Acquapendente; beatified Pope Gregory XI 1367; feast July 31 |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Gesuati (Company of Jesus/Jesus Brothers); 14th-century Italian lay penitential movement; Siena; Tuscany; Italy; post-Black Death religious renewal |
| Patronage | Siena; Tuscany; Italy; merchants; converts; care for the sick and poor; lay religious movements; those who abandon wealth for God; plague victims; post-Black Death tradition |
| Attributes | Gesuati humble habit; poverty; July 31 feast; Siena setting; merchant's scales (former life, now abandoned); care for the sick; Via Cassia and Acquapendente; Sienese Gothic art setting |
| Birthplace | Siena, Tuscany, Italy |
| Death Place | Acquapendente, Lazio, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died July 31, 1367, in Acquapendente, Lazio (then Papal States), Italy; Blessed John Colombini (Italian: Beato Giovanni Colombini) was an Italian Catholic layman; born Siena Tuscany c. 1304; successful Sienese merchant; dramatic conversion after reading life of Saint Mary of Egypt c. 1355; gave away wealth; cared for sick and poor; founded Gesuati (Company of Jesus/Jesus Brothers) lay movement of radical poverty and itinerant charity; approved by Pope Urban V 1367; died July 31 1367 Acquapendente; beatified Pope Gregory XI 1367; feast July 31 |
| Primary Shrine | Siena, Tuscany, Italy; beatified Pope Gregory XI 1367; feast July 31 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; July 31 feast locally in Siena and Tuscany |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
John Colombini was born c. 1304 in Siena, Tuscany. He became a successful merchant and politician in the great Sienese banking city. Around 1355, reputedly after reading the life of Saint Mary of Egypt, he underwent a dramatic conversion, giving away his wealth and devoting himself to caring for the sick and poor.
He founded the Gesuati (Company of Jesus), a lay brotherhood whose members lived in radical poverty, wandered through Tuscany and the Papal States singing hymns and caring for the plague-stricken, and called people to repentance. Pope Urban V approved the Gesuati shortly before Colombini's death.
He died July 31, 1367, at Acquapendente in the Papal States, while traveling. He was beatified by Pope Gregory XI in 1367, the year of his death. His feast day is July 31.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Death location: Acquapendente, Lazio, Italy
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Feast day
July 31
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