Blessed Peter Geremia
Blessed Peter Geremia (Italian: Pietro Geremia; born c. 1381 AD — some sources give 1399 — at Palermo, Sicily; died March 3, 1452 AD at Palermo) was an Italian Dominican priest, celebrated as one of the greatest preachers of fifteenth-century Sicily, a theologian at the Council of Florence, and a reformer who promoted the Observant discipline among the Dominican convents of the island. Abandoning a promising legal career after a dramatic conversion, he entered the Order of Preachers and became so renowned for his eloquence that, according to tradition, no church could hold the crowds who came to hear him. His cult was confirmed by Pope Pius VI on May 12, 1784, and his feast is kept on March 3 (and on March 10 in the Dominican Order).[1][2]
The son of a jurist in the service of King Alfonso I of Sicily, Peter was sent to study law at the University of Bologna. There a profound spiritual crisis — recounted in his Life as an apparition of a deceased kinsman lost through pride and perjury — turned him from the law to religion. He made his novitiate at Fiesole, where tradition places him under the direction of Saint Antoninus of Florence, and after ordination returned to Sicily to spend his life in preaching and reform.[2][3]
Summoned to the Council of Florence by Pope Eugene IV and praised there for his learning, Peter declined all ecclesiastical honours, accepting only the office of apostolic visitor charged with restoring regular observance in the religious houses of Sicily. He died at the convent of Santa Zita in Palermo on March 3, 1452, and his relics are venerated in that city.[1][2]
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Peter Geremia
| Blessed Peter Geremia | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | March 03 |
| Profession | Priest; preacher; theologian; reformer |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Preachers (Dominicans) |
| Patronage | City of Palermo; preachers |
| Attributes | Dominican habit; preaching; the veil of Saint Agatha |
| Birthplace | Palermo, Sicily, Italy |
| Death Place | Convent of Santa Zita, Palermo, Sicily, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died March 3, 1452, at the Dominican convent of Santa Zita in Palermo |
| Primary Shrine | Church of San Domenico, Palermo, Sicily, Italy |
| Liturgical Class | Not included in the General Roman Calendar; observed by the Dominican Order and in the Archdiocese of Palermo |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth and early life
Peter Geremia was born at Palermo in Sicily, the son of Arduino Geremia, a jurist and fiscal official in the service of King Alfonso I of Sicily.[2] The year of his birth is variously reported: the New Catholic Encyclopedia and older Dominican tradition place it about 1381, while some modern accounts give 1399.[1][2] Destined by his father for the law and a share in his own office, Peter was sent, at about the age of eighteen, to study jurisprudence at the University of Bologna, where he proved a brilliant and, by his own later admission, a proud student.[3]
Conversion and entry into the Order
The turning point of Peter's life is recounted in his hagiography as a vision. As he lay meditating one night on the worldly success and honours that awaited him, he was said to have been visited by the apparition of a deceased kinsman — himself a lawyer — whose pride and perjury had, the spirit warned, cost him his salvation.[2][3] Shaken by the vision, Peter resolved to enter the Order of Preachers. His father, enraged, hastened to Bologna to prevent him, but on seeing his son's joy in the religious life is said to have relented and given his blessing.[3]
Because of the strength of his family's opposition, Peter was not permitted to make his novitiate in Sicily; he entered instead at the convent of Fiesole near Florence, where tradition places him under the direction of Saint Antoninus Pierozzi, the future archbishop of Florence.[2] He was ordained to the priesthood about 1424.[2]
Preacher and theologian
Returning to Sicily around 1433, Peter Geremia devoted himself above all to preaching, and his fame quickly spread through the island and beyond.[2] Tradition holds that the crowds who gathered to hear him were so great that no church could contain them, and that he was often obliged to preach in the open air.[3] He also taught and preached on the mainland, and his gifts were admired by his older Dominican contemporary Saint Vincent Ferrer.[1] A learned man, he left behind a body of Sermones, five volumes of which were printed at Brescia in 1502, together with other theological and moral works that remained in manuscript.[1]
In 1439 Pope Eugene IV summoned him to the Council of Florence, convened to seek the reunion of the Greek and Latin Churches, where his learning and eloquence were greatly esteemed.[1][2] The pope wished to advance him to high ecclesiastical office, but Peter declined every honour. He consented only to serve as apostolic visitor in Sicily, and even then stipulated that his authority be confined to the restoration of regular discipline in religious houses where observance had decayed during the years of the Great Schism.[1] In this capacity he became a leading promoter of the Observant reform among the Dominicans of the island.[1]
Miracles and traditions
A number of wonders were attributed to Peter both in life and after his death. The most celebrated is his supposed halting of an eruption of Mount Etna that threatened Catania — commonly dated to about 1444 — which tradition says he stayed by holding up the veil of Saint Agatha, the city's patroness, toward the advancing lava.[2][3] Other legendary accounts tell of his commanding fish to supply food for his community and of healings of the blind and the lame obtained through his prayers.[3] Such stories belong to the devotional tradition surrounding him and are recorded here as part of his cult rather than as verified history.
Death and relics
Peter Geremia died on March 3, 1452, at the Dominican convent of Santa Zita in Palermo.[1][2] His relics are venerated in Palermo, where devotion to him as a holy preacher and reformer long persisted.[2]
Significant events
- Sent to study law at the University of Bologna, where he was a distinguished student.
- Underwent a dramatic conversion and entered the Order of Preachers, making his novitiate at Fiesole.
- Ordained priest about 1424 and returned to Sicily, where he became a famous preacher.
- Summoned by Pope Eugene IV to the Council of Florence (1439) as a theologian.
- Served as apostolic visitor for the reform of religious observance in Sicily.
- Traditionally credited with saving Catania from an eruption of Mount Etna with the veil of Saint Agatha.
- Died at the convent of Santa Zita, Palermo, on March 3, 1452.
- His cult was confirmed by Pope Pius VI on May 12, 1784.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Death location: Convent of Santa Zita, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Notable location: Birthplace, and the city where he preached and died (Palermo, Sicily, Italy)
Notable location: Where he studied law before entering the Dominican Order (University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy)
Notable location: Where he made his Dominican novitiate, traditionally under Saint Antoninus (Fiesole, Tuscany, Italy)
Notable location: City he is said to have saved from an eruption of Mount Etna with the veil of Saint Agatha (Catania, Sicily, Italy)
Notable location: Where his relics are venerated (Church of San Domenico, Palermo, Italy)
Dynamic content
Parishes
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Media
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Shrines
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Canonization
Beatification (confirmation of cult)
The long-standing veneration of Peter Geremia was formally confirmed by Pope Pius VI on May 12, 1784 — an equipollent beatification recognizing his immemorial cult.[1][2] He has not been formally canonized.
Feast day
March 03 (celebrated on March 10 in the Dominican Order)
Veneration
Blessed Peter Geremia is venerated especially by the Order of Preachers and in the Archdiocese of Palermo, where his relics rest. He is remembered as one of the foremost preachers of his age and as a promoter of religious reform in Sicily, and is honoured as a patron of the city of Palermo and of preachers. In art he is represented in the Dominican habit and, in reference to his most famous miracle, with the veil of Saint Agatha.[3][2]
Prayers
Authored
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Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
External links
- Wikipedia – Pietro Geremia
- CatholicSaints.Info – Blessed Peter de Geremia
- Encyclopedia.com – Peter Geremia, Bl. (New Catholic Encyclopedia)
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "Peter Geremia, Bl.," New Catholic Encyclopedia, via Encyclopedia.com.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 "Pietro Geremia," Wikipedia.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "Blessed Peter de Geremia," CatholicSaints.Info.