Blessed Pietro Bonilli
Blessed Pietro Bonilli (born March 15, 1841 AD at San Lorenzo di Trevi, near Trevi in Umbria, Papal States; died January 5, 1935 AD at Spoleto, Italy) was an Italian Catholic diocesan priest, parish pastor, and founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto, remembered for a life of charity spent among orphans, the poor, the deaf, and the blind. For more than thirty years the parish priest of the little Umbrian village of Cannaiola, he built there a network of works of mercy that grew into a religious congregation devoted to the model of the Holy Family of Nazareth. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1988, and his feast is kept on January 5.[1][2]
Born to a family of Umbrian farmers, Bonilli was ordained priest in 1863 and almost at once appointed to the poor parish of Cannaiola di Trevi, where he would labour for the greater part of his life.[1][3] Moved by the plight of abandoned children, he opened an orphanage and, on May 13, 1888, founded the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto to carry on the care and Christian education of the young; later he extended his charity to the deaf and the blind. He ended his days as a canon of the cathedral of Spoleto, dying in his ninety-fourth year with a reputation for holiness that led, in time, to his beatification.[1][2]
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Pietro Bonilli
| Blessed Pietro Bonilli | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | January 05 |
| Profession | Priest; parish pastor; founder of a religious congregation |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto |
| Patronage | Orphans; the poor; the deaf and blind (through his institutes) |
| Attributes | Cassock; the Holy Family |
| Birthplace | San Lorenzo di Trevi, Umbria, Papal States (now Italy) |
| Death Place | Spoleto, Umbria, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died January 5, 1935, at Spoleto in his ninety-fourth year |
| Primary Shrine | Casa Nazareno, Spoleto, Italy |
| Liturgical Class | Not included in the General Roman Calendar; observed by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto and the Archdiocese of Spoleto–Norcia |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth and early life
Pietro Bonilli was born on March 15, 1841, at San Lorenzo di Trevi, in the district of Perugia in the Papal States, the son of the farmers Sebastiano Bonilli and Maria Allegri.[1][3] Raised in a devout rural household, he felt an early call to the priesthood and entered the seminary, where he pursued his studies for holy orders.[1][2]
Priesthood and the parish of Cannaiola
Bonilli was ordained to the priesthood on December 19, 1863, and only days later, on December 31, 1863, was appointed parish priest of Cannaiola, a poor village in the plain below Trevi.[1][3] He remained its pastor for more than three decades, until about 1897, giving himself to the spiritual and material welfare of his people.[1] Confronting the poverty and neglect around him, he established a range of charitable works, and it was at Cannaiola that his particular mission to abandoned and orphaned children took shape, with the founding of the Nazarene Institute for orphan girls in 1887.[1][2]
Foundation of the Sisters of the Holy Family
To give permanence to this work, Bonilli founded the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto on May 13, 1888, placing the new congregation under the patronage of the Holy Family of Nazareth, whose hidden life of labour and love he held up as its model.[1][2] The sisters devoted themselves to the care and Christian and civic education of orphans and the poor, and Bonilli in time widened their apostolate to embrace the deaf and the blind.[1][3] The congregation received the papal decree of praise from Pope Pius X on March 8, 1911, and full papal approval from Pope Pius XI on May 10, 1932; it continued to spread after the founder's death.[1]
Canon of Spoleto and death
In 1898 Bonilli was appointed canon penitentiary of the cathedral of Spoleto, and he passed the last decades of his life in that city, near the mother-house of his institute.[1][2] He died at Spoleto on January 5, 1935, in his ninety-fourth year, revered as a father of orphans and a model of pastoral charity.[1][3]
Significant events
- Born at San Lorenzo di Trevi on March 15, 1841.
- Ordained priest on December 19, 1863, and appointed parish priest of Cannaiola.
- Founded the Nazarene Institute for orphan girls in 1887.
- Founded the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto on May 13, 1888.
- Extended his charity to the deaf and the blind.
- Appointed canon penitentiary of Spoleto Cathedral in 1898.
- His congregation received papal approval in 1911 and 1932.
- Died at Spoleto on January 5, 1935.
- Beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1988.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: San Lorenzo di Trevi, Umbria, Papal States (now Italy)
Death location: Spoleto, Umbria, Italy
Notable location: Birthplace (San Lorenzo di Trevi, Umbria, Italy)
Notable location: Parish where he served from 1863 and founded his works of charity (Cannaiola di Trevi, Umbria, Italy)
Notable location: Where he founded the Sisters of the Holy Family and served as cathedral canon (Spoleto, Umbria, Italy)
Notable location: Where he was beatified, April 24, 1988 (Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City)
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Pietro Bonilli have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Canonization
Beatification
The cause of Pietro Bonilli led to his being declared Venerable and, after the approval of a miracle attributed to his intercession — a healing investigated at Cupramontana in the Marche — he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square on April 24, 1988.[1][2] He has not been canonized.
Feast day
January 05
Veneration
Blessed Pietro Bonilli is venerated especially by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto, the congregation he founded, and in the Archdiocese of Spoleto–Norcia. He is honoured as an apostle of charity toward orphans, the poor, and the disabled, and his memory is kept at the Casa Nazareno in Spoleto. His spiritual legacy lives on in the schools and charitable houses maintained by his sisters in Italy and abroad.[2][1]
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
External links
- Wikipedia – Pietro Bonilli
- CatholicSaints.Info – Blessed Pietro Bonilli
- Encyclopedia.com – Bonilli, Pietro, Bl. (New Catholic Encyclopedia)