Angelus Paoli

P. Angelus Paoli O. Carm. (Born September 1, 1642 in Argigliano , Tuscany ; † January 20, 1720 in Rome ) was a Roman Catholic priest and Carmelite . On April 25, 2010, he was beatified in the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

Life

Father Angelus Paoli was born on September 1st, 1642 in Argigliano ( Tuscany ) and baptized in the name of Francis. In 1660 he entered the novitiate of the Carmelite Order in Fivizzano and received the tonsure and minor orders . After the novitiate he was sent to Siena , where he made his first vows on December 18th . Fr. Angelus studied philosophy and theology in Pisa and Florence , where he celebrated his first Holy Mass on January 7, 1667 .

The life of Father Angelus Paoli can be divided into two periods, in the Order of Tuscany and in Rome. In the first years of his religious life, Father Angelus was frequently transferred: from Florence in 1674 to Argigliano and Pistoia , in 1675 as novice master to Florence, after 18 months as pastor to Carniola and in 1677 to Siena . From 1682 he was a teacher of philosophy in the clergy in his province . In 1687 Father Angelus was called by the Prior General Paolo di S. Ignazio as novice master and economist to Rome to the convent of S. Martino ai Monti , where he would stay for 32 years of his life.

From the first years of his religious life he strove for a life in silence, for prayer and asceticism . Out of this grew his innumerable works of charity in caring for the sick and poor, so that even in Siena people called him "Father of charity", a name that he fully followed in his later years, especially in Rome. In Rome he looked after the two hospitals for men and women “St. Johannes ". For the homeless and street children in the area from the Colosseum to the Lateran Basilica , he founded a hospice , a new and far-sighted foundation at the time! “He who loves God must serve him among the poor” was his motto. Father Angelus knew how to inspire many people and to move them to support those in need - especially during the earthquake and floods in Rome between 1701 and 1706.

Many wealthy Romans valued Fr. Angelus as an advisor. They followed his advice and supported his active charity. The Popes Innocent XIII. (1691–1700) and Clemens XI. (1700–1721) offered him the cardinal dignity , which he did not accept because that would have hindered the service of the poor.

Father Angelus had great faith in Divine Providence. This trust remained difficult to explain, whether it concerned his pantry for the poor, where nothing was missing, or the poor feeding , where the food was wonderfully sufficient. He also always paid attention to fair wages for the workers.

All of this was only possible through his deep bond with God, which he had already sought as a child in the solitude of a cave, in his monastery cell or in the small choir of the church of S. Martino ai Monti . The nights passed like lightning for him, while he "rested in prayer on Jesus' breast", as he himself once put it. Father Angelus died on January 20, 1720 and was buried in the left aisle of the church of S. Martino ai Monti .

beatification

Just three years after his death, the informative process was opened in Florence , Pisa and Rome and continued in Rome from 1740 to 1753. His heroic degree of virtue was given by Pope Pius VI in 1781 . been confirmed. A healing attributed to him from 1927 could be recognized medically as an "inexplicable healing". His beatification took place on April 25, 2010 in the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

Web links

• Biography on www.ocarm.org (Italian)