Ignatius Falzon
Ignatius (Nazju) Falzon (born July 1, 1813 in Valletta , Malta ; † July 1, 1865 ibid) was a Maltese lay chaplain and catechist who was the first Maltese to be included in the Canon of the Blessed.
Life
Ignatius Falzon was born in 1813 to Francis Joseph Falzon and Mary Teresa Falzon. Even as a child, according to witnesses in life, he was distinguished by his extraordinary piety: he prayed the rosary every day and was a great admirer of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph . After attending grammar school, he first became a lawyer (1833), but had already received minor orders at the age of 15. However, he refused an ordination as a Catholic priest because he did not feel worthy for it.
Falzon taught Christianity to children and young people and converted about 600 British soldiers and six Jews to the Catholic faith . For his catechist activity he renounced a "secular career". He taught the teachings of the Catechism at the Institute of the Good Shepherd . In view of the high number of missionaries, he created a congregation that should take care of the converts and look after them sustainably. There the catechism of perseverance was taught every day through preaching and introduction to the sacraments .
After a full life, but still relatively young, Ignatius Falzon died on his birthday on July 1, 1865 in Valletta. He is buried in a family grave in the chapel of the Immaculate Conception ( Immakulata ) in the Church of Mary of Jesus of the Minor Franciscans, right in the capital of Malta, in Valletta.
Church recognition
As early as November 22, 1905, Pope Pius X determined the heroic degree of virtue , the preliminary stage to beatification . The beatification took place on May 9, 2001 by Pope John Paul II on his anniversary pilgrimage to Greece, Syria and Malta in 2001 together with the priest Georg Preca and the sister Maria Adeodata Pisani.
His feast day in the liturgy is July 1st.
swell
- Short biography in the calendar of saints on kirchensite.de of the diocese of Münster
- Schauber / Schindler: saints and namesake in the course of the year, Pattloch Verlag, 1998.
- Lexicon of Names and Saints, Nikol Verlag, 2002.
- Ekkart Sauser : Falzon, Ignatius. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 18, Bautz, Herzberg 2001, ISBN 3-88309-086-7 , Sp. 403.
- Short biography and decree for beatification in Latin
- Short biography in the Vatican Directory of the Blessed and Saints in Italian
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sermon of John Paul II at the beatification ceremony on the Piazziale dei Granai in Valetta
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Falzon, Ignatius |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Falzon, Nazju |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Maltese lay priest and pastor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 1, 1813 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Valletta , Malta |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 1, 1865 |
| Place of death | Valletta , Malta |