Justinus de Jacobis

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Justin de Jacobis CM , ( it. : Giustino Sebastiano Pasquale ) and Justin De Jacobi (* 9. October 1800 in San Fele , Region Basilicata , Italy ; † 31 July 1860 in Aligadé , Eritrea ) is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church . He was Mission Bishop and Vicar Apostolic of the former Vicariate Apostolic Abyssinia . He is nicknamed the " Apostle of Abyssinia ".

Life

Justinus de Jacobis was the seventh of fourteen children. When his family moved to Naples, Justin met a Carmelite priest for the first time . The priest became his pastor and confessor . Justinus entered the religious community of the Lazarists (CM) in Naples at the age of eighteen . On June 12, 1824, he was ordained a priest in Brindisi and initially worked in the popular mission . His order, a missionary order, sent him to what was then Abyssinia in 1839. Here he took over the task of the Apostolic Prefect of Abyssinia and is the founder of today's Archdiocese of Addis Ababa . In 1847 he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Abyssinia and was ordained bishop in 1849 . His missionary successes did not always meet with approval from the Ethiopian-Coptic Church . This led to quarrels and arrests. When Justinus was imprisoned again, he called France to mediate. He was then expelled from the country and lived in desert exile until his death .

Act

At the beginning of his missionary work in Abyssinia, today's Ethiopia, he discussed the culture and customs of the indigenous people. He soon learned the Tigre language and another Semitic language , thereby connecting the liturgical tradition of the Coptic communities . With this so-called closeness to the people, he won the trust of the people and was able to promote successful missionary work for the Roman Catholic Church . In his work he went so far that he felt himself to be a local and adopted their lifestyle . He also succeeded in recruiting and training the clergy from the local population, for this purpose he set up a mobile seminary .

Apostle of Abyssinia

With the establishment of the Apostolic Prefecture of Abyssinia by Pope Gregory XVI. (1831–1846) in 1839 Justinus took over the office of Apostolic Prefect. When the prefecture was raised to the Apostolic Vicariate in 1847, he took over the office of Apostolic Vicar of Abyssinia on December 2, 1847. On January 8, 1849 Justinus de Jacobi was appointed titular bishop of Nilopolis and ordained bishop. From the Apostolic Vicariate of Abyssinia, the Apostolic Vicariate of Addis Ababa was established in 1937, and from this emerged today's Archdiocese of Addis Ababa. The founding time can therefore be traced back to Justinus, his popular missionary work earned him the nickname "Apostle of Abyssinia".

Canonization

The canonization process for Justinus de Jacobis began on July 13, 1904. Justinus was born on June 26, 1939 by Pope Pius XII. beatified . The canonization process began on October 26, 1975 with the canonization by Pope Paul VI. completed. July 31 (the day of his death) was set as the church memorial day. On the 150th day of remembrance, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Pontifical Ethiopian College in the Vatican and stated on the person of the saint:

“... With great foresight, Justin saw that considering the cultural context was a preferred way in which the Lord's grace would educate new generations of Christians. He learned the local language there and promoted the centuries-old liturgical tradition of the rite of those communities, whereby he was also committed to effective ecumenical work. For more than 20 years his generous service - first as a priest and later as a bishop - benefited all those whom he met and whom he loved as living members of the people entrusted to him ... "

- Pope Benedict XVI.

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personal data
SURNAME Jacobis, Justinus de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Jacobis, Justin; De Jacobis, Giustino
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian missionary bishop, saint
DATE OF BIRTH October 9, 1800
PLACE OF BIRTH San Fele , Italy
DATE OF DEATH July 31, 1860
Place of death Aligadé , Eritrea