Pope Leo XIII proclaimed St. Nicholas of Tolentino the patron saint of all suffering souls in purgatory, as he was visited often by these souls during his life.
Few know that an Augustinian friar (the same religious order as Pope Leo XIV), was named the patron saint of all suffering souls in purgatory. It is a unique patronage, as it deals with souls who have died, but have to be purified before they can enter the eternal gates of Heaven.
The previous Pope Leo (Pope Leo XIII) gave St. Nicholas of Tolentino this patronage in 1884. This should not be surprising, as Pope Leo XIII had a special connection to the Augustinian Order, helping to reform it in the 19th century as well as restoring various shrines that the Augustinians were custodians of at the time.
St. Nicholas is also known to be the first Augustinian friar to be officially canonized by the Catholic Church, being canonized by Pope Eugene IV on June 5, 1446.
The saint's feast day is September 10, the day of his death in 1305.
Why is St. Nicholas the patron of souls in purgatory?
Born in the 13th century, St. Nicholas joined the Augustinian Order after hearing a sermon preached by an Augustinian that particularly moved him.
He spent the last 30 years of his life in Tolentino, and was widely known for his sanctity, as well as his rousing sermons. Yet it was his unique spiritual encounters and various reported miracles that gained him his future patronage.
One of his most well-known encounters was when a suffering soul approached him on a Saturday night, as the Life of St. Nicholas of Tolentino narrates:
During the Saturday night he heard a voice calling him. His eyes searched the darkness, but could not see anyone. "Who art thou?" he demanded and the voice came back to him, saying, "O Nicholas, O man of God, listen to me. I am the soul of Brother Pellegrino of Osimo, who once served thee. I am now in the fires of purgatory."
Brother Pellegrino then asked, "I beseech thee to offer the Holy Sacrifice [of the Mass] for me this day and I shall be free from these torments. I come in the name of many souls as unfortunate as myself, through the Holy Mass, which we ask you to offer for us, we expect deliverance."
St. Nicholas was then given a vision of a whole host of suffering souls from purgatory outside his window. Moved with pity, St. Nicholas then dedicated the next seven days to these suffering souls, offering Mass each day for their relief.
On the seventh day, "the soul of Pellegrino again appeared to him, telling him that at that moment a vast multitude of souls were passing from their purgatory to heaven. It is said that the Saint had the consolation of seeing that glorious throng entering the gates of eternal happiness."
For this reason the Augustinians continue to promote the "The Septinarium of St. Nicholas of Tolentino," which is a devotion for seven days that prays for souls in purgatory.
St. Nicholas' life reminds us of the existence of purgatory and how God in his great mercy has provided for us a final place of purification, before we reach the eternal joys of Heaven.
