Blessed Vincent Romano

Priest  - (1751-1831)

His life

+ Vincent was born into a poor, pious family in Naples, Italy.

+ His study of the writings of Saint Alphonsus Liguori and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament inspired him to dedicate his life to the Church as a priest and he was ordained in 1775.

+ He spent his entire life serving in the village church in Torre del Greco and was known for his simplicity, his generosity to orphans, and his support of seminarians.

+ After an eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed his church and parts of the village in 1794, he worked on the new church with his own hands.

+ Blessed Vincent Romano died of pneumonia on December 20, 1831, and was beatified in 1963.

Spiritual bonus

Saint Alphonsus Liguori, whose writings inspired Blessed Vincent in his priestly ministry, is most especially honored as the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists), but his huge corpus of writings have inspired countless Christians through the years and for this reason, he is honored as a Doctor of the Church and or moral theologians.

Quote

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

for he has anointed me

and sent me to preach the good news to the poor,

to heal the broken-hearted.”—Luke 4:18

Prayer

O God, light of the faithful and shepherd of souls,
who set blessed Vincent in the Church
to feed your sheep by his words and form them by his example,
grant that through his intercession
we may keep the faith he taught by his words
and follow the way he showed by his example.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal: Common of Pastors—For One Pastor)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.