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Nicholas of Tolentino
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Saint Nicholas of Tolentino () (c. 1246 — 1305), known as the Patron of Holy Souls, was an Italian saint and mystic.
as born at Sant'Angelo in Pontano in Italy, in what was then the March of Ancona. His parents, Compagnonus de Guarutti and Amata de Guidiani, were originally unable to have a child, but after praying at a shrine of Saint Nicholas of Myra, Amata became pregnant, and they named their son after the saint.
At the age of 18, Nicholas became an Augustinian Friar and was a student with Blessed Angelus de Scarpetti.
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Encyclopedia
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino () (c. 1246 — 1305), known as the Patron of Holy Souls, was an Italian saint and mystic.
Biography
He was born at Sant'Angelo in Pontano in Italy, in what was then the March of Ancona. His parents, Compagnonus de Guarutti and Amata de Guidiani, were originally unable to have a child, but after praying at a shrine of Saint Nicholas of Myra, Amata became pregnant, and they named their son after the saint.
At the age of 18, Nicholas became an Augustinian Friar and was a student with Blessed Angelus de Scarpetti. He became a monk at Recanati and Macerata, and at the age of 25, he was ordained. He was a canon of Saint Saviour's. Nicholas had visions of angels reciting "to Tolentino"; he took this as a sign to move to that city in 1274, where he lived the rest of his life.
He became ill and received a vision of Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints Augustine and Monica who told him to eat a certain type of bread roll that had been dipped in water. He started distributing these rolls while praying to Mary. These rolls became known as Saint Nicholas Bread.
He worked as a peacemaker in a city torn by civil war. He preached, worked wonders, healed people, and visited prisoners. He always told those he helped, "Say nothing of this." He received visions, including images of Purgatory, which friends ascribed to his lengthy fasts. He had a great devotion to the recently dead, praying for the souls in Purgatory as he traveled around his parish, and often late into the night.
Miracles
Nicholas was reported to have resurrected over one hundred dead children, including several who had drowned together. Legend says that the devil once beat him with a stick; the stick was displayed for years in his church. A vegetarian, Nicholas was once served a roasted fowl; he made the sign of the cross over it, and it flew out a window. Nine passengers on ship going down at sea once asked Nicholas' aid; he appeared in the sky, wearing the black Augustinian habit, radiating golden light, holding a lily in his left hand; with his right hand he quelled the storm. An apparition of the saint once saved the burning palace of the Doge of Venice by throwing a piece of blessed bread on the flames.
Veneration
He died in 1305 and was canonized by Pope Eugene IV. St Pius V did not include him in the Tridentine Calendar, but he was later inserted into the calendar and given September 10 as his feast day. Judged to be of limited importance worldwide, his liturgical celebration was no longer included among those to be commemorated universally in the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, wherever the Roman Rite is celebrated. St Nicholas of Tolentino is still recognized as one of the saints of the Roman Catholic Church.
A number of churches and oratories are dedicated to him, including the church of San Nicoḷ da Tolentino in Venice; San Nicola da Tolentino agli Orti Sallustiani in Rome; the Oratorio di San Nicola da Tolentino (Oratory of San Nicola da Tolentino) in Vicenza; and finally the Basilica di San Nicola a Tolentino in the saint's hometown of Tolentino in the province of Macerata.
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