Blessed Bishop Giacomo Benefatti | |
---|---|
Bishop of Mantua | |
Church | Roman Catholic Church |
Diocese | Mantua |
See | Mantua |
Appointed | 10 January 1304 |
Installed | 1304 |
Term ended | 19 November 1332 |
Orders | |
Consecration | c. 1320 by Pope John XXII |
Rank | Bishop |
Personal details | |
Born | Giacomo Benefatti ??? Mantua, Captaincy-General of Mantua |
Died | 19 November 1332 Mantua, Captaincy-General of Mantua |
Sainthood | |
Feast day | 19 November |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Beatified | 22 September 1859 Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Pius IX |
Attributes |
|
Giacomo Benefatti (died 19 November 1332) was an Italian Catholic priest and professed member of the Order of Preachers who ascended to the position of Bishop of Mantua. [1] Benefatti became noted for his tender care of the ill during epidemics of plague and both Pope Benedict XI - a close personal friend - and Pope John XXII held him in high esteem. [2]
Benefatti's reputation for personal holiness endured in the centuries after his death and the confirmation of his local 'cultus' - or popular devotion - allowed for Pope Pius IX to confirm the late bishop's beatification on 22 September 1859. [3]
Giacomo Benefatti was born in Mantua at some point in the mid 1200s to nobles. [2]
He enrolled in the Order of Preachers in 1290 and was later ordained to the priesthood. He acquired his master's degree in his theological studies from the University of Paris and later earned his doctorate in theological studies. [1] [2] Benefatti became a close and personal friend of the fellow Dominican friar Cardinal Niccolò Boccasini who later ascended as Pope Benedict XI. The new pontiff appointed him as a papal legate and then appointed him as the Bishop of Mantua at the beginning of 1304. [3] Benefatti decided to raise funds for refurbishing churches in the diocese as well as rebuilding the Mantua Cathedral. As a bishop he attended the coronation of King Henry VII in Milan and participated in the Council of Vienne. [2] He also knew Ludovico I Gonzaga when the latter aided in providing donations for the cathedral renovation.
Bishop Benefatti became noted among the faithful of the diocese for his careful attention to poor people as well as for his ardent dedication to the ill during a period of plague epidemic. He also served as a papal legate for Pope John XXII. [1] The pontiff held him in high esteem and in 1320 conferred episcopal consecration on Benefatti who had not received it at that point - but sources differ on whether it was in 1320 or back in 1304 after being appointed as bishop. [3] He earned the moniker of the "Father of the Poor".
Benefatti died on 19 November 1332. His remains were found to be incorrupt in 1480 after the Dominican church he was interred in was undergoing reconstruction and his remains were found to be still incorrupt in 1604. His remains were moved to the diocese's main cathedral in 1823. [2]
Benefatti's beatification received ratification on 22 September 1859 once Pope Pius IX confirmed the local 'cultus' - or popular veneration - to the late bishop existed after his death and endured through the centuries.
Giovanni Battista Righi was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member from the Order of Friars Minor. He was known for ascetic life and for his preaching and healing abilities.
Szymon of Lipnica was a Polish catholic priest and a professed member from the Order of Friars Minor. He became a sought after and noted preacher and took as his preaching inspiration Saint Bernardine of Siena and also was a strong proponent of popular devotions that he worked to spread.
Niccolò Albergati was an Italian Carthusian and a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was appointed cardinal and served as a papal diplomat to France and England (1422–23) in addition to serving as the bishop of Bologna from 1417 until his death.
Blessed Hemming of Turku was a Swedish Roman Catholic bishop and served as the Bishop of Turku from 1338 until 1366. He was born in Sweden though relocated to Finland following his appointment as bishop. He became a popular figure in the diocese for his staunch dedication to the educational and spiritual needs of the faithful. He was also a close friend of Saint Bridget of Sweden. During his studies he knew the future Pope Clement VI as one of his classmates.
Augustin Kažotić was a Croatian prelate of the Catholic Church and professed member from the Order of Preachers who served as the Bishop of Lucera from 1322 until his death. Kažotić was a humanist and orator who had served first as the Bishop of Zagreb from 1303 until 1322. Kažotić studied in Paris before returning to his homeland where he began working in the missions and preaching in modern Bosnia. He was one of the first humanist figures to appear in southern Croatia.
Jakub Strzemię was a Polish Roman Catholic archbishop and a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor. He served as the Archbishop of Halicz from 1392 until his death when the archdiocese was incorporated into that of the Archdiocese of Lviv.
Andrea Franchi was an Italian Roman Catholic member of the Order of Preachers who served as the Bishop of Pistoia before his resignation due to ill health. Franchi became a noted preacher and evangelist who was also known for his holiness and his deep commitment to the poor of his diocese.
Domenico Spadafora was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Preachers. Spadafora was a noted evangelist and attracted countless to the Dominican fold while also converting the hearts of others who led dissolute lives. He is best known for being the first superior of a church he oversaw construction of in Monte Cerignone after receiving the papal approval of Pope Alexander VI to commence such work.
Elena Duglioli was an Italian Roman Catholic aristocrat from Bologna noted for her devotion to Christian life and social teachings. Duglioli wanted to become a nun for the Poor Clares but instead married in order to please her parents. Duglioli is best known for commissioning a chapel with an image of Saint Cecilia to whom she was devoted.
Antonio Patrizi was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Saint Augustine. Patrizi joined the order in Lecceto and lived as a hermit prior to his sudden death while visiting his friend at another convent.
Rinaldo da Concorezzo was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and archbishop who served as the Bishop of Vicenza from 1296 until his 1303 appointment as the Archbishop of Ravenna-Cervia holding that until his death.
Guala de Roniis was an Italian catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Preachers as one of Dominic of Osma's earliest disciples. De Roniis was born as a noble and was appointed as the Bishop of Brescia after Dominic's death though also served as a popular papal legate that earned him popular and papal support. He resigned from his episcopal see to dedicate the remainder of his life to peaceful solitude though his reputation for personal holiness prompted countless people to seek him out for his counsel.
Giacomo Bianconi was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Preachers. Bianconi - who hailed from Umbria - joined the order in his adolescence and dedicated his pastoral career to his flock and on one notable occasion aided refugees when Frederick II sacked the area in 1248. He also combatted heresies and managed to convert one of their chief propagators while also distinguishing himself through his life of extreme poorness that went past the Dominican standards.
Giovanni de Surdis Cacciafronte was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and bishop from the Order of Saint Benedict. He served as the Bishop of Mantua from 1174 until his resignation in 1177 and held the position of Bishop of Vicenza from 1179 until his murder. The schism that Antipope Victor IV caused enabled him to proclaim his support for Pope Alexander III though leading to his removal from a position at the behest of Frederick Barbarossa.
Arcangelo Canetoli was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a canon regular of Santa Maria di Reno. Canetoli escaped the massacre of his parents and brothers who were killed in Bologna during a political feud and embraced the religious life not long after where he became noted to the point he turned down repeated offers to serve as the Archbishop of Bologna and the Archbishop of Florence.
Blessed Hartmann of Brixen was a German prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as the Bishop of Brixen from his appointment in 1140 until his death. Hartmann served alongside the Order of Saint Augustine - who oversaw his education - and he managed certain aspects of their order despite not being part of that congregation. He also supported Pope Alexander III during his struggle with Frederick Barbarossa and also earned the favor of the latter despite Hartmann's views of the schism.
Bartolomeo Fanti was an Italian Roman Catholic priest from the Carmelite order in Mantua. Fanti served as the spiritual director and rector of a religious movement in his hometown and oversaw the establishment of their rule and statutes while himself serving as a novice master for his own order where he became known for being an effective preacher.
Bonaventura Tornielli was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed friar from the Servite Order. Tornielli was born into a noble household and was a noted preacher in which he visited numerous Italian cities such as Florence and Perugia - Pope Sixtus IV held him in high esteem and even named him the "Apostolic Preacher". He also held various positions of leadership within his order.
Gabriel Ferretti was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor. He was an ancestor to both Cardinal Gabriele Ferretti and Pope Pius IX having been descended from a long noble lineage. Ferretti entered the religious life after becoming of age and soon after his ordination held two important leadership positions in the order. He set about restoring run down Franciscan convents in the region as well as seeing to the establishment of new ones to deal with an influx of new novices.
Antonio Fatati was an Italian Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop for Ancona e Umana from 3 November 1463 until his death. Fatati also served as a bishop in both Teramo and Siena; he was an assistant bishop in the latter position to Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini. He also happened to secure favor from various popes due to his work and important positions within the Papal States; his positions included treasurer and canon among others.