Évêque de Macerata et Tolentino (+ 1824)
Biographe de saint Paul de la Croix, le fondateur des Passionnistes, qu'il avait rejoints en 1768.
Né le 1er janvier 1745, à Cititavecchia près de Rome.
En 1773, il devient responsable des étudiants au monastère Saint Jean Saint Paul à Rome.
Bon prédicateur, il écrivit un manuel appelé 'Eloquence sacrée'
Il est dit que juste avant sa mort saint Paul de la Croix lui confia la congrégation.
Recteur en 1780, élu provincial en 1781, il écrivit la vie de saint Paul de la Croix.
Nommé par le pape Pie VII évêque de Macerata et Tolentino le 26 juin 1801.
Malgré le Concordat, Napoléon envahit les états papaux et le pape fut emmené en exil à Fontainebleau en mai 1812.
Vincent et les autres évêques refusèrent de prêter allégeance à l'Empereur et s'exila de ses diocèses. Après la signature du traité de Vienne, il rejoint Rome et fut conseiller du pape Léon XII qui succéda à Pie VII.
Il mourut le 1er janvier 1824, fut canonisé en 1950.
En anglais: St. Vincent Strambi, biographer of St. Paul of the Cross (illustration)
À Rome, en 1824, le trépas de saint Vincent Marie Strambi, évêque de Macerata
et de Tolentino, de la Congrégation des Passionistes, qui gouverna saintement
les diocèses à lui confiés et subit l'exil pour sa fidélité au pape Pie VII.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/351/Saint-Vincent-Strambi.html
St Vincent-Marie Strambi,
évêque c.p. (+ 1824)
Religieux passioniste et
évêque
Fête le 1 Janvier
Vincent-Marie (Vincenzo
Maria) Strambi naît à Civitavecchia, où son père exerçait la profession de
pharmacien, le 1er janvier 1745. Ses vertueux parents veillèrent avec la plus
grande sollicitude sur l'éducation de ce fils unique, et l'enfant répondit à
leurs soins attentifs. Ses humanités terminées, Vincent-Marie se rendit à Rome
pour suivre des cours de théologie en vue du sacerdoce. Son père lui exprima
son désir de le voir marié plutôt que prêtre; pour toute réponse, son fils lui
remit une statue de la Très Ste Vierge sur laquelle il écrivit qu'elle était
son élue.
Vincent-Marie reçut le
diaconat à Bagnorea (aujourd’hui Bagnoregio) dans le Latium. Avant son
ordination, le jeune clerc suivit une retraite sous la direction du fondateur
des Passionistes, saint Paul de la Croix. Très édifié du zèle et de la
prodigieuse austérité de ce saint, il décida d'entrer dans cette nouvelle
congrégation après avoir reçu, en 1767, l'onction sacerdotale à l'âge de
vingt-deux ans. Il devait devenir une des plus fermes colonnes de cette société
naissante qui accomplit tant de bien dans l'Église. L'évêque de Montefiascone
le nomma recteur du séminaire de Bagnorea, et après un an de prêtrise
seulement, il fut nommé pour prêcher le carême dans l'une des paroisses de la
ville.
Vincent-Marie Strambi
donna un grand nombre de missions très suivies par les fidèles. En 1801, alors
qu'il remplissait à Rome la charge de recteur du couvent des
Saints-Jean-et-Paul, sa haute réputation de science et de vertu détermina le
pape Pie VII (Barnara — Gregorio — Chiaramonti, 1800-1823) à le choisir comme
évêque des églises de Macerata et de Tolentino (dans les Marches).
À côté de ces lourdes
tâches, le saint prédicateur déployait un apostolat très étendu comme orateur
sacré. Durant cette période critique de l'histoire pendant laquelle les
apostasies foisonnèrent, par la puissance de sa parole et le rayonnement de sa
sainteté, Vincent-Marie arracha une multitude d'âmes à la funeste influence de
l'esprit révolutionnaire et antireligieux qui régnait au sein de la société.
Avant chaque sermon, il priait le Christ en croix « car, disait-il, un
prédicateur qui est pénétré de la science de la croix est en mesure de faire
frémir l'enfer tout entier. »
L'administration de ses
deux diocèses et les missions qu'il y présida ne le distrayaient pas de son
union avec Dieu. Il ne consentit jamais, sous aucun prétexte, à tempérer
l'austérité de la règle des Passionistes qu'il observa avec une rigoureuse
exactitude jusqu'à sa mort.
En 1808, Napoléon envahit
les États romains et imposa au clergé un serment de fidélité que le pape Pie
VII réprouva. Vincent-Marie Strambi resta inviolablement attaché au vicaire de
Jésus-Christ et refusa de prêter serment. Déporté à Novare et ensuite à Milan,
son exil se prolongea durant cinq ans et prit fin en 1814, après le retour du
souverain pontife, auparavant captif à Fontainebleau.
En 1823, âgé de près de
quatre-vingts ans, le saint évêque de Macerata et de Tolentino, obtint d'être
déchargé de ses fonctions épiscopales. Sur la demande de Léon XII (Annibale
Sermattei Della Genga, 1823-1829) qui désirait l'avoir auprès de lui,
Vincent-Marie vint habiter un appartement au palais du Quirinal, qui était
encore la résidence des papes à cette époque. Cet ordre effraya extrêmement
l'humble Vincent-Marie, mais la nouvelle rassurante lui parvint bientôt que son
séjour au Quirinal ne durerait que quarante jours. Il devait être affecté
ensuite à la basilique des Saints-Jean-et-Paul (Giovanni e Paolo).
Le souverain pontife, qui
lui demandait conseil tous les jours, tomba gravement malade durant la Noël
1823. Léon XII fit aussitôt appeler « son Père Vincent » afin de recevoir de
ses mains les derniers sacrements. Vincent-Marie Strambi offrit sa vie à Dieu
en échange de celle du Père de la chrétienté et lui révéla en secret qu'il ne
mourrait pas de cette maladie, mais qu'il vivrait encore cinq ans et quatre
mois, prédiction qui s'avéra parfaitement juste. Quoiqu'étant sur le point
d'entrer en agonie, le Saint-Père recouvra subitement la santé. Quelques jours
plus tard, le 1er janvier 1824, Vincent-Marie Strambi expire frappé
d'apoplexie. On l'enterra dans l'église des Passionistes, à Rome.
Le pape Pie XI (Ambrogio
Damiano Ratti, 1922-1939) le béatifia le 26 avril 1925.
Sa canonisation eut lieu
le 11 juin 1950 par le vénérable Pie XII (Eugenio Pacelli, 1939-1958).
©Evangelizo.org
SOURCE : https://levangileauquotidien.org/FR/display-saint/478458d5-2556-427b-bceb-99bc6deb1c02
Saint Vincent-Marie
STRAMBI
Nom: STRAMBI
Prénom: Vincent-Marie
Nom de religion:
Vincent-Marie
Pays: Italie
Naissance:
01.01.1745 à Civita-Vecchia (Etats Pontificaux)
Mort:
01.01.1824 à Rome (Au Quirinal)
Etat: Evêque -
Passionniste
Note: Evêque de Macerata
et Talentino (Marches) en 1800 - Puis confesseur et conseillé du Pape Léon XII
Béatification:
26.04.1925 à Rome par Pie XI
Canonisation:
11.06.1950 à Rome par Pie XII
Fête: 1er janvier
Réf. dans l’Osservatore
Romano:
Réf. dans la
Documentation Catholique: 1950 col.903-906
Notice
Né à Civita-Vecchia en
1745, Vincent-Marie Strambi se fait remarquer par sa vertu dès son jeune âge.
Poussé par un désir de perfection, il demande humblement son admission dans la
Congrégation de la Passion de Notre-Seigneur (ou Passionistes). Il a ainsi le
bonheur d'en connaître le fondateur, saint Paul de la Croix, dont il deviendra
le biographe. Encore "dans la force de l'âge" et "parvenu déjà
au sommet de la sainteté", il est choisi par Pie VII comme évêque de
Macerata et Tolentino, charge où il peut déployer tout son zèle sans reculer
devant le danger: c'est ainsi qu'ayant refusé le serment de fidélité à
Napoléon, il connaît sept années d'exil jusqu'à la chute de l'Empire. Revenu
parmi les siens dans la joie, il reprend sa tâche avec plus d'ardeur encore. En
1823, il offre sa démission au nouveau pape Léon XII, dont il devient le
confesseur et le conseiller. Il meurt au Quirinal le premier janvier de l'année
suivante.
Also
known as
Vincenzo Maria Strambi
25
September on some calendars
Profile
Son of a druggist.
His parents encouraged
his vocation of a parish priest. Ordained in 1767.
Joined the Passionists in 1768 after
a retreat led by Saint Paul
of the Cross. Professor of theology. Passionist provincial
in 1781. Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino, Italy in 1801. Exiled in 1808 for
refusing to take an oath of allegiance to Napoleon, but returned in 1813 after
Napoleon’s downfall. Saved Macerata from
being sacked by Murat’s troops.
Instituted reforms throughout his diocese,
ending such corruption that he received death threats.
Indefatigable missioner and preacher.
Worked with and for his people in during a typhus epidemic.
On the death of Pope Pius VII,
he resigned his see to
become an advisor to Pope Leo XII.
Spiritual director to many including Venerable Giacinta
Gertrude Maurizi and Blessed Anne
Maria Taigi.
Born
1 January 1745 at Civitavecchia, Italy
1 January 1824 in Rome, Italy of
natural causes
1 April 1894 by Pope Leo XIII (decree
of heroic
virtues)
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
The
Holiness of the Church in the 19th Century
books
Martirlogio Romano, 2004 edizione
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
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MLA
Citation
‘Saint Vincent
Strambi‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 19 April 2024. Web. 28 November 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-vincent-strambi/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-vincent-strambi/
Book of Saints
– Vincent Mary Strambi
Article
(B1essed) Bishop (19th
century) Born at Centocelle in 1745, he was ordained priest in 1767 and shortly
afterwards joined the Passionist Congregation. As a Passionist he carried on a
fervent and fruitful apostolate throughout the length and breadth of Italy, in
the course of which he worked many miracles. He was created Bishop of Macera e
Tolentino in 1801, and was later exiled from his See for a time by order of
Napoleon owing to his adhesion to the cause of Pope Pius VII. He died in 1824
and was beatified in 1925.
MLA
Citation
Monks of
Ramsgate. “Vincent Mary Strambi”. Book of Saints, 1931. CatholicSaints.Info.
19 April 2024. Web. 28 November 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-vincent-mary-strambi/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-vincent-mary-strambi/
St. Vincent Strambi
Feastday: September 25
Patron: Diocese of Macerata-Tolentino
Birth: 1745
Death: 1824
Vincent Strambi was the
son of a druggist, and was born on January 1 at Civitavecchia, Italy. He
resisted his parents' wish that he become a diocesan priest, and though he
studied at the diocesan seminary and was ordained in 1767, he joined the Passionists in
1768 after attending a retreat given by St. Paul of
the Cross. Vincent became a professor of theology, was made provincial in
1781, and in 1801, was appointed bishop of
Macera and Tolentino. He was expelled from his See when he refused to take an
oath of alliance to Napoleon in 1808, but returned in 1813 with the downfall of
Napoleon. When Napoleon escaped from Elba, Murat made Macerta his headquarters,
and when his troops were defeated by the Austrians, Vincent dissuaded him from
sacking and destroying the town. He imposed reform in his See that caused
threats to his life, labored for his people during a typhus epidemic, and
resigned his See on the death of Pope Pius VII to become one of the advisers of
his old friend Pope Leo XII in Rome. Vincent died on January 1, and was
canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950. His feast day is September
25.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=602
St. Vincent Strambi
The saint of the day for September 25 is St. Vincent Strambi, Passionist
priest and bishop.
Vincent Strambi was born in Civitavecchia, the port city of Rome on January 1,
1745, the only child of the pharmacist Giuseppe Strambi and his wife Eleonora
who survived infancy. He was a happy and athletic child who manifested a
strong interest in spirituality. When he was fifteen, he received the clerical
"tonsure" and entered the diocesan seminary at nearby Montefiascone.
Two years later, he decided to continue his studies in Rome. The following
year, he attended the Dominican house of studies in Viterbo to study theology.
Prior to his ordination he was named rector and professor within his seminary,
Montefiascone. While on his ordination retreat, he met St.
Paul of the Cross and immediately decided to become a Passionist. Paul
of the Cross named him professor of theology, patristics and preaching.
Traveling throughout most of Italy, he endeavored to promote the Christian life
among the people by preaching on the Passion. He wrote hagiographical books,
including a Life of St. Paul of the Cross, and devotional books, the most
significant of which was that on the Precious Blood. Being an outstanding
'spiritual director,' he directed, among others, Saint
Gaspar del Bufalo and Blessed
Anna Maria Taigi.
Appointed Bishop of Macerata and Tolentino, he showed himself to be a true
shepherd of his flock and promoted the reform of the clergy and the people with
apostolic zeal. In the political upheavals of the time, he was a fearless
advocate of the freedom of the Church and chose exile in preference to an
unlawful oath of loyalty to Napoleon. When he returned to his Diocese after
exile, he once again manifested his deep pastoral concern and extraordinary
charity for the poor.
Called by Pope Leo XII to become his personal advisor, he died in Rome on
January 1, 1824. Pope Pius XII canonized him in 1950.
SOURCE : https://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2012/09/st-vincent-strambi.html
September 25
Saint Vincent Strambi
Passionist Priest,
Bishop of Macerata and
Tolentino
(1745-1824)
Born in 1745 at
Civitavecchia near Rome, the son of a wealthy businessman, Saint Vincent
Strambi never showed any inclination for any occupation other than the service
of God. He found his vocation when after his ordination as a deacon in 1767, he
made a retreat amid the Passionists of Monte Fogliano, where Saint Paul of the
Cross, their founder, was residing at the time. The Passionist houses are
called retreats, and by their Rule must be situated outside cities. Saint
Paul of the Cross told his brethren on his deathbed, as he had taught them
during his active years, to conserve always the spirit of prayer, solitude and
poverty; in that way the apostolic success of their works would also be
conserved. The life of contemplation, essential formation for any fruitful
works, was what Saint Vincent Strambi already desired.
It was formally declared
by his last secretary, Monsignor Catervo Serrani, that it would not be temerity
to believe that he knew by heart all the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The
same might have been said of his knowledge of Sacred Scripture. His studies of
religion, ever an inexhaustible wealth, continued throughout his lifetime, yet
his preaching was so simple that all could easily grasp his thought. He never
used notes, but taught according to the needs of his listeners, which he always
discerned with exactitude after praying intently at the foot of the crucifix.
As he studied, he seemed to see around his desk the faces of his spiritual
children, waiting for the bread of life he was destined to break for them.
This method of study has been preserved among his followers in the
Order; the Passionists think of, and pray for, their future spiritual children
before they study.
Saint Vincent became a
bishop after many years of preaching missions all over Italy. But never could
he forget his Order, though he had to put aside its habit. Saint Paul of the
Cross on his deathbed had said to him several times: Padre Vincenzino, I
recommend to you the poor Congregation. When Saint Vincent asked what he wished
him to do, Saint Paul replied: You will do great things! You will do great
good! I recommend to you this poor Congregation!
As bishop of Macerata and
Tolentino, he continued whenever possible to rise at midnight for the divine
office, and regretted being unable to dedicate more than five hours to prayer
each day. He called in the poor and gave them alms; he visited the hospitals
and the prisoners, blessed, embraced and helped them. He visited every
religious house of his diocese, then the Canons and the parish priests. He
preached for his clergy a beautiful mission, then organized specialized
services for the various professions of the laity, saying, the lawyers need
different instruction and different sowings than the merchants or the
physicians, for example; to each his own portion of the truth! His table was
very frugal; never did he permit more than two dishes. He reduced expenditures
to a minimum, to be able to give more to the poor.
He wished to resign as
bishop at the age of seventy-eight, and Pope Leo XII ceded to his wish, but
asked him to come to Rome as his counselor. That his life was soon to end was
revealed to him, and when the Holy Father was about to die that same year, he
offered his life to save that of the Vicar of Christ. He did not say so
directly, but told everyone not to be anxious, because the Pope would
live. Someone he knew had offered his life for him, he added. The
prayer was answered on the very day he said this, December 24th; the Pope rose,
suddenly cured. Three days later Saint Vincent was struck by apoplexy, and died
on January 1, 1824. He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950.
Saint Vincent-Marie
Strambi, Passioniste, by Maria Winowska (Éditions Passionistes: Nantes, 1951)
SOURCE : https://sanctoral.com/en/saints/saint_vincent_strambi.html
The
Holiness of the Church in the Nineteenth Century – Venerable Vincent Mary
Strambi
Entry
The Venerable Vincent
Mary Strambi, Passionist, bishop of Macerata and Tolentino, had even in his
earlier years the reputation of a saint. After his ordination to the priesthood
he joined the Congregation of the Passionists in 1768 and enjoyed the most
intimate relations with its founder, Saint Paul of the Cross. His energy and
activity contributed much to the internal unity of the Order. He became
successively provincial, consultor, and general definitor. In 1801 Pius VII
appointed him bishop of Macerata and Tolentino. But as bishop he still remained
the same poor and mortified religious with the motto: Passio Domini Nostri
Jesu Christi (The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ). When in 1808 he
refused to take the oath of allegiance to Napoleon, which had been forbidden by
the Pope, he was transported to Novara and was not permitted to return to his
diocese until 1814. By the holiness of his life he exercised a wholesome
influence on all who came into contact with him. When on account of old age he
resigned his bishopric in 1823, Leo XII appointed him his consultor. Soon
after, the Pope fell dangerously ill. Then Strambi during the sacrifice of the Mass
made an offering of his life for that of the Holy Father. After Mass he went to
the sick-bed of the Pope and told him that he would not die because God had
accepted the sacrifice of a life for that of the Pope. And as the effect
proved, the Pope recovered from that hour, but Strambi, a few days later, was
called to his reward. He died on 1 January 1824, at the age of seventy-nine
years.
MLA
Citation
Father Constantine
Kempf, S.J. “Venerable
Vincent Mary Strambi”. The
Holiness of the Church in the Nineteenth Century, 1916. CatholicSaints.Info.
28 April 2022. Web. 28 November 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/the-holiness-of-the-church-in-the-nineteenth-century-venerable-vincent-mary-strambi/>
Catholic
Truth Society – Saint Vincent Strambi, C.P.
Chapter 1
(1745-1824) Among the
servants of God whose Canonization gladdened the Church in the Jubilee Year,
1950, was a Passionist Bishop, whose name, although it is as yet little known
in Australia, has been almost a household word in Central Italy. The life of
this heroic champion of the Faith is full of lessons for us all, but one stands
out in bold relief—his unswerving loyalty to the Holy See in time of
persecution. In defense of its rights, he suffered six years of exile, and
finally gave up his life that a Pope might not die.
Vincent Strambi was born
on January 1st, 1745, at Civitavecchia, a historic seaport town fifty miles
north-west of Rome. Of four children, he was the youngest and the only one that
survived early childhood, and thus he became heir to all the care and attention
of undivided affection. His heredity and environment were strongly on the side
of sanctity. Though his parents were considered wealthy in a town that was at
the height of its prosperity, they were richer far in holiness of life, in
virtue and good works. His father, who was a chemist, was a member of the Holy
Name Society and took a very active part in all parochial affairs.
Vincent grew into a tall,
comely boy, unspoiled by all the care lavished upon him. Unfortunately, we are
told little of his boyhood beyond that he served Mass daily, and when he had
grown old enough, taught catechism in the parish church. The silence of the
official Processes of his Beatification and Canonization, leaves us to infer
that he was in every way just like any other boy who is blessed with pious
parents and a holy home. One trait of his character at this time is, however,
mentioned in some detail—perhaps because it is a trait seldom found in
thoughtless youth — his extraordinary compassion for the poor. He was again and
again known to come home from school without some article of clothing with
which he had enriched some passing beggar. Sometimes it was his boots;
sometimes his hat or jacket. His parents, being well able to afford these
indiscreet acts, encouraged him in every way, and often stimulated his zeal by
making him the channel of their charities.
The erection of little
altars and the imitation in secret of the ceremonies he had witnessed in church
were among the first signs that Vincent gave of a vocation to the priesthood.
Strange and Inconsistent as it may seem, his parents gave him no encouragement
whatever, and were deeply distressed when, at fourteen years of age, he asked
them to send him to the preparatory seminary at Montefiascone. He was, of
course, their only child and allowance has to be made for their reluctance to
hand on to strangers the thriving business they had built up in Civitavecchia.
But Christian self-sacrifice won in the end. They consented and later on even
allowed him to go to Rome, where he won a lasting reputation for sanctity and
learning. As the years rolled by they grew more and more resigned to his being
a secular priest, though from time to time they made serious efforts to
influence him to marry.
Chapter 2
Vincent was ordained
deacon on March 14th, 1767, and was immediately appointed Rector of the
Seminary at Bagnorea. It was an unusual honour to bestow on one not yet a
priest. He carried out his duties so efficiently and manifested such wisdom
that In spite of his being not yet twenty-three years of age he was told to
prepare himself for the reception of the priesthood.
The final stage of
preparation was a spiritual retreat made at the Passionist Monastery at
Vetralla. Divine Providence had so arranged things that Saint Paul of the
Cross, the Founder of the Passionists, was visiting the monastery at this
particular time. He was a man whose imposing stature and fine appearance
exercised a natural sway over all who met him. He had in addition a personality
that is best described as lovable. He had a strong character to be sure, but so
tempered by imitation of Christ in His Passion that mildness was its
predominant feature. Those who knew him intimately used to refer to him as “la
mamma della misericordia,” an intranslateable phrase whose sense is nevertheless
at once obvious.
It was not the first time
Vincent had seen Saint Paul of the Cross, but never before had he come under
his direct influence and that of his holy companions. Once again Vincent’s mind
became occupied with an idea he had more or less
definitely discarded, the
idea of breaking his remaining ties with the world and entering a Religious
Order. Previously he had gone so far as to ask the Capuchins in Civitavecchia
to receive him among them, but not wishing to run the risk of offending his parents
they refused. He had then turned to the Vincentians or Lazzarists, as they are
known in Italy. They, too, made excuses. They pointed out to him that his
health would not stand the strain of the religious life. It certainly looked as
if Divine Providence was siding with his parents.
When Vincent broached the
subject of his being a Passionist to Saint Paul of the Cross he knew at once
that his parents’ opposition and his own frail appearance still weighed heavily
against him. Saint Paul was adamant. Vincent was to think no more about the
matter; it was impossible. But this time Vincent did not accept refusal. He
argued and pleaded day by day until at length Saint Paul gave way. Well, then,
yes, he would admit him. And so everything was arranged. On December 18th,
1767, Vincent left the monastery at Vetralla and on the following day was
ordained priest.
No doubt, one of
Vincent’s first actions was to acquaint Bishop Aluffi of Bagnorea with the
decision he had made and to obtain whatever permissions were required. The
Bishop was a wise and prudent man. Knowing that Vincent had a talent for public
speaking—when he was in Rome studying under Father Luigi Bonglochi, a
celebrated professor of sacred eloquence, he had made a name for himself—and
that possibly one of his motives in wanting to become a Passionist was to have
an opportunity of utilizing this talent for the good of souls, he appointed him
to preach a course of Lenten sermons in the country round Vetriolo. The
experiment was decisive. Vincent was more than a success; he was spoken of
everywhere as a great orator. To be a preacher of missions to the people was
clearly his vocation. However much the Bishop regretted his leaving the
diocese, he put no obstacle in his way. There remained only the larger difficulty
of his parents’ consent.
Chapter 3
Great was the
consternation when Vincent announced to his parents his intention of becoming a
Passionist. The Congregation of the Passion was then in its infancy, and the
austerities which marked its inception, and which were later mitigated by the
Founder himself, were still in existence. The religious kept a perpetual fast
and abstinence, and went barefooted and bareheaded even in the depth of winter.
It was a prospect that
made many a stout heart quail. His father, utterly overcome with grief,
besought him to have pity on his parents’ old age, and not to break their
hearts. He told him that a year of such a life meant death. He put him in mind
of the evil stories about the Passionists, which the enemies of Saint Paul of
the Cross had spread far and wide, and which even good people believed, and
almost in despair pleaded that, if he must be a religious, he would join one of
the more respectable and time-honoured Orders.
Though Vincent’s
affection for his loved ones grew deeper at their grief, and at the thought of
leaving them forever in this world, he did not falter in his resolution. The
words of our Saviour were familiar to him. “He that loveth father or mother
more than Me is not worthy of Me.” “There is no man that bath left house or
brethren or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for My sake and
the Gospel, who shall not receive a hundred times as much now in this time; and
in the world to come life everlasting.”
Vincent did not wish,
however, to leave home without obtaining his parents’ blessing. She who is the
dispenser of all vocations, the Immaculate Mother of God, seems to have come to
his aid in this difficulty. He was asked to preach in a neighbouring town on
the feast of her Seven Sorrows, which was drawing near. Filled with grief at
the wound he was inflicting on his unsuspecting parents, he obtained the
coveted blessing and bade them good-bye. He preached with great eloquence upon
the sorrow of Our Blessed Lady and her Divine Son at their last meeting in
their home at Nazareth, and then, without a word to anyone, slipped Quietly
away and hurried along the dusty roads to tile nearest Passionist monastery.
Before the news of his sensational departure was generally known in his native
town, he was making, in the solitude of Monte Argentaro, a beautiful island on
the Tuscan coast, the spiritual retreat preparatory to his reception of the
Passionist habit.
From the moment he
entered the novitiate, Vincent set himself heart and soul to become a perfect
Passionist. In the work he had already been something more than a novice in
sanctity. He had not, like Saint Gabriel, who came after him, to slough the
worldling at the threshold of the religious life. For some unknown reason he
did not change his
baptismal name for
another, as is customary, but merely added Mary. In this we have a shadowy
token of the change that took place in his soul. Upon the foundations he had
already laid in the world, he began to build a structure of holiness so
imposing as bade fair to out-rival that of the holy founder himself.
The year of probation
passed quickly, and to his intense joy he was professed on September 24th,
1769, taking the usual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and a fourth
proper to the Passionists, to promote with all diligence among the faithful
devotion to the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 4
When receiving Vincent
into the Congregation, Saint Paul is said to have remarked that God intended
him to reach great heights of sanctity. Acting upon this knowledge of the
future, he brought him to live with him, trained him himself for the work of
the minions, and in many ways showed that he regarded him as a jewel that would
one day shed lustre on the Passionist Congregation. With a wisdom that was his
ordinary gift he allowed him to see for himself the harvest of souls that was
ready for the skillful reaper, and then withdrew him into solitude, where, by prayer
and study, he could perfect himself for the great work he had to do. Years
afterwards Vincent used to recommend to students for the priesthood the
practice of often calling to mind the souls of those who were waiting for their
priestly ministrations, and whose eternal salvation depended in a manner upon
their knowledge and their skill in the discharge of their duties.
It was Vincent’s great
privilege to assist Saint Paul of the Cross during his last hours on earth and
to be present at his deathbed. So great was the impression made upon him of the
sanctity of his friend and spiritual father that he thereupon decided to write
his life, and in spite of the haste in which it was written, produced what has
always been considered a masterpiece of religious biography. The English
translation of this work is perhaps unique in this that it is the life of a
saint written by a saint and introduced by one who is likely to be declared a
saint, namely, the Ven. Dominic Barberi, C.P., Apostle of England.
But Vincent excelled as a
missioner. The next twenty-five years might be written as a chronicle of
missions and retreats, with every now and then seasons of rest in his monastery
to renew his bodily strength and give him an opportunity to fulfil the
observances of the religious life. The years of prayer and preparation had not
been in vain. His name was known and reverenced throughout the Papal States.
His golden voice struck conviction and fear into the hearts of hardened
sinners, and, when he was preaching in the public squares, sometimes into the
hearts of curious passersby. The Passion was the secret of his success, as it
was the secret of Saint Paul’s success and that of every Passionist missioner
today. As he stood on the mission platform, clothed in the black habit of
mourning, with the sign of the Passion on his breast and sandals on his feet,
who could resist the appeal of his voice as he pointed to the crucifix and told
that story of the immense love of Christ for mankind?
There was need of great
apostles. The dread infidelity that had been eating its way for years into the
vitals of European society had not left Italy unscathed. Indifference and
disloyalty to the Holy See were rampant. That most forbidding doctrine,
Jansenism, though dying fast, was yet seen in its effects—in the neglect of the
Sacraments, and in the loss of that child-like confidence in the merits Of
Jesus Christ and the help of His Holy Mother, which is such a marked
characteristic of Italian piety. Already, too, the shadows of the troubled years
to come were falling. It has been said that the fidelity of the majority of the
people in the Papal States to the Pope during those sad times was not a little
owing to the efforts of Vincent. In the months that immediately preceded the
invasion of Rome by the French troops, he preached in nearly all the important
towns of the Papal States. “The chastisement is at hand,” he used to exclaim,
“and there is no longer a Saint Dominic or a Saint Francis to hold back the
wrath of God or to stop the floods of His anger.” Even after he was a Bishop he
was again and again called upon by the Holy See to preach difficult missions in
dioceses that were in need of reform.
The Congregation of the
Passion, being not unmindful of his virtues and talents, called him during these
years to the highest offices, though these at his own request were usually of a
kind that left him free to pursue the work of the missions. As a Superior, he
was reverenced by his subjects. Though he never allowed the least infraction of
rule or custom to pass unnoticed, his corrections were given in such a spirit
of prudence and charity that the delinquents felt that they had well deserved
them.
But we look in vain for
what may be called the ornaments of sanctity — for great miracles and ecstasies
and the wonders we read of in the lives of some saints. There were wonders,
indeed—stories of his extraordinary knowledge of the future and in the
confessional, of the past; but his holiness was chiefly of the hidden kind,
that shone all the more brilliantly after his death for the years it had been
obscured.
Chapter 5
In 1796 Napoleon invaded
Italy, and in 1798 General Berthier entered Rome and proclaimed a Republic. The
Holy City became the prey of adventurers and marauders. The religious were
driven from their monasteries, and those among them who were known for their
special loyalty to the Holy See were exiled. The churches were profaned, and
their sacred vessels stolen and, it is said, made to do service at the infamous
orgies of the Republicans. The Vicar of Christ, who was, as Vincent said, “The
humblest, the kindest and the most loving of men,” was treated with inhuman
indignity and, despite his eighty-six years, was compelled to leave Rome and go
into exile.
During these stormy days
Vincent, whose loyalty made him a marked man, had to flee before the conqueror
into the Kingdom of Naples. On his way through the towns and villages, he
preached to the people and exhorted them to remain faithful to their
Pontiff-King.
When Pius VI, worn out by
the rigour of his confinement, died at Valence, France, in August, 1799, Rome
was still in the hands of the French. As many Cardinals as could hastened
secretly from their several places of exile to Venice, and elected Cardinal
Chiaramonti, who took the name of Pius VII. It is a remarkable fact, and one
that testifies to the esteem in which Vincent was held, that at this conclave,
he, though but a simple religious, received five votes.
Owing to the successes of
the Austrians, the new Pope was able to enter Rome in triumph in 1800, and one
of his first acts was to fill the many vacant sees with worthy Bishops. Vincent
was given notice of his appointment to the combined dioceses of Macerata and
Tolentino. This news surprised and pained him. He hastened to Rome to interest
his friends in having his appointment cancelled before it was made public. They
all refused to take any step in the matter. Even Cardinal Antonelli, his
intimate friend, though touched at his affection, counselled him to accept the
episcopate for the glory of God and the welfare of the Church. Not finding in
his friend the mediator he hoped for, he determined to take his case to the
Pope himself. Pius VII listened kindly to his appeal and then said:
“Father Vincent, know
that it was by a divine inspiration that my choice fell on you. No one had
pointed you out to me. I desire you to accept.” Then, because the Vicar of
Christ had spoken, he accepted and was consecrated in the Basilica of Saints
John and Paul on July 26th, 1801. Vincent took up his residence at Macerata, a
city set on a hill overlooking the smiling Adriatic, and famous in history as
the birthplace of Father Matteo Ricci, S.J., astronomer, and founder of the
Chinese missions. He governed his diocese for the remainder of the reign of
Pius VII – for nearly twenty-two years. In the past he had been accustomed to
read frequently and to meditate on the works of Saint John Chrysostom. He now,
it is said, modelled his whole life upon the counsels so abundantly found in
those works. He was accessible at all times, He was known to interrupt his
meals, his prayers, and often his sleep, to give audience to the crowds that
came from all parts to lay their troubles before him. Priests, Bishops and even
Cardinals from Rome came at times to obtain spiritual direction. But the poor
were the chief objects of his solicitude. Towards them he had not lost the
compassionate feeling that had made him so self-sacrificing as a boy. “What
would be left for the poor?” he used to answer those who complained of the
poverty of his house and the fewness of his personal attendants. Following the
advice of Saint Bernard, he made the episcopal residence a school of virtue,
where the needy were received with open arms and the rich were shown by example
how to be abundantly generous.
Though full of kindness
and consideration for others, he treated himself with marked severity. The only
privilege he claimed was to be as the least among his priests—to visit the
prisons and the hospitals, and to carry the Viaticum to the dying.
The years of his
episcopate were very fruitful. He established two seminaries, several
monasteries, convents, and orphanages, and left his diocese, despite the years
of unprecedented war, famine, plague; and his own exile, better organized and
equipped than it had been for over a century.
Though he gave himself up
entirely to the interests of his people, he remained throughout a devoted
Passionist. He wore the black habit he loved, and together with a lay brother
of the Congregation, who had been appointed his personal attendant, fulfilled
many of the duties of a Bassoonist’s life, such as rising at midnight to pray,
and followed many other acts of observance to which he had been accustomed In
the monastery. He was never happier than when he could lay aside for a few days
the burdens of his office, and seek in the solitude of the Passionist monastery
at Morrovalle a little strength for his wearied soul.
Chapter 6
There are times when God,
in His eternal designs, allows the powers of darkness to work through the worst
elements in human nature for the destruction of His Church, in order that she
may come forth from the struggle renewed, resplendent, and victorious. When
Pius VI died in exile, her enemies declared that no Pope would ever again sit
on the throne of Saint Peter; but Pius VII entered Rome In triumph.
The opening years of the
nineteenth century mark the darkest and the saddest page in the history of the
Church in modem times. Napoleon, having been in succession Commander-in-Chief
and First Consul, had himself proclaimed Emperor of the French. Flushed with
the power he wielded, and with the success of his armies, which were making
kings and princes bend to his iron will, he determined to make the Pope the
tool of his ambition.
At first he thought to
win over Pius VII to his ideas by a sham show of zeal for religion. Not
succeeding in this, he came to an open rupture with him, for which pretexts
were not wanting. In 1805, after receiving, as King of Italy, the Iron Crown of
the Lombards, he issued a decree in which he claimed the right to appoint
Bishops to the Italian sees. Later on he commanded the Pope to expel all
English citizens from the Papal States, and to close his harbours against
British vessels. “You are sovereign of Rome,” said Napoleon, “I am Emperor; my
enemies should be your enemies also.” But the Pope firmly refused to enter an
alliance that would draw on him—the Father of Christendom—the enmity of all the
world.
In 1808 another decree
declared that the provinces of Urbino, Ancona, Camerino and Macerata no longer
belonged to the Papal States. How this decree affected Vincent we shall see
shortly. Finally, in 1809, Rome was again entered by the French troops, and the
Vicar of Christ robbed of his temporal sovereignty. Pius VII, who firmly
refused to abdicate, was suddenly and rudely forced from his palace on the
night of June 6th, thrust into a carriage without an attendant, “without linen,
without his spectacles,” and taken by swift stages to Savona. This was but the
first of a long series of suffering and humiliations.
The Pope spent the next
four years in close captivity. At times, Napoleon, seeing his plans baffled by
the spiritual might of one helpless man, and carried away with fury, determined
to make him feel the full weight of his anger. His books, papers, and even his
writing materials were taken from him, and he was told that any attempt to
communicate with anyone would be considered high treason. But the Pope calmly
replied: “I shall lay these threats at the foot of the Crucifix, and give my cause,
which is His also, into the keeping of God.”
The enemies of the Church
did not limit their persecution to its visible Head. All Bishops in the
provinces annexed to France in 1808 were threatened with exile and the
confiscation of their property if they refused to take the oath of allegiance
to Napoleon.
In September of that
year, the French General, Lamarois, came to Macerata and commanded Vincent to
take the oath. He replied with dignity: “How is it possible that you should ask
me to take an oath my conscience condemns?” “I will send you into exile if you
refuse,” said the General. “Well, then, I am ready,” answered Vincent, “I would
sacrifice everything sooner than disobey the orders of the Vicar of Jesus
Christ.”
Two days later Vincent
was arrested. “Where is your carriage?” demanded the Prefect imperiously. “Do
you not know,” was the answer, “that all I possess has been given to the poor?
I have no carriage. This crucifix is all I need.” And, taking it and his breviary,
he set out with his gaoler. All the town seemed to be in the streets, and sobs,
we are told, were audible above the cries that called down the anger of God on
the wretches that had laid sacrilegious hands on their Bishop.
He was imprisoned at
Novara at first, but after some months he was transferred to Milan and given
greater liberty. The fame of his sanctity and learning had preceded him there.
The house where he was detained at the pleasure of the Emperor at once became a
place of pilgrimage, and was daily filled with people of all ranks who were
seeking consolation or advice. Young priests especially made him their friend.
He directed their studies, examined their writings, gave them hints and plans
for sermons, and solved their difficulties. The one lesson in Sacred Eloquence
he never grew tired of repeating to them was: “Be simple in your diction,
popular and touching in your delivery, and seek rather the good of souls than
the perfect observance of the rules of art.”
It is interesting to
learn from a witness of this period of Vincent’s life, Cardinal Orioli, that an
extraordinary light which immediately inspired veneration, seemed always to
radiate from his countenance. It helps us to understand how, almost a total
stranger, he at once became the idol of the Milanese. The sanctity that was
written on his face fascinated them and drew them to him. Though but six of his
seventy-nine years were spent at Milan, the reputation he gained became a
tradition, and the Milanese of today claim him as their own. “He is ours,” said
Pius XI, who always spoke of Milan as his own beloved city.
Chapter 7
“Does he think his
sentences of excommunication will make the arms fall from the hands of my
soldiers?” Whether or no those words were spoken by Napoleon in anger at the
opposition of Pius VII to his plans of world domination, the fact is that in
the retreat from Moscow in 1812, the arms did fall from the frozen hands of his
soldiers. After a series of defeats he who had held in his power the destinies
of Europe, became in his turn an exile and on Saint Helena, a desolate island
of the Atlantic, expiated his sacrilegist persecution of the Vicar of Christ.
On March 10th, the day
following the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Laon, Pius VII was set free.
On May 24th, he made a solemn entry into Rome, where the people received him
with every sign of welcome.
Hardly less triumphal was
Vincent’s progress from Milan to his episcopal city. Everywhere the people were
anxious to honour a Bishop who not only had suffered persecution but was
remarkable for his great sanctity. He himself was surprised to the point of
tears by the exuberance of the welcome prepared for him at Macerata. The hills
around were lit up at night by huge bonfires, and in the streets the people
sang hymns of thanksgiving.
He began at once to
reorganize the two dioceses which during his five years of exile had
experienced many trials. Monasteries and convents had been suppressed; the
property of the Church had been confiscated or alienated to civil uses. His own
episcopal residence at Macerata had been converted into a barracks and was in a
wretched state of disorder.
Faced with such a
tremendous task and believing he was too old to cope with it and that a younger
man’s energy was required, Vincent wrote to Pius VII and sought permission to
resign from his See. Pius VII would not hear of it.
That was not the first
time he had tried to resign. He was but two years a Bishop when overcome by a
sense of unworthiness he made a determined bid to be allowed to return to a
Passionist monastery. On this occasion his confessor, Father Lambruschini,
afterwards Cardinal Secretary of State to Pope Gregory XVI, had been recalled
to Rome. Vincent requested him to use all his knowledge of him, even his
confessional knowledge of his sins and frailties, to make the Pope understand
how urgent it was that he should be removed from office. Naturally such an
action made the Pope only more aware of Vincent’s great virtue. But Vincent was
not convinced by this refusal that he was the right man in the right place.
Fourteen times in all
Vincent tried to resign. Once when wind of what was afoot got about, the clergy
and people of Macerata sent a signed petition to the Pope asking him not to
allow Vincent to go. And the clergy and the people of Macerata won. However,
the Pope was impressed by Vincent’s insistence on his incompetence and
unworthiness. He solemnly assured him he would be allowed to retire. But when
this promise came to be publicly known the people of his diocese got to work again
and the Pope changed his mind.
Nevertheless, Vincent did
not give up hope. When he was in Rome conducting a Retreat for the Cardinals he
seems to have become convinced that he had the Pope’s advisers on his side. To
make assurance doubly sure he sought the counsel and prayers of that wonderful
mother of a large family who had then a great reputation for sanctity and who
is now known as Blessed Anna Maria Taigi. She said that on the following day
Vincent would be received coldly by the Pope, that his resignation would not be
accepted, and that he would be told to return to his diocese immediately. When
he got this message Vincent smilingly remarked that this time “la santa
cigala”—the saintly chatterbox—was wrong, for everything had been arranged with
the Secretary of State and it was as good as done.
But the saintly
chatterbox was right. The next day, as Vincent stood in the antechamber at the
Quirinal, the Pope entered. Scarcely taking long enough to look at him he said
brusquely “We know why you have come. Everyone is putting forward bad health as
an excuse. We suffer just as much as anyone and yet have to bear the whole
world’s burdens. And whom can we send to replace you? One of the men who sweep
the rooms, perhaps? No, go back to your diocese and at once.”
After that one would have
thought there was nothing Vincent could do but return to Macerata and settle
down resignedly to do what little his age and infirmity permitted. But he was
not as easily put off as all that. When his great friend, Prince Odescalchi,
was made Cardinal, he entertained the hope that his influence with the Pope
would be more successful. Once again he was disappointed.
His final approach to
Pius VII was made through the famous Cardinal Consalvi, to whom he explained in
a letter that it was not so much his advanced age and increasing ill-health
that made him desirous of quitting his post, as his uneasiness of conscience at
the knowledge of the work that ought to be done and of his own inability to do
it. But when this letter reached the Cardinal, the eighty-one-year-old Pope had
broken his thigh in a fall in his room, and was on his deathbed. He died in
August, 1823.
Leo XII, who succeeded
Pius VII, was a warm admirer of Vincent. When he received his request to be
allowed to retire from the dioceses of Macerata and Tolentino, he seems to have
regarded it as an opportunity to take him to Rome and have him always by his
side. This, of course, was not at all what Vincent had been hoping and praying
for. What he wanted was to hide himself in some obscure Passionist monastery
and there prepare himself for death. Instead he was to have apartments at the
Quirinal and be almost on every day parade as the Pope’s confidant. However, he
took this destruction of all his cherished hopes with a surprising calmness. He
apparently had some sort of inward assurance that since his death was not far
off it did not matter much after all. To a friend who was condoling with him on
his disappointment, he said enigmatically: “Oh, it will turn out all right. Saint
Sylvester will see to it.” And to another friend he said joyfully “You will see
I shall be only forty days at the Quirinal and then it will be SS. John and
Paul’s!” Subsequent events solved the enigma and explained his joy.
Leo XII was scarcely
three months Pope when all the ailments of a shattered constitution assailed
him with fury, and threatened to cut short a reign that was more than promising
great things for the Church. Towards the end of December, 1823, he was
considered past all hope of recovery. Vincent visited him one evening during
those days and found him so ill that he remained only a short time. On
returning to his own apartments, he ordered his evening meal to be prepared a
little earlier than usual. He said he would have to rise very hurriedly that
night and wished to get some sleep. In fact, at midnight the Pope was taken so
bad that it was thought advisable to give him the Last Sacraments. When told
how serious his condition was the Pope asked for Vincent to be called. Vincent
then administered Extreme Unction and the Viaticum, Afterwards as he was
speaking to the Pope about spiritual things and exhorting him to great
confidence in God, his face suddenly took on a particularly joyous aspect.
“Holy Father,” he said with conviction, “someone is going to offer his life for
you, and I shall go now and say Mass for your recovery.”
All who assisted at that
Mass of Vincent later on testified to the extraordinary fervour with which he
said it. When it was over he enquired how the Pope was, and on being told that
he was much better, he said in accents of great joy:
“Our Lady has accepted
the sacrifice and the grace has been granted.”
The Pope recovered but
Vincent had a stroke on the feast of Saint Sylvester and died on the following
day, January 1st, 1824. Cardinal Wiseman, Archbishop of Westminster, in his
“Recollections of the Last Four Popes,” tells how everyone believed that Leo
XII owed his life to Vincent. “All Rome,” he says, “attributed the unexpected
recovery to the prayers of a saintly Bishop, who was sent for at the Pope’s
request. This was Monsignor Strambi, of the Congregation of the Passion. He
came immediately, saw the Pope, and assured him~ of his recovery, as he had
offered up to heaven his own valueless life in exchange for one so precious. It
did indeed seem as if he had transfused his own vitality into the Pope’s
languid frame. He himself died soon after, and the Pontiff rose like one from
the tomb.”
The circumstances of
Vincent’s death called wider attention to his great sanctity. His body,
extraordinarily flexible and life-like, lay in state in one of the halls of the
Quirinal for three days and in the Basilica of Saints John and Paul for five
days. During that time there was a ceaseless stream of people filing past it,
many of whom surreptitiously cut off bits of the Passionist habit in which he
was clothed. One of the many important ecclesiastics who came to honour Vincent
in death was Abbot Cappellari, who was to become Pope Gregory XVI. Noting the
uncorpse-like appearance of the body he tried an experiment. He took Vincent’s
right hand in his own and with it formed with the greatest of ease the sign of
the cross.
Vincent’s funeral was
attended by all the members of the Papal Court and the Roman nobility as well
as by a vast number of priests, religious and people. Having been, as he had
prophesied, forty days at the Quirinal, he was laid to rest in Saints John and
Paul’s beside Saint Paul of the Cross.
Chapter 8
In the bulky volumes that
have been written on the profane history of the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, we find little or no mention of this hero of sanctity. The scales of
value of historians failed to register one who was neither a soldier, nor a
savant, nor a scientist. Yet, if the standards of the soul are higher than
those of the body; Saint Vincent Strambi accomplished something that weighed
down heavily the scales of Divine value — something that merits an eternal
remembrance — he lived a life of virtue and self-denial for God’s sake, and he
saved innumerable souls.
– this text is taken from
the booklet Saint Vincent Strambi, C.P.,
by Osmund Thorpe, C.P., published in 1950 by the Catholic Truth Society of
Australia. It has the Imprimi Potest of Alphonsus Foley, C.P., Praep. Prov.;
the Nihil Obstat of W. M. Collins, Censor Dioc.; and the Imprimatur of +D.
Mannix, Archbishop of Melbourne, 1 March 1949
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/catholic-truth-society-saint-vincent-strambi-c-p/
San Vincenzo Maria
Strambi Vescovo, passionista
Festa: 1 gennaio
Civitavecchia, 1 gennaio
1745 - Roma, 1 gennaio 1824
Nativo di Civitavecchia,
contro il parere del padre si fa sacerdote passionista. Grande predicatore,
diventa vescovo di Macerata: cura la formazione dei seminaristi e aiuta i
poveri. Dopo essersi rifiutato di giurare fedeltà a Napoleone, il Papa lo
chiama come suo consigliere a Roma.
Patronato: Diocesi
Macerata-Tolentino. Patrono Collegio Postulatori delle Cause Santi
Etimologia: Vincenzo
= vittorioso, dal latino
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale
Martirologio
Romano: A Roma, san Vincenzo Maria Strambi, vescovo di Macerata e di
Tolentino, della Congregazione della Passione, che governò santamente le
diocesi a lui affidate e a motivo della sua fedeltà verso il Romano Pontefice
patì l’esilio.
Nacque il 1° gennaio 1745 a Civitavecchia, dove il padre aveva aperto una farmacia.
A 15 anni, vinte le resistenze del genitore, il 4 novembre 1762 entrò nel seminario di Montefiascone ricevendo la tonsura e gli Ordini minori. Frequentò il Collegio Nuovo di Roma , uditore dei domenicani a Viterbo. Divenne diacono il 14 marzo 1767 a Bagnoregio ove poi a novembre entrò come Rettore del Seminario. Fu consacrato sacerdote sempre a Bagnoregio il 19 dicembre 1767.
Chiamato per vocazione ad una vita più religiosa trovò la sua strada nella Congregazione dei Passionisti di san Paolo della Croce, dopo essere stato respinto dai Lazzaristi e dai Cappuccini.
Novizio con il nome di Vincenzo Maria e nonostante parecchie obiezioni del padre, poté fare la sua professione il 24 settembre 1769.
Iniziò e poi divenne famoso come predicatore, da solo o in gruppo di missionari fra la gente dell’Italia Centrale, esercitò varie volte l’apostolato insieme a s. Gaspare del Bufalo. Popolarissimo a Roma predicò più volte anche davanti al Collegio Cardinalizio.
Salì molti gradi nella gerarchia del suo Ordine, fino a diventare postulatore
generale dal 1792 alla morte.
Fu direttore spirituale di tante anime elette come la ven. Luisa Maurizi e la
beata Anna Maria Taigi.
Il 5 luglio 1801, venne nominato vescovo di Macerata e Tolentino. Costruì un nuovo seminario in cui profuse ogni attenzione, come la scelta dei professori, l’accoglienza personale di ogni singolo seminarista, teneva personalmente lezioni ogni settimana favorì le lezioni di canto gregoriano.
Con la filatura della canapa creò un giro economico per aiutare i poveri. Ampliò l’orfanotrofio dei Padri Somaschi, e il Conservatorio di Tolentino, eresse un ricovero per i vecchi. Particolare attenzione la diede all’organizzazione del catechismo con scuole appropriate e anche per gli adulti.
Rifiutò di prestare giuramento di fedeltà all’imperatore Napoleone, secondo le leggi vigenti, che purtroppo videro lo scioglimento e la dispersione di vari Ordini religiosi e per questo fu relegato a Novara per un anno e nell’ottobre 1809 venne trasferito a Milano ospite dei Barnabiti e poi di varie persone dell’alta borghesia e nobiltà.
Il papa, dietro le sue pressanti richieste lo esonerò dalla sede vescovile di Macerata e lo volle presso di sé come consigliere, compito che espletò per quaranta giorni; colpito da apoplessia, morì il 1° gennaio 1824
(nello stesso giorno che era nato), fu sepolto nella basilica dei ss. Giovanni e Paolo.
Il 12 novembre 1957 il suo corpo venne traslato nella chiesa di s. Filippo in Macerata. Delle sue opere di ascetica e devozione sono state stampate molte edizioni.
Beatificato il 26 aprile 1925 da Pio XI, canonizzato da Pio XII l’11 giugno 1950.
Nel calendario proprio della Congregazione dei Passionisti la memoria viene celebrata il 24 Settembre.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/36000
VINCENZO MARIA STRAMBI,
santo
di Paolo Cozzo
Dizionario Biografico
degli Italiani - Volume 99 (2020)
VINCENZO MARIA STRAMBI,
santo. – Nacque a Civitavecchia il 1° gennaio 1745 da Giuseppe e da Eleonora
Gori.
Il padre, di origini
piemontesi (era nato a Refrancore, nell’Astigiano) si era trasferito nella
città portuale dello Stato pontificio, dove aveva intrapreso l’attività di
speziale. Unico sopravvissuto di quattro fratelli, morti tutti in tenera età,
Strambi venne avviato alla vita religiosa. Presi gli ordini minori, il 4
novembre 1764 entrò nel seminario di Montefiascone. Dopo aver frequentato il
collegio Calasanzio di Roma (dove ebbe come maestro lo scolopio Giovanni Luigi
Bongiocchi), e successivamente il convento domenicano di Viterbo, il 14 marzo
1767 ricevette il diaconato e il 19 dicembre dello stesso anno l’ordinazione
sacerdotale. Pochi mesi prima era stato nominato prefetto del seminario di
Montefiascone, carica che abbandonò nel febbraio del 1768, quando fu chiamato
dal vescovo di Bagnoregio a dirigere il locale seminario. L’esigenza di un più
intenso e rigoroso impegno spirituale portò Strambi ad abbandonare questo
incarico e a cercare, invano, di entrare tra le fila dei cappuccini e dei
lazzaristi. Tornato a Roma, approfondì dapprima gli studi di teologia nel
convento domenicano di S. Sabina; poi, venuto in contatto con la congregazione
dei passionisti, fondata pochi anni prima da Paolo della Croce, decise di
entrarvi. Ammesso al noviziato nel settembre del 1768, nonostante la
contrarietà del padre (che aveva cercato di far intervenire anche il vescovo di
Viterbo, il cardinale Giacomo Oddi, per dissuadere il figlio dal suo proposito)
Vincenzo fece solenne professione il 24 settembre 1769. Dal convento del Monte
Argentario, dove, sotto la guida di Paolo della Croce, conduceva un’esistenza
scandita dall’estrema durezza della regola passionista, Strambi si allontanò
per svolgere un’intensa attività missionaria nei territori più interni dello
Stato pontificio. Nel settembre 1771 si recò a Todi, l’anno successivo ad
Amelia, per poi tornare (dopo una breve permanenza a Civitavecchia, dove si
dedicò alla predicazione ai forzati sulle galere) a Visso, a Spello e nel
Viterbese.
La sua fama, rapidamente
diffusasi in tutta l’Italia centrale, indusse nel 1774 la Curia romana a
chiamarlo nell’Urbe. Qui, insediatosi presso la casa generalizia passionista
dei Ss. Giovanni e Paolo (dove sotto la sua direzione fiorì una rinomata scuola
di sacra eloquenza), si affermò in breve tempo come uno dei più apprezzati
predicatori di Roma. La sua intensa attività omiletica, catechetica e
missionaria, condotta nelle principali chiese della città santa ma anche nelle
borgate e nei rioni più popolari, non lasciò indifferente la gerarchia
ecclesiastica, preoccupata dai fermenti di stampo illuministico che stavano
agitando la società romana. Durante il pontificato di Pio VI Strambi, il cui
credito andava crescendo anche presso molti cardinali che ne ascoltavano
assiduamente le prediche, divenne un saldo punto di riferimento della Sede
apostolica nella sua opera di denuncia dei mali e dei pericoli della modernità.
Dopo la morte di Paolo della Croce, Strambi (che del fondatore dei passionisti
divenne il primo biografo, nonché il postulatore nella causa di
canonizzazione), assunse un crescente peso nella nuova congregazione,
testimoniato dagli incarichi (superiore provinciale, consultore e postulatore
generale) che ricoprì nel corso degli anni. La fama acquisita a Roma, dove si
era fatto stimare da influenti personalità di Curia, favorì la sua nomina a
vescovo di Macerata e Tolentino, avvenuta il 26 luglio 1801.
Nel governo della diocesi
marchigiana, di cui intraprese subito la visita pastorale, impresse un’austera
disciplina, censurando quell’allentamento di rigore nella vita e nei costumi
del clero e della popolazione che aveva riscontrato in diverse parrocchie e
luoghi pii. Oltre a rilanciare il seminario (del quale formulò un più severo
regolamento), il vescovo intensificò l’impegno missionario, la predicazione, la
catechesi, nonché le opere di carità e di beneficenza. Nella sua zelante azione
pastorale Strambi incontrò qualche resistenza da parte del capitolo cattedrale,
fermo nel rivendicare il rispetto di tradizioni e consuetudini a fronte delle
istanze di rinnovamento promosse dal vescovo. Il rinvigorimento dell’apostolato
nella diocesi retta da Strambi avveniva in un contesto difficile, reso ancor
più complicato dalla repentina evoluzione del quadro politico generale. Nel
1808, infatti, le Marche erano state annesse al Regno Italico, che impose anche
qui la restrittiva legislazione napoleonica in materia di culti e di
organizzazione della vita religiosa. Strambi, il quale aveva esplicitato il suo
dissenso rispetto alle condizioni venutesi a creare per la Chiesa dopo
l’annessione disertando il Te Deum celebrato nella cattedrale di
Macerata, si rifiutò (seguendo le indicazioni provenienti in tal senso da Pio
VII) di prestare il giuramento di fedeltà al governo napoleonico imposto anche
ai vescovi e ai parroci. Tale scelta comportò il sequestro dei beni e delle
rendite del presule nonché il suo trasferimento forzato a Milano, dove giunse
il 10 ottobre 1808, per poi essere condotto due giorni dopo a Novara. Nella
città piemontese Strambi rimase un anno: nell’ottobre del 1809 fece infatti
ritorno a Milano dove, avendo preso residenza dapprima presso il collegio dei
barnabiti, poi nel palazzo del marchese Giovanni Battista Litta Modignani,
nipote del cardinale Lorenzo Litta, del quale Strambi era intimo amico,
continuò in forma discreta il suo apostolato. Dall’esilio Strambi (che
formalmente continuava a governare le diocesi di Macerata e Tolentino
attraverso il suo vicario generale) cercò infatti di rispondere alle necessità
della sua Chiesa inviando lettere pastorali e modeste sovvenzioni economiche,
senza rinunciare a dare alle stampe anche alcune operette devozionali che
riflettevano la spiritualità passionista che in lui assunse «un tono più
interiorizzato ed ascetico» (De Giorgi, 1995, p. 152). A Milano Strambi venne
inoltre a contatto con influenti figure (anche femminili) della nobiltà cittadina
che ne ricercavano la direzione spirituale, nonché con importanti esponenti del
clero ambrosiano molti dei quali risultavano affiliati all’Amicizia cristiana,
il movimento che raccoglieva le istanze antilluministe e controrivoluzionarie
del cattolicesimo di impronta conservatrice.
Dopo la caduta di
Napoleone, Strambi decise di tornare a Macerata, dove giunse il 14 maggio 1814,
giusto in tempo per accogliere Pio VII, di passaggio in città (il 16 maggio)
nel viaggio di ritorno a Roma dopo la lunga prigionia.
Macerata era tuttavia
occupata (come il resto delle Marche) dalle truppe napoletane di Gioacchino
Murat, che il 3-4 maggio subì a Tolentino una decisiva sconfitta a opera
dell’esercito austriaco. In quel difficile frangente, nel quale la diocesi
marchigiana era divenuta un cruento campo di battaglia, Strambi dovette far
valere la sua autorità perché le città e i paesi sottoposti alla sua
giurisdizione episcopale non patissero violenze e ritorsioni da entrambe le
parti belligeranti.
Finita la guerra il
vescovo, che intanto aveva rinunciato agli incarichi precedentemente
conferitigli di governatore di Loreto e di amministratore apostolico della
Santa Casa, riprese la sua intensa azione pastorale. Oltre al ripristino e al
restauro di monasteri, conventi ed edifici di culto che aveva trovato chiusi o
danneggiati al suo ritorno, Strambi diede nuovo impulso all’associazionismo
confraternale e alle molte istituzioni assistenziali e caritative presenti sul
territorio diocesano. Riservò particolare attenzione al ripristino della
disciplina del clero e della moralità delle popolazioni, la cui rilassatezza,
giudicata eccessiva e imputata agli effetti dell’occupazione francese e del
governo napoleonico, venne censurata con un rigore che, in qualche occasione,
diede origine a tensioni e incomprensioni.
Affaticato, anche data
l’avanzata età, dalle pressanti incombenze del governo della diocesi, l’11
novembre 1823 diede le dimissioni che furono accettate dal nuovo pontefice,
Leone XII. Il marchigiano Annibale della Genga, eletto al soglio pontificio il
28 settembre 1823, volle l’anziano padre passionista come suo consigliere e
confessore privato. Strambi si recò allora nell’Urbe dove, per qualche
settimana, frequentò assiduamente il Quirinale.
Colpito da apoplessia il
28 dicembre 1823, spirò il 1° gennaio 1824 e venne sepolto nella basilica
romana dei Ss. Giovanni e Paolo. A Macerata (nella cui cattedrale venne
realizzato un cenotafio in suo ricordo), le spoglie di Strambi furono traslate
il 12 novembre 1957 e deposte nella chiesa di S. Filippo.
Subito dopo la morte
prese avvio il processo di canonizzazione, i cui esiti si ebbero nel Novecento.
Beatificato il 26 aprile 1925, venne proclamato santo da Pio XII l’11 giugno
1950, divenendo patrono delle diocesi di Macerata e Tolentino.
Opere. Strambi fu
prolifico autore di opere teologiche, morali e devozionali (molte delle quali
rimaste manoscritte o pubblicate postume) fra cui Dei tesori che abbiamo
in Gesù Cristo nostro Salvatore e dei misteri della sua vivifica passione e
morte fonte perenne di tutti i beni, Macerata s.d. [ma 1805]; Raccolta di
esercizj divoti e pie istruzioni per facilitare ai fedeli la prattica santa e
fruttuosa degli atti di religione, a promuovere ne’ loro cuori la vera pietà,
Roma 1819; Il Mese di giugno consecrato al preziosissimo sangue del nostro
amabilissimo Redentore, Roma 1820; Il Mese di giugno consecrato al
preziosissimo sangue del nostro amabilissimo Redentore, Roma 1829 (queste due
opere vennero scritte su impulso di Gaspare del Bufalo, fondatore dei
missionari del Preziosissimo Sangue, con il quale Strambi avevo stretto un
fraterno rapporto di amicizia); Esercizio di brevi, ed affettuose
meditazioni sopra la passione santissima di Gesù Cristo per ogni giorno del
mese, Venezia 1836; Raccolta di esercizi divoti e pie istruzioni per un
sacerdote passionista con l’aggiunta delle regole di vita per giovanetto e per
giovanetta, Napoli 1854. Scrisse inoltre una biografia del fondatore dei
passionisti: Vita del ven. servo di Dio P. Paolo Della Croce fondatore
della Congregazione de’ Chierici Scalzi [...] Estratta fedelmente dai
processi ordinarj, Roma 1786 (varie edizioni aggiornate, l’ultima delle quali
è San Paolo della Croce: biografia, Cantalupa 2004).
Fonti e Bibl.: Macerata,
Archivio storico diocesano, Sr. I, Vescovi, b. 3, ff. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
12; Sr. II, Visite pastorali: b. 19, ff. 1, 2, 3; Sr. IV, Acta
Sanctorum: bb. 27, 28a, 28b, 29a, 29b, 30a (e relativi volumi della Positio);
Roma, Archivio generale della Congregazione della Passione di Gesù
Cristo, Postulazione, Fondo Strambi.
M. Ferruzzi, Compendio
della vita del defunto monsignore V. M. S. vescovo di Macerata e Tolentino
scritto in latino [...] e nella versione italiana corredato di
copiose note dal canonico teologo Pietro Rudoni di Milano e aumentato in questa
terza edizione di molte lettere e principalmente d’un breve del sommo pontefice
Leone XII, Milano 1826; Ignazio del Costato di Gesù, Vita del venerabile
servo di Dio V. M. S., della congregazione de’ Passionisti, vescovo di Macerata
e Tolentino, estratta fedelmente dai processi ordinari, Roma 1844; Federico
dell’Addolorata, V. M. S., in Bibliotheca Sanctorum, XII, Roma 1969,
coll. 1178-1180; F. Menegazzo, S. V. M. S. e l’«Amicizia Cristiana» di
Milano, in Memorie storiche della diocesi di Milano, XVI (1969), pp.
145-149; C.A. Naselli, La soppressione napoleonica delle corporazioni
religiose. Il caso dei Passionisti in Italia (1808-1814), Roma 1970, pp. 26-38;
F. Talocchi, V. M. S., in Storia di Macerata, a cura di A. Adversi -
D. Cecchi - L. Paci, II, Macerata 1972, pp. 450-560; F. De Giorgi. La
scienza del cuore. Spiritualità e cultura religiosa in Antonio Rosmini, Bologna
1995, pp. 152, 176, 201; P. Cartechini, La diocesi di Macerata nel periodo
napoleonico: due vescovi nella bufera, in Lo Stato della Chiesa in epoca
napoleonica. Atti del XIX Convegno del Centro studi avellaniti, Fonte
Avellana... 1995, s.l. 1996, pp. 436-446; F. Giorgini, Storia dei
Passionisti, III, Roma 2000, s.v.; P. Alonso - F. Piélagos, Storia dei
Passionisti, IV, Roma 2011, s.v.
© Istituto della
Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani - Riproduzione riservata
SOURCE : https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/vincenzo-maria-strambi-santo_(Dizionario-Biografico)/
Den hellige Vincent Maria
Strambi (1745-1824)
Minnedag:
25. september
Den hellige Vincent Maria
Strambi (it: Vincenzo Maria) ble født den 1. januar 1745 i Civitavecchia, Romas
havneby som da lå i Kirkestaten. Han var eneste barn av apotekeren Giuseppe
Strambi og hans hustru Eleonora som overlevde spedbarnsalderen. Han var et
lykkelig og spesielt livlig barn med en sterk religiøs sans, som utviklet seg
tidlig og ble sterkt oppmuntret av foreldrene, som hadde som ambisjon at han
skulle bli sekularprest. Han fikk sin første utdannelse av fransiskanerne. Da
han var femten år, overvant han foreldrenes protester om at han fortsatt var
for ung og mottok tonsuren og de lavere vielser.
Han begynte på
bispedømmets seminar i Montefiascone den 4. november 1762. Etter to år bestemte
han seg for å fortsette studiene i Roma. Året etter dro han til det
dominikanske studiehuset i Viterbo for å studere teologi. I Viterbo bodde han
først hos en sogneprest før han ble ansatt for å undervise de to sønnene til
familien Ctaci, som ga ham et rom i deres hjem. Han ble viet til subdiakon i
1766 og ble prefekt for seminaret i Montefiascone, mens han fortsatte sine egne
studier under to lærde prester. Han ble diakonviet i mars 1767 og ble
fungerende rektor for seminaret i Bagnorea i fem måneder, bare 22 år gammel og
ennå ikke presteviet.
Fasten 1767 holdt Vincent
de store fasteprekenene i sognet Viteriolo og vendte deretter tilbake til Roma
for å studere ved det dominikanske studiehuset på Aventin-høyden. Han ble
presteviet i 1767, bare 22 år gammel. På sin retrett før prestevielsen traff
han den hellige Paulus av Korset,
grunnleggeren av pasjonistordenen (Congregatio Clericorum Excalceatorum
Ssmae Crucis et Passionis, senere Congregatio Passionis Iesu Christi –
CP). Vincent var fylt av et ønske om perfeksjon, og på råd av Paulus av Korset
og etter en smertefull kamp med sine skuffede foreldre, trådte han den 20.
september 1768 inn i pasjonistenes novisiat på Monte Argentaro. Han fikk
ordensnavnet Vincent Maria av St. Paulus. Han fikk senere gleden av å bli
ordensgrunnleggerens biograf.
Etter løfteavleggelsen i
1769 studerte Vincent i to år Bibelen og kirkefedrene i Vetralla, samtidig som
han perfeksjonerte seg i prekenskriving. Deretter begynte han sin karriere som
predikant. Snart ble han også betrodd ansvarsfulle stillinger, først som
professor i teologi og prekenkunst innen kongregasjonen. I 1773 satte p. Paulus
av Korset ham med ansvaret for undervisningen av de unge studentene for
fremtidig misjonspreking ved det nylig overtatte klosteret Ss Johannes og
Paulus i Roma. Senere skrev han en lærebok i teologisk veltalenhet. Deretter
fikk han flere sentrale embeter i ordenen, som rektor for kommuniteten Ss
Johannes og Paulus (1780), provinsial (1781) og konsultor (1784-96). Han var
også en kjent åndelig veileder og en meget etterspurt misjonær. Hele sitt liv
arbeidet han for troens utbredelse og for etterveksten av prester. I denne
tiden skrev han også en biografi om grunnleggeren.
Han måtte i 1801 meget
motvillig akseptere bispesetet i Macerata og Tolentino i Marche di Ancona som
pave Pius VII (1800-23) ga ham. Han ble bispeviet den 26. juni 1801 og tok sitt
sete i besittelse den 14. august. Her arbeidet han utrettelig for Kirkens beste
og forbedret standarden i bispedømmet, særlig gjennom å øke kvaliteten på
prestene. Han oppfordret dem til å feire messe daglig og å gå i prestekjole
(soutane). Han solgte det gamle seminaret og bygde et nytt. Han tok selv
ansvaret for å velge ut professorer på seminaret, og han utnevnte til og med en
eller to legmenn, noe som var usedvanlig på den tiden. Han ga selv studentene
en forelesning hver uke, og han insisterte på at de skulle ha to timer med
gregoriansk sang hver uke. Resultatet var en genuin, liturgisk basert fornyelse
av gløden i bispedømmet.
Biskop Strambi oppmuntret
også kateketer og grunnla et folkebibliotek. Den katedralbaserte kateketiske
skolen tilbød kurs for voksne og for kateketer i tillegg til for barna. Han
hjalp sjenerøst både skolen i Tolentino og somaskernes barnehjem. For å hjelpe
de fattige, skaffet han store mengder hamp, som de kunne tjene gode penger ved
å spinne. På forskjellige tidspunkt i sitt liv skrev han flere bøker, særlig om
prestekallet.
I 1808 nektet han som så
mange andre å avlegge troskapsed til keiser Napoleon I (1804-15). Derfor ble
han utvist fra sitt bispedømme, først til Novara, hvor han ble til oktober
1809, og deretter til Milano. Der var han gjest hos barnabittene og senere hos
markise G.A. Zitta Modigniani, og han administrerte bispedømmet så godt han
kunne via brev. Da Napoleon abdiserte i april 1814, vendte Vincent tilbake til
sitt bispesete i Macerata under stor jubel.
Men i april 1815 flyktet
Napoleon fra Elba og innledet sine nye hundre dager ved makten. General Joakim
Murat, som siden 1808 hadde vært konge av Napoli, var ivrig etter å beskytte
sin stilling mot østerrikerne, så han kom med en hær på 30.000 mann og gjorde
Macerata til sitt hovedkvarter. Murat ble slått av østerrikerne i slaget ved
Tolentino i 1815, men Vincent selv snakket med både Murat og den østerrikske
generalen, og dermed reddet han Macerata fra å bli plyndret. Imidlertid fulgte
snart andre ulykker, slik som en tyfusepidemi og matmangel som nesten skapte
hungersnød. Samtidig fortsatte Vincent reformene til misnøye fra noen leirer,
og det skal ha blitt gjort minst et forsøk på å drepe ham.
Da pave Pius VII døde den
20. august 1823, trakk den 78-årige Vincent seg fra sitt bispesete og reiste
til Roma. Den nye paven, den konservative Leo XII (1823-29), var hans gamle
venn og kalte ham til Quirinalet som sin skriftefar og fortrolige rådgiver, og
der fortsatte han å føre et svært asketisk liv. Blant hans skriftebarn i Roma
var den salige Anna Maria Taigi og
den ærverdige Luisa Maurizi.
Men som Anna Maria Taigi
hadde forutsagt mottok han sin siste kommunion på nyttårsaften den 31. desember
1823, og dagen etter, på sin 79-årsdag den 1. januar 1824, døde han i
Quirinalet og ble gravlagt i kirken Ss Giovanni e Paolo i Roma. Hans legeme ble
den 12. november 1957 overført til Macerata, som han er skytshelgen og
beskytter for.
Han ble saligkåret den
26. april 1925 av pave Pius XI (1922-39) og helligkåret den 11. juni 1950 av
den ærverdige pave Pius XII (1939-58). Hans minnedag er 25. september, særlig i
hans egen kongregasjon, men dødsdagen 1. januar nevnes også. Hans navn står i
Martyrologium Romanum.
Kilder:
Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Farmer, Butler (IX), Benedictines, Delaney,
Bunson, Ball (2), Schauber/Schindler, Index99, CSO, CatholicSaints.Info,
Bautz, Heiligenlexikon, Abbaye Saint-Benoît, passionist.org - Kompilasjon
og oversettelse: p. Per
Einar Odden
Opprettet: 1.
februar 2000 - Oppdatert: 24. august 2005
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/vstrambi
Vinzenz Maria Strambi
italienischer Name:
Vincenzo
Gedenktag katholisch: 1. Januar
nicht gebotener Gedenktag im Passionistenorden: 24. September
Name bedeutet: V: der Siegende (latein.)
M: nach Maria
Bischof von Macerata-Tolentino
* 1. Januar 1745 in Civitavecchia in Italien
† 1. Januar 1824 in Rom
Vinzenz Maria Strambi
trat 1768 in den Passionistenorden ein
und wurde von Paul vom
Kreuz zum Lehrer der Studenten des Ordens berufen. Er wurde
Hausoberer, 1781 Ordensprovinzial und war von 1784 bis 1796 als
Generalkonsultor in der Leitung des Ordens tätig. Im Kirchenstaat wirkte
er als Exerzitienmeister, in ganz Italien als Volksmissionar. er war
Seelenführer für Kaspar
del Bufalo, Anna
Maria Taigi, Vinzenz
Pallotti und andere. Nach dem Tod seines Ordensgründers Paul vom Kreuz
schrieb er dessen erste Lebensgeschichte, die 1786 erschien.
1801 wurde Vinzenz zum
Bischof von Macerata-Tolentino ernannt.
Besonders verdient machte er sich um den Priesternachwuchs. Von 1804 bis 1814
wurde er von Kaiser Napoleon I., der damals die Herrschaft im Königreich Neapel ausübte,
verbannt, weil er den Treueeid verweigerte. Vinzenz' Widerstand war mit dafür
verantwortlich, dass Macerata erst 1808 in Napoleons Herrschaftsgebiet
eingegliedert wurde; nach Ende der französischen Herrschaft 1814 gehörte die
Stadt wieder wie zuvor zum Kirchenstaat.
Reliquie in
der Kathedrale in
Civitavecchia Reliquien in
der Kathedrale
San Catervo in Tolentino 1823 rief Papst Leo XII. Vinzenz als
Berater zu sich in das Verwaltungsgebäude der Päpste, den Quirinals-Palast,
nach Rom. Damals war das Kardinalskollegium gespalten in die Partei
der zelanti, der Eiferer, und die Partei der politicanti,
der Politiker; erstere kämpften vehement gegen die modernen
Geistesströmungen und nahmen dabei auch Konflikte mit Staaten in Kauf, letztere
waren um Diplomatie und Ausgleich bedacht. Leo XII. gehörte - im Unterschied zu
seinem Vorgänger Pius VII. - zu den zelanti und verurteilte gleich zu
Beginn seines Pontifikates den Tolerantismus, den Indifferentismus und die
Zugehörigkeit zu Bibelgesellschaften, die damals weithin entstanden waren.
Vinzenz wohnte im Passionistenkloster
an Santi
Giovanni e Paolo; kurz vor seinem Tod legte er wegen seiner Aufgaben in Rom
sein Bischofsamt nieder.
Glassarg mit Liegefigur
im Dom in
Macerata
Kanonisation: Vinzenz
Maria Strambi wurde am 26. April 1925 durch Papst Pius XI. selig- und
am 11. Juni 1950 durch Papst Pius XII. heiliggesprochen.
Die Kirche Santi
Giovanni e Paolo in Rom ist täglich von 8.30 Uhr bis 12 Uhr und von
15.30 Uhr bis 18.30 Uhr - im Winter nur bis 18 Uhr - geöffnet. (2017)
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Patheus
Johann
Georg Seidenbusch
Stephan
Bandelli
Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 12.08.2022
Quellen:
• Vera Schauber, Hanns Michael Schindler: Heilige und Patrone im Jahreslauf. Pattloch, München 2001
• Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, begr. von Michael Buchberger. Hrsg. von
Walter Kasper, 3., völlig neu bearb. Aufl., Bd. 10. Herder, Freiburg im
Breisgau 2001
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Vinzenz Maria Strambi, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienV/Vinzenz_Maria_Strambi.htm, abgerufen am 28. 11. 2025
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über https://d-nb.info/1175439177 und https://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienV/Vinzenz_Maria_Strambi.htm
Vincentius (ook Vicenzo)
Maria Strambi cp, Macerata & Tolentino, Italië; bisschop; †
1824.
Feest 1
januari & 25 & 26 september.
Hij werd in 1745 geboren
in de Italiaanse plaats Civitavecchia. Kort na zijn priesterwijding trad hij
bij de passionisten: 1767.
Hij was een onvermoeibaar
pastor, zodat hem successievelijk alle denkbare pastorale taken werden
toevertrouwd. In 1801 koos men hem tot bisschop van Macerata en Tolentino. In
1808 werd hij van zijn bisschopszetel verjaagd, omdat hij weigerde de eed af te
leggen van trouw aan Napoleon († 1815).
Aldus zag hij zich genoodzaakt zijn vruchtbare apostolaatswerk onbeheerd achter
te laten.
Tegen het einde van zijn leven benoemde paus Leo XII († 1829) hem tot zijn
persoonlijk adviseur. Hij werd in 1950 heilig verklaard.
[101a; 107; 122; Dries van den Akker s.j./ 2007.12.14]
© A. van den Akker
s.j. / A.W. Gerritsen
SOURCE : https://heiligen-3s.nl/heiligen/01/01/01-01-1824-vincentius.php
San Vicente María Strambi, Presbítero Pasionista, Obispo
Enero 1 - Septiembre 25
Martirologio Romano: En Roma, san Vicente María Strambi, obispo de Macerata y
Tolentino, de la Congregación de la Pasión, que gobernó santamente las diócesis
que tenía encomendadas y por su fidelidad hacia el Romano Pontífice fue
desterrado. (1745-1824).
La llamada a la santidad es universal, es para todos, desde la eternidad, es
decir desde el seno materno. Es una llamada a la vida y a la salvación. En este
breve resumen de la vida de S. Vicente Maria Strambi, no se investigarán las
señales de la llamada divina, que, por cierto, existieron, sino sobre todo el
fúlgido ejemplo de respuesta a la acción de la gracia. Nació en Civitavecchia, Italia
el 1º de enero de 1745 del farmacéutico Giuseppe y de Eleonora Gori; el joven
habría podido adherirse a los proyectos del padre y disfrutar ventajas de una
familia acomodada. Pero la santidad consiste en una respuesta radical, total,
absoluta. El sentido común, el hacer aquello que hacen todos no se sienta bien
a los santos; se requiere, ante todo, la abnegación, la negación de la misma
naturaleza, de la misma voluntad para uniformarla a la de Cristo.
Vicente elige el sacerdocio y es ordenado el 29 de diciembre de 1767. Con esto
no queremos decir que el estado laical sea una condición inferior de santidad,
sino indudablemente diferente. ¡Ojalá que los laicos fueran todo santos y lo
mismo pueda decirse de los sacerdotes y de los religiosos!
Pero su deseo de consagrarse a Cristo no se detuvo en el sacerdocio. Quiso
hacerse religioso, primero pidió entrar con los padres de la Misión y después
con los Capuchinos. Hasta que encontró a Pablo de la Cruz y quedó conquistado
por su personalidad y santidad; en el 1768 fue acogido entre los Pasionistas
por el mismo Pablo. Pero para vencer la oposición del padre, tuvo que huir de
casa. El padre le escribió a S. Pablo de la Cruz, pidiéndole que mandara a
Vicente de vuelta a su familia. El Fundador contestó con una carta igualmente
clara y decidida, haciendo una profecía: "Debería alegrarse sumamente al
ver que el Señor elige a su hijo para hacerlo un gran Santo". Fue fácil
para San Pablo ser profeta.
Vicente no dejó de negociar los propios talentos naturales. Estaba dotado de
una vivísima inteligencia, unida a gran sentido práctico; a solo 21 años
recibió del Obispo de Montefiascone el encargo de prefecto del seminario y a
los 22, todavía sin ser sacerdote, lo nombró rector del seminario de
Bagnoregio.
Fue un hábil predicador popular, dirigió ejercicios espirituales al clero y
predicó en varias iglesias de Roma. Fue eminente director espiritual y entre
sus hijos cuenta varios santos, entre los cuales se encuentra S. Gaspar del
Búfalo. En la Congregación Pasionista fue revestido con los cargos de profesor
de teología, de superior, de provincial y de consultor general; fue estimado
por todos especialmente por S. Pablo de la Cruz. como verdadero pasionista, fue
devotísimo de la preciosísima Sangre de Jesús. Escribió su primer libro sobre
el mes de julio dedicado a la Preciosísima Sangre de Jesús.
Otra característica de la santidad es la perseverancia. El padre Vicente que
había soñado con la quietud de los retiros pasionistas, en 1801 fue nombrado
por Pio VII obispo de Macerata y Tolentino. Es un pastor diligente. Soporta con
dignidad y paciencia el exilio a que es condenado por Napoleón de 1808 a 1814,
por su fidelidad al Papa. Pero no se burocratiza, no accede al formalismo. No
olvida a los enfermos y sobre todo escucha el clamor de los pobres. "Los
pobres, decía, gritan, gritan". Una vida gastada desde el principio por la
Iglesia, los fieles y por el Papa. En el 1823 Leon XII lo quiere en su
residencia como su consejero y como su confesor. Pero Vicente quiere imitar hasta
el final a Cristo y ofrece su vida por la salud del Pontífice y es escuchado:
el Papa se cura y él muere imprevistamente.
De las cartas de dirección espiritual de San Vicente Maria Strambi
- "¡Humildad, humildad, humildad. Oh preciosa virtud, cuantos tesoros nos
das y nos conservas! Cuánto nuevos estímulos Dios pone en el corazón, porque lo
amamos sin reserva alguna."
- "Oh cuánto le gusta a Dios que tengamos un concepto altísimo de su
bondad y que caminemos en verdadera sencillez de corazón. Caminemos en una
humildad generosa; tomemos nuevas fuerzas de la esperanza, que consigue cuánto
espera. El santo amor sea el alma de toda la vida interior. ¡Oh amor, oh amor,
tú transformas la tierra en el paraíso!"
- "Nuestros queridos amigos nos preceden y van al cielo; ¿y nosotros que
hacemos en este destierro? El único consuelo al permanecer en esta tierra es
hacer la santa voluntad de Dios. Con humildad pacífica y generosa busquemos
unirnos cada vez más estrechamente a Dios y comenzaremos así la vida bienaventurada
del cielo."
- "Conserve su corazón en gran paz. Proceda sin cumplidos con Dios: no se
examine demasiado a sí misma. Nuestro Dios es bueno y no hace caso a ciertas
minucias, de que algunas almas hacen demasiado caso."
- "Quisiera que su ejercicio más frecuente fuera el amor de Dios: la
escuela para encenderse de este amor es el Monte Calvario, santificado por la
gran efusión de la preciosa Sangre de Jesús."
También se festeja: Septiembre 25
SOURCE : https://vidas-santas.blogspot.com/2013/01/san-vicente-maria-strambi-presbitero.html
