Saint Vincent Pallotti 20th century Italian
Saint Vincent Pallotti was born on April 21, 1795, and he died on January 22, 1850. He was born to a noble family, and he earned a doctorate in theology. He was an Italian Catholic priest and the founder, on January 9, 1835, of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, later known as the Pious Society of Missions. The followers of Saint Vincent Pallotti are called the Pallottines, still operating internationally to this day. They follow Saint Vincent Pallotti’s motto, “The love of Christ impels us.” Members of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate work as everyday missionaries to “renew faith and rekindle love.” Have you heard of him?
Saint Vincent Pallotti Biography
Saint Vincent Pallotti was born in Rome on April 21, 1795. He was descended from the noble families of the Pallotti of Norcia and the De Rossi of Rome. He was the uncle of Cardinal Luigi Pallotti (1829–1890). He first went to school at the Pious Schools of San Pantaleone, and from there he went to the Roman College. When he was sixteen, he first thought of becoming a priest and was ordained on May 16, 1818. Shortly thereafter, he earned a doctorate in theology. Pallotti is described as of small stature.
Saint Vincent Pallotti became an Assistant Professor at Sapienza University but but he decided to take on pastoral work. Pallotti looked after the poor in the urban areas of the city of Rome for most of his life. He organized schools for shoemakers, tailors, coachmen, carpenters, and gardeners so that they could better work at their trade, as well as evening classes for young farmers and unskilled workers. He soon became known as a “second Saint Philip Neri.”
On January 9, 1835, Saint Vincent Pallotti founded the Union of the Catholic Apostolate. He expressed his idea in the following words: “The Catholic Apostolate, that is, the universal apostolate, which is common to all classes of people, consists in doing all that one must and can do for the great glory of God and for one’s own salvation and that of one’s neighbor.” On July 11, 1835, Pope Gregory XVI gave his approval to the organization.
The Society was placed under the protection of Mary, Queen of Apostles. During the cholera plague in 1837, Saint Vincent Pallotti ministered to the sick. In 1838, the Society was ordered dissolved, as it was seen as a duplication of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Pallotti appealed this decision to the pope, and the order of dissolution was withdrawn.
Saint Vincent Pallotti Veneration
Saint Vincent Pallotti was beatified by Pope Pius XII on January 22, 1950. He was canonized in 1963 by Pope John XXIII. On April 6, 1963, he was named principal patron of the Pontifical Missionary Union of Clergy. When Pallotti’s body was exhumed in 1906 and again in 1950, his body was found to be incorrupt, a sign of holiness in the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. His body is enshrined in the church of San Salvatore in Onda, in Rome, where it can be seen.
During the Christmas Season, a nativity scene that Saint Vincent Pallotti made himself is put on display at the Vatican, in the basilica’s square, before the Christmas tree. He promoted the celebration of the Octave of the Epiphany as an act of unity with his Orthodox brethren, who celebrated Christmas on January 6th at that time.
Conclusion
Saint Vincent Pallotti was deemed a patron of Vatican II for his efforts to build unity in the church through practices such as inviting the people of his community to worship in the Roman parishes of Eastern Catholic Churches. This was yet another saint who was of noble birth, who had a promising future, but gave it all up for God. In doing so, he provides an example to us all.
