Author name: Fr Terence Spiteri

At Rieti there was a young religious named John. He was simple, humble, always happy. He followed the same lifestyple as his fellow friars insofar as concerns both food and drink. However, he had a particular character. He loved very much the other friars; he lived with them in a charitable manner, never uttering words or doing anything contrary to the rules of love for our neighbour. He treated everybody […]

Antonio was from Milan and was born of the Della Torre family around 1424. After studying, he graduated in medicine in Pavia and spent some time working as a doctor in Milan until he became acquainted with the Augustinians of the famous convent of St. Mark where he eventually asked to be accepted. He continued his formation and was ordained a priest in Milan. He was soon sent to the

11 May: Blessed Gregory Celli, Religious Blessed Gregory’s life is a mixture of historical truth and legend. This because no documents of his time are available and biographies concerning him are comparatively recent. Thu, we have the ideal conditions so that, as is not unusual in writings on saints, we have an interesting mixture in which, as time passes, it becomes more difficult to distinguish between the truth and what

He was born in 1402 or 1404 at Mascioni (Aquila) in a good family and at the age of 14 he joined the Augustinian Monastery at Montereale. In 1431 he studied theology at Rimini and the following year at Padova and at Ferrara. He graduated as a lecturer and obtained his baccalaureate. In 1438 he was sent to the University of Siena to study and explain the books of verdicts

We celebrate today the memory of Blessed Stephen Bellesini, a man who lived during a difficult period of the Church’s history at the turn of 19th Century Italy. His vocation as an Augustinian religious was severely tried by strong anticlerical government regulations. Nevertheless, he did not withdraw in shame, nor did he become embittered by external challenges. Rather, he redoubled his commitment and persevered in his resolved, giving himself generously

We are celebrating today the memory of an Augustinian friar of Spain who was called to become a bishop, and in the exercise of that ministry became a martyr of the Church, during a bloody civil war which saw hundreds upon hundreds of priests, religious and committed laymen and women give their lives in fidelity to their faith. Bishop Polanco and his fellow martyrs are not historical figures of the

  Christina was named Mattia Ciccarelli. She was the daughter of Domenico and Maria di Pericolo at Colle dei Lucoli (Aquila) and was born on 24 February 1480, the last of six children. From an early age she was full of the virtues of obedience, humility, serenity and she was totally dedicated to prayer to which she devoted the entire day in a corner of the family home in front

He was born in Furci (Abruzzo) in 1246, a son of wealthy parents who could not have children. According to the tradition as recounted in the story of his life, he was born through the intercession of St. Muchael the Archangel after his parents went on a pilgrimage to his sanctuary near Gargano. At his baptism he was given the name Angelo which he retained even when he became a