Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio (1817-1836), a young Italian layperson, on October 14, 2018, during the Synod of Bishops on Youth held in Rome. The pope, therefore, gives the young people a model of their age, in addition to the six other blessed who will be canonized that day.
He announced this canonization himself at a public ordinary consistory on July 19, 2018, at the Vatican, an event all the more noticed that it took place during the summer.
Born on April 13, 1817, in Pescosansonesco, Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio was an orphan very early. He lived with a very violent uncle who beat him. Because of this violence, the young craftsman of Naples suffered from a wound in the leg, earning him the nickname «the little saint lame». In spite of his illness, the young man assisted the other patients, and, in his poverty, relieved the misery of the poor. He spent the last two years of his life at Naples’ hospital for the incurable where he died on May 5, 1836, at 19 years of age.
Pope Paul VI, who beatified him on December 1, 1963, offered him as a model for young people: «He will tell you that you, young people, can regenerate within you the world in which Providence has called you to live and that it is up to you, the first ones, to devote yourself to the salvation of a society which needs precisely strong and intrepid souls.»
Six other blessed will be canonized in October: Pope Paul VI and Salvadoran Bishop Oscar Romero as well as two Italian priests, a German nun, and a Spanish nun.
– Blessed Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) (Giovanni Battista Montini). Elected Pope on June 21, 1963, and died August 6, 1978, his pontificate lasted fifteen years (1963-1978) marked by the Vatican Council II and the concern for openness to the requirements of modern times.
– The blessed Salvadoran bishop Oscar Romero (1917-1980), bishop of San Salvador, martyr. Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed on 24 March 1980 by the death squads while celebrating the Eucharist in the chapel of the Hospital of Divine Providence in San Salvador. He is known for denouncing the injustices committed during the 12-year armed conflict in El Salvador, leaving 75,000 dead, 8,000 missing and 12,000 disabled.
– The blessed Italian Francesco Spinelli, diocesan priest, founder of the Institute of the Sister Adorers of the Most Blessed Sacrament (1853 -1913). Don Francesco was born in Milan and was ordained a priest on October 17, 1875. On a pilgrimage to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, he kneels in front of the crib of the Infant Jesus and has a vision of young girls who would devote themselves to the adoration of Jesus in the Sacrament. On December 15, 1882, together with Caterina Comensoli and two other sisters, he founded the Institute of Adoring Sisters, in Bergamo, to «stir up a more ardent love for the Eucharist celebrated and adored to pour on the poorest among the brothers. «.
– The blessed Italian Vincent Romano, diocesan priest, parish priest (1751-1831). Born in Torre del Greco, near Naples, and ordained a priest in 1775, Father Vincent Romano was parish priest of his hometown for thirty years. Often compared to the Curé d’Ars, he devoted his life to educating children and caring for the needs of workers and fishermen, including coral fishermen. His motto was «Do good».
– The blessed German Maria-Katharina Kasper, founder of the Institute of the Poor Servants of Jesus Christ (1820-1898). Born in Dernbach, Germany, in a poor peasant family, she was attracted very early to a religious life. She persuaded the bishop of Limburg to open a small house dedicated to the poor and began a monastic life there with some sisters, founding a congregation which devoted itself, especially to education.
– Blessed Spanish nun Nazaria Ignacia of Santa Teresa de Jesus (1889-1943), in the century Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa. Born in Madrid (Spain) and died in Buenos Aires (Argentina), she is the founder of the Congregation of Sisters Misioneras Cruzadas de la Iglesia (Cross Missionaries of the Church).
