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Nicholas Gurrutti was born in the
village of Sant' Angelo in Pontano, Italy in 1245. His parents, middle-aged
and childless, made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Nicholas of Bari,
their special patron, to ask his intercession on their behalf. Shortly
thereafter, a son was born to them whom they named Nicholas out of
gratitude.
At an early age Nicholas was greatly moved by the preaching of the
Augustinian, Father
Reginaldo do Monterubbiano, prior
of the monastery of Sant' Angelo, and requested admission to the community.
He was accepted by the friars and
made his novitiate in 1261. Nicholas directed his efforts to being a good
religious and priest, |
Nicholas directed his
efforts to being a good religious and priest, and soon became renowned for
his charity toward his confreres and all God's people. His religious
formation was greatly influenced by the spirituality of the hermits of Brettino, one of the congregations which came to form part of the "Grand
Union" of Augustinians in 1256. whose communities were located in the region
of the March where Nicholas was born and raised.
Characteristic of these early hermits of Brettino was a great emphasis on
poverty, rigorous practices of fasting and abstinence and long periods of
the day devoted to communal and private prayer. As Nicholas entered the
Order at its inception he learned to combine the ascetical practices of the
Brettini with the apostolic thrust which the Church now invited the
Augustinians to practice. At times, Nicholas devoted himself to prayer and
works of penance with such intensity that it was necessary for his superiors
to impose limitations on him. At one point he was so weakened though
fasting that he was encouraged in a vision of Mary and the child Jesus to
eat a piece of bread signed with the cross and soaked in water to regain his
strength. Thereafter he followed this practice in ministering to the sick
himself. In his honor the custom of blessing and distributing the "Bread of
Saint Nicholas" in continued by the Augustinians in many places today.
Nicholas was ordained to the priesthood in 1271. He lived in several
difference monasteries of the Augustinian Order, engaged principally in the
ministry of preaching. In 1275 he was sent to Tolentino and remained there
for the rest of his life. Nicholas worked to counteract the decline of
morality and religion which came with the development of city life in the
late thirteenth century. He ministered to the sick and the poor, and
actively sought out those who had become estranged from the Church. A
fellow religious describes Nicholas' ministry in these words: "He was a joy
to those who were sad, a consolation to the suffering, peace to those at
variance, refreshment to those who toiled, support for the poor, and a
healing balm for prisoners." Nicholas'
reputation as a saintly man and a worker of miracles led many people to the
monastery of Tolentino.
When in 1884 Nicholas was proclaimed "Patron Saint of the Souls in
Purgatory" by Pope Leo XIII, confirmation was given to a long-standing
aspect of devotion toward this friar which is traced to an event in his own
life. On a certain Saturday night as he lay in bed, Nicholas heard Fra
Pellegrino of Osimo, a deceased friar who Nicholas had known. Fra
Pellegrino revealed that he was in purgatory and he begged Nicholas to offer
Mass for him and for the other suffering souls so that they might be set
free. For the next seven days, Nicholas did so and was rewarded with a
second vision in which the deceased confrere expressed his gratitude and
assurance that a great number of people were now enjoying the presence of
God through Nicholas' prayers. As this event became known, many people
approached Nicholas, asking his intercession on behalf of their own deceased
relatives and friends.
Nicholas died in Tolentino on September 10th, 1305. He was declared a
saint in 1446 - the first member of the Augustinian Order to be canonized.
Saint Nicholas' body is venerated in the basilica in Tolentino which bears
his name. His feast is celebrated by the Augustinian family on this day
each September.
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Prayer to Saint Nicholas
O God, source of strength and courage, you
gave your beloved preacher, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, the conviction of
faith to the very end.
Grace us with the ability
to translate your teaching into action, remain patient amid hardship, serve
the poor and those who suffer, and live as your true and faithful servants.
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino,
pray for us.
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Prayer for the Deceased
Lord, God of holiness and light.
you do not allow any shadow of darkness or evil in your sight,
and so in your mercy you grant to those who have left this world burdened
with sin, a time of purification, applying to them the spiritual treasurers
of your holy Church.
Hear my prayer
and through the merits of Christ,
the Blessed Virgin, the saints,
and all your faithful people
bring to an end this time of waiting
for our beloved dead, especially _____.
In your providence
you have chosen Saint Nicholas
as a special intercessor
on behalf of the departed.
Hear also his ferverent prayer for those whom I recommend
to you through his intercession.
Amen |
Courtesy of Augustinian Press. |
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