Nicholas of Tolentino(Latin:S. Nicolaus de Tolentino), (c. 1246 – September 10, 1305), known as thePatron of Holy Souls,was an Italiansaintandmystic.He is particularly invoked as an advocate for the souls inPurgatory,especially duringLentand the month of November. In manyAugustinianandDiscalced Augustinianchurches, there are weekly devotions to St. Nicholas on behalf of the suffering souls. November 2,All Souls' Day,holds special significance for the devotees of St. Nicholas of Tolentino.
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1245 Sant'Angelo in Pontano,Italy |
| Died | September 10, 1305(aged 59–60) Tolentino,Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | June 5, 1446, Vatican byPope Eugene IV |
| Majorshrine | Basilica di San Nicola da Tolentino,Tolentino, Italy |
| Feast | September 10 |
| Attributes | bird on a plate in the right hand and a crucifix on the other hand; basket of bread;lilyor a crucifix garlanded with lilies; star above him or on his breast[1] |
| Patronage | animals; babies; boatmen; dying people; mariners; holy souls; sailors; sick animals; souls inpurgatory;watermen;La Aldea de San Nicolás,Spain;Barranquilla,Colombia; In thePhilippines:Banton,Ajuy,Cabatuan,Guimbal,Lambunao,Capas,La Huerta,Cupang,Macabebe,Mariveles,Surigao City,Sinait,San Nicolas,Tibiao,Tobias Fornier,and the Dioceses ofCabanatuan,Mati,SurigaoandTandag. |
Life
editBorn in 1245 inSant'Angelo in Pontano,St. Nicholas of Tolentino took his name fromSt. Nicholas of Myra,at whose shrine his parents prayed to have a child. Nicholas became a friar of theOrder of Hermits of Saint Augustineat 18, and seven years later, he was ordained a priest. He gained a reputation as a preacher and a confessor. C. 1274, he was sent toTolentino,near his birthplace. The town suffered from civil strife between theGuelphs and Ghibellines,in their struggle for control of Italy. Nicholas was primarily a pastor to his flock. He ministered to the poor and criminals. He is said to have cured the sick with bread dipped in water as instructed in a dream by Mary, theMother of God.He gained a reputation as awonderworker.Nicholas died in 1305 after a long illness. People began immediately to petition for his canonization.Eugene IVcanonized him in 1446, and his body with severed arms was discovered in 1926 at Tolentino.
A studious, kind and gentle youth, at the age of 16 Nicholas became an Augustinian novice and was a student of the Blessed Angelus de Scarpetti. A friar at thePriory of St AugustineinRecanati,the priory atMacerataand others, he was ordained in 1270[2]at the age of 25, and soon became known for his preaching and teachings. Nicholas, who had had visions ofangelsreciting "toTolentino",in 1274 took this as a sign to move to that city, where he lived 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.[3]
On account of his kind and gentle manner his superiors entrusted him with the daily feeding of the poor at the monastery gates, but at times he was so free with the friary's provisions that the procurator begged the superior to check his generosity.[4]Once, when weak after a long fast, he received a vision of Jesus, theBlessed Virgin Mary,and SaintAugustine.He was told to eat some bread marked with a cross and dipped in water. Upon doing so he was immediately stronger. He started distributing these rolls to the ailing, while praying to Mary, often curing the sufferers; this is the origin of the Augustinian custom of blessing and distributingSaint Nicholas Bread.[5]
In Tolentino, Nicholas worked as a peacemaker in a city torn by strife between theGuelphs and Ghibellineswho, in the conflict for control of Italy, supported thePopeand theHoly Roman Emperorrespectively. He ministered to his flock, helped the poor and visited prisoners. When working wonders or healing people, he always asked those he helped to "Say nothing of this", explaining that he was just God's instrument.[4]
During his life, Nicholas is said to have received visions, including images ofPurgatory,which friends ascribed to his lengthy fasts. Prayer for the souls in Purgatory was the outstanding characteristic of his spirituality.[2]Because of this Nicholas was proclaimed patron of the souls in Purgatory,[5]in 1884 byLeo XIII.
Towards the end of his life he became ill, suffering greatly, but still continued themortificationsthat had been part of his holy life.[6]Nicholas died on September 10, 1305.[5]
Legends
editThere are many tales and legends which relate to Nicholas. One says the devil once beat him with a stick, which was then displayed for years in his church. In another, Nicholas, a vegetarian, was served a roasted fowl, for which he made thesign of the cross,and it flew out a window. Nine passengers on a ship going down at sea once asked Nicholas' aid, and he appeared in the sky, wearing the black Augustinian habit, radiating golden light, holding a lily in his left hand, and with his right hand, he quelled the storm. An apparition of the saint, it is said, once saved the burning palace of theDoge of Veniceby throwing a piece of blessed bread on the flames. He was also reported to have resurrected over one hundred dead children, including several who had drowned together.
According to the Peruvian chroniclerAntonio de la Calancha,it was St. Nicholas of Tolentino who made possible a permanent Spanish settlement in the rigorous, high-altitude climate ofPotosí,Bolivia.He reported that all children born to Spanish colonists there died in childbirth or soon thereafter, until a father dedicated his unborn child to St. Nicholas of Tolentino (whose own parents, after all, had required saintly intervention to have a child). The colonist's son, born on Christmas Eve, 1598, survived to healthy adulthood, and many later parents followed the example of naming their sons Nicolás.[7]
Veneration
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Nicholas was canonized byPope Eugene IV(also an Augustinian) on June 5, 1446.[8]He was the first Augustinian friar to be canonized.[2]At his canonization, Nicholas was credited with three hundred miracles, including three resurrections.[9]
The remains of St. Nicholas are preserved at the Shrine of Saint Nicholas in theBasilica di San Nicola da Tolentinoin the city of Tolentino, province ofMaceratain Marche, Italy.[2][5]
He is particularly invoked as an advocate for the souls in Purgatory, especially during Lent and the month of November. In many Augustinian churches, there are weekly devotions to St. Nicholas on behalf of the suffering souls. November 2, All Souls' Day, holds special significance for the devotees of St. Nicholas of Tolentino.[2]
St Pius Vdid not include him in theTridentine calendar,but he was later inserted and given September 10 as his feast day. Judged to be of limited importance worldwide, his liturgical celebration was not kept in the1969 revisionof theGeneral Roman Calendar,[10]but he is still recognized as one of the saints of theRoman Catholic Church.[11]
A number of churches and oratories are dedicated to him, includingSan Nicolò da TolentinoinVenice,San Nicola da Tolentino agli Orti Sallustianiin Rome, St. Nicholas of Tolentino inThe Bronx,New York City, San Nicolás Church inBarranquilla(which served as the city's pro-cathedral church from 1932 to 1986), and St. Nicholas of Tolentino inBristol, UK.
In Ireland, Augustinian churches and friaries historically marked his feast day with a ceremony distributing bread, sometimes with his likeness on the loaves. This practice was most strongly related to churches inCounty Waterford.[12]
Philippines
editIn thePhilippines,the 16th centuryChurch of San Nicolas de TolentinoinBanton, Romblon,was built in honor of him and his feast day is celebrated as the annual Biniray festival, commemorating the devotion of the island's Catholic inhabitants to St. Nicholas during the Muslim raids in the 16th century.
In the province ofPampanga,a440-year-old Augustinian church,which was founded in 1575, built in his honor is located in the heart ofMacabebe, Pampanga.The façade of the church has scantly ornamentation and its architectural symmetry is lost amid and the various forms assumed the windows and the main entrance. Simple neo-classic lines of the façade. Presently, a second class relic of the saint is venerated every Tuesdays after the mass.[13]
In the province ofNueva Ecija,St. Nicholas is being venerated as the titular of the historicCabanatuan Cathedralwhere GeneralAntonio Lunawas assassinated in 1899. His first class relic is being exposed to the faithful from September 1 until September 10 every year.
InDimiao,Bohol,the feast of San Nicolas de Tolentino, patron saint of the parish church built between 1797 and 1815, is also celebrated every September 10.
There is also the San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church along C. Padilla Street inCebu City,the capital city of the province and island ofCebu.Built in 1584, the church is one of the oldest in the country. The church was also built years ahead of the establishment of theCebu Diocesein 1595. Located some 1.5 kilometer south of the ciudad, it was called Cebu Viejo, separated from the ciudad by the Pagina creek and El Pardo. The area is also considered the original site of the landing ofMiguel López de Legazpi's armada on April 17, 1565, and became the embryo of a settlement which Legaspi established. San Nicolas was a vibrant town during the Spanish Period, the spawning ground for the Revolution against Spain in 1898, and the birthplace of Cebuano musical legends of the 20th century. The town eventually merged with Cebu City on April 17, 1901.
The 16th century church inSinait,Ilocos Suris dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. In May 2021,Pope Franciselevated the parish church to the status of minor basilica.[14]
In theIloiloprovince, 4 municipalities consider San Nicolas de Tolentino as their patron saint. The Augustinians erected the San Nicolas de Tolentino Church inAjuy, Iloilowhen they arrived in 1590.[15]The San Nicolas de Tolentino Church inCabatuan, Iloilo(built in 1834; finished in 1866) were made of red brick exterior and is considered to be a Neoclassical church.[16]InGuimbal, Iloilo,the construction of theSan Nicolas de Tolentino Churchand convent began between 1769 and 1774 and it was made of coral stone and yellow sandstone.[17]InLambunao, Iloilo,the consecration of the San Nicolas de Tolentino Church took place on September 9, 1890.[18]
In theBataanprovince, San Nicolas de Tolentino is the patron saint ofMariveles.The Augustinian Recollects missionaries erectedMariveles Churchin 1729 in honor of the saint. It was consecrated on August 10, 2022 and declared as adiocesan shrineon February 25, 2023 by the then fourthBishop of Balangaand church's acting rector and parish priestRuperto Santos.[19]
Cultural references
editSan Nicholas cookie orPan de San Nicolasis aKapampangan cuisinedelicacy originating since 1600s. It is baked in honor of Saint Nicholas(Apo Kulas),thepatron saintof bakers and theMunicipality of Macabebe.According to legends, the Blessed Virgin Mary healed Saint Nicholas' illness with a piece of bread. Theshortbreadis made of butter, egg yolk, flour and coconut milk poured in wooden molds, then baked.[20]
Iconography
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He is depicted in the black habit of the Order of the Hermits of St. Augustine — a star above him or on his breast, a lily, or a crucifix garlanded with lilies, in his hand. Sometimes, instead of the lily, he holds a vial filled with money or bread.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Stracke, Richard (2015-10-20)."Nicholas of Tolentino".Christian Iconography.
- ^abcde"Devotion to St. Nicholas of Tolentine", St.Augustine's Church, Cork, Ireland
- ^"Saint Nicholas of Tolentine", Province of St. Augustine
- ^abBittle O.F.M.Cap., Berchman's,A Saint A Day,The Bruce Publishing Company, 1958
- ^abcd"Saint Nicholas of Tolentine", Augustinians of the Midwest
- ^abGaresché, Edward. "St. Nicholas of Tolentino." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 23 Mar. 2013
- ^Antonio de la Calancha, Crónica moralizada del Orden de San Agustín en el Perú (Barcelona: P. Lacavalleria, 1639), 750.
- ^Thomas of Villanova - 450 years and Nicholas of Tolentine - 700 years An Exhibit commemorating two Augustinian SaintsVillanova University, Falvey Memorial Library, August 15-September 30, 2005
- ^Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, Volume 2. By André Vauchez, Richard Barrie Dobson, Michael Lapidge. (Chicago: Fitzroy, Dearborn, 2000)
- ^"Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 138
- ^"Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001ISBN88-209-7210-7)
- ^Hennig, John (1943)."St. Nicholas' Bread".Béaloideas.13(1/2): 264–269.doi:10.2307/20522074.ISSN0332-270X.JSTOR20522074.
- ^http://sannicolasmacabebe.blogspot.com/ http://www.visitmyphilippines.com/index.php?title=Churches&func=all&pid=4370&tbl=0 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parroquia-de-San-Nicolas-de-Tolentino-de-Macabebe/616545235061488[user-generated source]
- ^"Pope declares Sinait Church a minor basilica".CBCPNews.4 May 2021.Retrieved12 May2021.
- ^Team, Editorial (2024-01-03)."San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Ajuy, Iloilo".THEOLDCHURCHES.Retrieved2024-07-21.
- ^Team, Editorial (2022-11-15)."San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Cabatuan, Iloilo".THEOLDCHURCHES.Retrieved2024-07-21.
- ^Team, Editorial (2022-11-01)."San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Guimbal, Iloilo".THEOLDCHURCHES.Retrieved2024-07-21.
- ^Team, Editorial (2022-11-07)."San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Lambunao, Iloilo".THEOLDCHURCHES.Retrieved2024-07-21.
- ^"Mariveles".bataan.gov.ph.Provincial Government of Bataan.Retrieved30 August2022.
- ^Severo, Jan Milo (January 14, 2022)."Pan de San Nicolas: Pampanga's famed cookies believed to have healing powers".The Philippine Star.RetrievedJuly 9,2024.