Remembering the kindness of a brilliant young doctor
Doctor and scientist Giuseppe Moscati was beatified by Pope
Paul VI on this day in 1975.
Giuseppe was renowned for his kindness and generosity to his
patients and even before his death people talked of ‘miracle’ cures being
achieved by him.
He was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1987 and his feast
day is 16 November.
The saint was born into a big family in Benevento in 1880.
His father, a lawyer and magistrate, was active in the church and Giuseppe
inherited his piety.
The family later moved to Naples and Giuseppe enrolled in
the medical school of the University of Naples in 1897.
On graduating he went to work in a hospital but continued
with his brilliant scientific research and attended Mass frequently.
When Vesuvius erupted in 1906 he helped evacuate all the
elderly and paralysed patients before the roof collapsed on the hospital under
the weight of the ash.
He worked tirelessly to research ways to eradicate cholera
in Naples and personally cared for many of the soldiers wounded in the First World
War.
He was compassionate to the poor and often gave them money
as well as free medical treatment and a prescription.
Giuseppe died suddenly in 1927 at the age of 46 having been
on duty at the hospital only that morning.
After his death, a young man dying from leukaemia was
suddenly and inexplicably cured, after his mother dreamed of a doctor in a white
coat. She was able to identify the doctor as Blessed Giuseppe after her priest
showed her a photograph of him. The young man who was cured was able to attend the
canonisation ceremony of Giuseppe Moscati by the Pope.
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| The Santuario del Carmine overlooks Piazza Tasso |
Travel Tip:
In ancient times, Benevento was one of the most important
cities in southern Italy and there are many Roman remains there, including a
triumphal arch erected in honour of Trajan and an ampitheatre. In the cathedral
of Santa Maria Assunta there is a marble statue of Saint Giuseppe Moscati in
the chapel of the Holy Sacrament.
Travel Tip:
Overlooking Sorrento’s main square, Piazza Tasso, the
yellow-painted, 16th century Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine has a shrine
to Giuseppe Moscati in a little side chapel where people can pray to the
sainted doctor for comfort and relief.
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