Priest who devoted himself to helping the poor
The Blessed Vincent Romano came from a poor family |
The Blessed Vincent Romano, a priest from Torre del Greco on
the Bay of Naples who became known for his tireless devotion to helping the
poor, was born on this day in 1751.
Admired for his simple way of life and his efforts in
particular to look after the wellbeing of orphaned children, he was nicknamed
“the worker priest” by the local community. His commitment to helping poor
people extended across the whole Neapolitan region.
He would demonstrate his willingness to roll up his sleeves
in a different way in 1794 after his church – now the Basilica of Santa Croce –
was all but destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius.
Not only did Romano devote many hours to organising the
rebuilding he actually cleared a good deal of rubble with his own hands.
He was born Vincenzo Domenico Romano to poor parents in
Naples. He developed a strong faith as a child and began to study for the
priesthood in Naples at the age of 14.
He was ordained as a priest in 1775 and assigned to Torre
del Greco, where he led a simple and austere life.
Camillo de Vito's painting shows Torre del Greco engulfed by fire after the 1794 eruption |
The eruption of Vesuvius in June 1794 destroyed most of
Torre del Greco as a lava flow swept down to the sea, bringing down and the
church and part of the bell tower.
Romano, then assistant pastor and treasurer of the church,
promoted its reconstruction. The rebuilding began in 1795 and continued over
many years, ending with the consecration of the new structure in 1827.
Miraculous events seemed to accompany the reconstruction,
including the arrival of a ship from Libya loaded with timber, which was
offered as a gift for the construction of roof trusses. No one could explain
this act of generosity nor knew who had commissioned it.
The new church was designed by Ignazio di Nardo, who was
also responsible for the urban plan for the reconstructed city.
After the death of the incumbent parish priest in 1799,
Romano became the provost of the parish, part of his mission being to promote
the better education of children. He welcomed all people into his church.
Pope Paul VI, who beatified Romano in 1963 |
Romano died in December 1831 after a long period of ill
health. His remains are housed in the Basilica.
The beatification process began under Pope Gregory XVI in
1843 when Romano given the title of Servant of God. In 1895 he was declared to
be Venerable after Pope Leo XIII recognized that Romano had lived a life of
heroic virtue.
He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in November 1963 after the
necessary two miracles received papal approval.
The first was the healing of Maria Carmela Restucci in
December 1891 from an aggressive breast tumour after she had invoked the
patronage of Romano, her recovery confirmed by her doctor as something unexplained
by science and medicine.
The second was the healing of Maria Carmela Cozzolino in
1940 from an ailment diagnosed by her doctor as throat cancer but which
miraculously disappeared when she appeared to be nearing death after she invoked
the intercession of Romano. Again, the cure could not be explained.
Travel tip:
Torre del Greco was once part of Magna Graecia – Great Greece
– in the eighth and seventh centuries BC but its name is thought to originated
in the 11th century AD when a Greek hermit was said to have occupied
an eight-sided costal watch tower called Turris Octava. From the 16th
century it became popular with wealthy families and even Italian nobility, who
built elaborate summer palaces there. In the 19th century and early
20th century Torre del Greco enjoyed its peak years as a resort to
which wealthy Italians flocked, both to enjoy the sea air and as a point from
which to scale Vesuvius via a funicular railway. A thriving café scene
developed, and the art nouveau Gran Caffè Palumbo became famous across the
country. Since the 17th century
it has been a major producer of coral jewellery.
The rebuilt Basilica of Santa Croce in Torre del Greco |
Travel tip:
Built originally at the beginning of the 16th century,
the Basilica of Santa Croce is the religious heart of Torre del Greco and
houses the remains of the Blessed Vincent Romano. It was rebuilt after the
Vesuvius eruption in 1794 and now overlooks Piazza Santa Croce in the historic
centre of the town. Other buildings of note include the 18th century
Palazzo Vallelonga and the Camaldoli alla Torre monastery.