Saint Francis Caracciolo

Saint Francis Caracciolo was born from a noble family on October 13, 1563 in Villa Santa Maria, central Italy. Miraculously healed from a serious illness, he dedicated himself to the service of God and his people.

He cultivated a great spirit of prayer. Notably, adoration before the Blessed Sacrament was his life; to it he dedicated as much time as possible. He prepared for and celebrated Mass with an edifying spirit of faith and devotion.

Along with Venerable Augustine Adorno of Genoa and Fabrizio Caracciolo of Naples, he founded a new religious order, the Clerics Regular Minor, to assist the needs of the Church after the Council of Trent.

Besides the goals and objectives common to other religious Orders and the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, he wanted to add a fourth vow: not to aspire to ecclesiastical honors

His life was like a long series of outstanding episodes which are reducible to the intervention of divine grace and an authentic Christian charity for which he was called the Father of the Poor, the Preacher of the love of God and the Hunter of Souls.

He reached the summit of holiness when he was only 44 years old and he rendered his soul to God on June 4, 1608, on the eve of Corpus Christi. He was canonized by Pope Pius VII in 1807.

Venerable John Augustine Adorno

Venerable John Adorno was born to a noble family in 1551 in Genoa.

Brought up in the ways of a young gentleman, he entered the arena of diplomacy and eventually left for the court of Spain in 1573.

While visiting the Dominican church in Valencia in 1573, Adorno met Saint Louis Bertrand who foretold that he would be the founder of new religious Order.

While living in Granada, he squandered his money on gambling, partying and other frivolous pastimes. He eventually returned to Genoa in 1679.

Attending Lenten meditations with his mother in the church of Saint Siro in Genoa, Adorno heard the voice of God and his heart was moved to conversion.

After consulting with God by means of fasts, prayers and vigils, he felt called to found a new religious Order in the Church. He left for Naples and met Fabrizio Caracciolo and St. Francis Caracciolo. There, they began the framework for a new Order.

He was a model of sanctity before his fellow religious. His love for God was manifested continually throughout his life. After an illness, he died peacefully on September 29, 1591.