Saint Antoninus of Florence, Bishop & Confessor
S. Antonini Episcopi et Confessoris
Saint Antoninus, a Dominican friar and Archbishop of Florence, was renowned for his learning, his wise governance, and above all his tireless charity to the poor.
Saint Antoninus was born at Florence in 1389. Drawn while still very young to the religious life, he entered the Order of Preachers and gave himself wholly to study, prayer, and the observance of his rule. Gifted with a keen mind and a deep love of souls, he became known both for his learning and for the holiness and prudence of his life.
Friar and archbishop
Within the Order, Saint Antoninus held offices of trust and laboured for the reform and renewal of religious observance, and he wrote works of theology and moral guidance that were valued for their practical wisdom. Against his own desire he was raised to be Archbishop of Florence about the year 1446, and he governed that great city’s Church with the same simplicity he had kept as a friar, retaining the poverty and humility of his Order even in high office.
As archbishop he was diligent in visiting his flock, reforming the clergy, and instructing the faithful, and he was sought out by princes and prelates for his sound counsel. Yet he is remembered above all for his mercy to the poor. In times of plague and famine he spent himself and his goods without reserve in their relief, going out to the sick and the suffering, so that the people of Florence loved him as a father. He died in the year 1459, and was later canonised.
His witness today
Saint Antoninus is venerated as a model of the bishop who unites learning with charity, and authority with humility. The collect of his feast, drawn from the common of a confessor and bishop, asks that the revered solemnity of so great a saint may increase in us both devotion and salvation. His feast is kept on the tenth of May.
In him the Church honours a shepherd who governed wisely, taught soundly, and loved the poor with the love of Christ, showing that holiness and good government are not at odds but flourish together in those who seek God first.
The Collect
Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God: that the venerable solemnity of blessed Antoninus, thy Confessor and Bishop, may increase in us both devotion and salvation.
Da, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut beáti Antónini Confessóris tui atque Pontíficis verénda solemnitas, et devotiónem nobis áugeat et salútem.
Patronage
He is venerated as a patron of the city of Florence and of the Order of Preachers.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this feast is no longer kept on the universal calendar.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Antoninus?
His feast is kept on 10 May in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Third Class feast.
Who was Saint Antoninus?
He was a Dominican friar who became Archbishop of Florence in the fifteenth century, esteemed for his learning, his wise governance of the Church, and his great charity to the poor, especially during plague and famine. He died in 1459 and was later canonised.
Why is he remembered for charity?
Though learned and entrusted with high office, Saint Antoninus kept the poverty of a friar and gave himself and his resources unsparingly to the relief of the sick and the needy, particularly in times of plague and famine, so that the people of Florence honoured him as a father.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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