Charles of Sezze

Saint Peter's Basilica, Kingdom of Italy by Pope Leo XIII
Saint Peter's Basilica, Kingdom of Italy by Pope Leo XIII
Canonized	12 April 1959, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope John XXIII
Major shrine	San Francesco a Ripa, Rome, Italy
Feast	6 January
Attributes	Franciscan habit
Patronage	Sezze; Diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno;

Charles of Sezze (19 October 1613 – 6 January 1670) - born Giancarlo Marchioni - was an

Clement IX.^[2]^[3]

His beatification was celebrated in 1882 while Pope Pius XII approved his canonization in 1958; but the pope died before he could canonize the friar so his successor Pope John XXIII did so on 12 April 1959.^[4]

Life

Giancarlo Marchioni (also known as Charles) was born in Sezze on 19 October 1613 to the poor farmers Ruggero Marchioni and Antonia Maccione. His baptism was celebrated on 22 October 1613.^[4] His mother - when he was a toddler - liked to dress him in a dark tunic with a cord and hood in honor of friars Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua and she kept this 'habit' even after he outgrew it.^[3]

His maternal grandmother Valenza Pilorci instilled devout practices and other religious values within him in his childhood. He worked on the farm as a shepherd to help his parents with the exhaustive workload and liked to plough in the fields because he liked the

oxen.^[3]^[1] He made a private vow to remain chaste in 1630 and in 1633 fell ill to the point of near death that he pledged to join the Order of Friars Minor if he were to be healed of his ailment.^[2]

His parents encouraged his call to become a priest, though he was a poor student and largely illiterate, leaving seldom hope of his excelling in advanced studies.

He felt a desire to serve in the missions in

Pascal Baylon and Salvador of Horta - who were both professed religious. Marchioni was admitted into the order at the San Francesco convent in 1635 at Nazzano; he received the habit of the order on 18 May 1635. He later recounted that he did so out of a desire to live a poor life and to beg alms "for the love of Christ".^[1]

He again set his heart on the missions but poor health halted this dream.

He lived the life of a religious and never requested

priesthood despite the protests of his parents to do so. He made his solemn profession into the order on 19 May 1636 into the hands of Father Angelo Maria and his religious name was "Cosmas" at first but his mother's insistence saw it changed to "Carlo".^[3] He worked at a range of jobs in various friaries: he cooked and served as a porter and also worked as both a sacristan and gardener; he also went out into the streets as a beggar. He was not qualified in all of them as he became notorious for setting the kitchen of one house on fire. From 1640 to 1642 he was stationed at the convent of Saint John the Baptist at Piglio and at San Francesco at Castel Gandolfo. In October 1648 he attended Mass at the church of San Giuseppe a Capo le Case and a beam of light emanated from an elevated Host that pierced his side and left a visible open wound at his side.^[1]

On one occasion the

Alexander VII sought him out for advice. In 1656 he tended to victims of cholera at Carpineto.^[1]^[3] On 22 August 1664 he was at San Pietro in Montorio when he fell ill with malarial fever and so was taken to San Francesco a Ripa to recuperate; he recovered on 30 August after bed rest was prescribed to him. On 28 July 1665 he had a vision of Pope Victor I and Teresa of Ávila.^[4]

feast of the Epiphany to which those present thought the pope would get well and the two would meet in a month. But the pope died on 9 December and people questioned how the friar was wrong though after the friar died on the Epiphany itself it was realized the pope would greet him as a friend in Heaven thus the two met again.^[2]

On 31 December 1669, he was forced to his bed due to pleurisy. On 6 January 1670, he died in the convent attached to San Francesco a Ripa in Rome; he was buried in that church, where a chapel dedicates to his name still hosts his remnants.^[5] The friar had predicted that Innocent X and Alexander VII would be elected as popes and likewise predicted Clement IX would be elected as well. But he also managed to predict that Cardinal Emilio Altieri would be elected as pope - which happened not long after his death.^[4]

The families of Rome held him in high esteem and even sought him out for advice. Families such as

Cibo, Colonna, Orsini and Salviati regarded him well and sought him out wherever possible while cardinals such as Gianstefano Donghi, Francesco Barberini, Celio Piccolomini, Michelangelo Ricci, Cesare Facchinetti, Carlo Barberini and Benedetto Odescalchi - the future Pope Innocent XI - also did likewise.^[3]

Sainthood

Saint Peter's Basilica.^[6] The cause for his sainthood was opened on 4 August 1946.^[6] Pope Pius XII confirmed two additional miracles on 7 January 1958 but died before he could canonize the friar; Pope John XXIII

canonized him on 12 April 1959 as a saint.

Published works

Birth of Holy Mary's Novena
Christmas Novena
Holy Settenario
Invalid Path of the Soul
Jesus Christ's Talk about Life
The Grandeurs of the Mercies of God
The Three Ways

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Saint Charles of Sezze". Saints SQPN. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Saint Charles of Sezze". Roman Catholic Saints. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "St. Charles of Sezze" (PDF). Retrieved 12 January 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "San Carlo da Sezze". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
^ "Cappella di San Carlo da Sezze". sanfrancescoaripa.it (in Italian). Retrieved 11 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum (in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953. p. 45.