Diomede Falconio

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Styles of Diomede Cardinal Falconio
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Velletri-Segni (suburbicarian)

Diomede Angelo Raffaele Gennaro Cardinal Falconio, OFM (September 20, 1842—February 8, 1917) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Congregation for Religious from 1916 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911.

[edit] Biography

Diomede Falconio was born in Pescocostanzo, as one of the five children of Donato Antonio Falconio, a goldsmith, and his wife Maria Giacinta Buccigrossi. He received the Sacrament of Confirmation on September 5, 1852, and entered the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans, on September 2, 1860. Upon entering, he also changed his baptismal name from Angelo Raffaele Gennaro to Diomede of Pescocostanzo. Falconio studied at the Franciscan convents of Magliano and Carpineto, making his first vows on September 17, 1861 and his perpetual vows on October 12, 1864.

In the fall of 1865, he traveled to the United States, where he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Timon, CM, on January 4, 1866, in Buffalo, New York. Falconio taught philosophy at St. Bonaventure's College and Seminary in Alleghany from 1865 to 1871, serving as its President from 1868 to 1869. After doing missionary work in Terra Nova, he received American citizenship. In 1867 he was made Secretary of the American Franciscan province of the Immaculate Conception.

Falconio served as administrator, chancellor, and vicar general of Harbor Grace between 1871 and 1882, and would have become its bishop had not the opposition of the Irish Benevolent Society to the appointment of an Italian bishop caused Falconio's superior recall him to the United States. He performed missionary work in New York and Connecticut until 1883, whence he returned to Italy. From 1884 to 1889, he was the provincial of his religious order in the province of San Bernardino in Abruzzi. After becoming prosynodal examiner of the Archdiocese of Aquilea, he was elected procurator general of the Franciscans in October 1889, and visitor general to the provinces of Naples and Pouilles between 1889 and 1892.

On July 11, 1892, Falconio was appointed Bishop of Lacedonia by Pope Leo XIII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following July 17 from Raffaele Cardinal Monaco La Valetta, with Archbishops Antonio Grasselli, OFM Conv, and Tancredo Fausti serving as co-consecrators, in the church of S. Antonio da Padova in Via Merulana. Falconio was later named Archbishop of Acerenza-Matera on November 29, 1895, the first Apostolic Delegate to Canada on August 3, 1899, and Titular Archbishop of Larissa in Thessalia on September 30 of that same year.

The Archbishop was appointed Apostolic Delegate to the United States on September 30, 1902. During his tenure, he dedicated himself to the spiriutal care of the linguistic minorities, providing spiritual assistance in their language and nominating bishops of the same ethnic origin or that at least spoke their language. Falconio was created Cardinal Priest of S. Maria in Aracoeli by Pope Pius X in the consistory of November 27, 1911, and opted to be promoted to Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni on May 25, 1914. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 1914 papal conclave, which selected Pope Benedict XV, who later named Falconio as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Religious on February 26, 1916.

The Cardinal died in Rome, at the age of 74. He is buried in the Franciscan church of his native Pescocostanzo.

[edit] External links

• Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
• Catholic-Hierarchy