Matthew Carrieri
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| Matthew Carrieri | |
|---|---|
| Friar and Stigmatic | |
| Born | unknown, Mantua, Italy |
| Died | 5 October 1470, Vigevano, Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV |
| Feast | 5 October |
 Saints Portal |
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Blessed Matthew Carrieri of Mantua (Italian: Matteo Carrieri; died 1470) was a Dominican friar noted for the "austerity of his life."[1] He was the spiritual instructor of Stephana de Quinzanis, and like her, an alleged stigmatic.
[edit] Life
Matthew Carrieri was born Giovanni Francesco Carrieri.[2] He took the name Matteo (Matthew) when he entered the Order of Saint Dominic. His success as a preacher was inarguable, attributable to the significant time he spent in spiritual exercises and meditation between preaching.[3]
One of the major events in Matthew Carrieri's life was his capture by pirates on a voyage from Genoa to Pisa.[4] The pirates set him free, but when Carrieri saw that the pirates were still keeping a woman and her daughter captive, he proposed to the captain that they keep him in their place. So shocked was the pirate captain by the friar's charity, that he freed all three captives.[3]
Carrieri was a very close associate of Blessed Stephana de Quinzanis in her youth. He was responsible for her catechesis, and predicted that she would be his "spiritual heiress." The meaning of this statement was illuminated when Stephana also began to experience pains similar to Carrieri's, which, according to those concerned, were the result of his devotion to the Passion of Christ.[3]
Carrieri's hagiography states that on 5 October 1470 he asked his superior for permission to die, and upon receiving as much, he did.[3]
[edit] Veneration
In 1482, Pope Sixtus IV authorized the solemn transfer of Matthew's relics and allowed formal liturgical celebration of Blessed Matthew Carrieri's cultus.[3]
[edit] References and notes
- ^ The Friars Preachers: From the Origins to Savonarola. Dictionnaire de Spiritualité. Personal site of Benedict M. Ashley, O.P. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
- ^ The source for this name was in Spanish, and gave Matthew Carrieri's original name as Juan Francisco. It may be reasonable to assume then, that, being Italian, his name would be Giovanni Francesco.
- ^ a b c d e Beato Mateo Carrieri de Mantua. Santoral. Retrieved on 2007-04-08. (Cites Butler's Lives of the Saints as its source) (Spanish)
- ^ For an account of this story in Carrieri's life, see Mores Catholici, Or, Ages of Faith by Kenelm Henry Digby (pp. 347-348).
