St. Paul of the Cross: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Updated: Oct 3
Feast day: October 19 (optional memorial; October 20 in the United States)
Patron of: No official patronage; founder of the Passionists.
About St. Paul of the Cross
St. Paul of the Cross was born Paolo Francesco Danei in 1694 at Ovada, in northern Italy, into a merchant family that had fallen on hard times. As a young man he briefly enlisted to fight against the Turks but soon realized that God was calling him to a different battle. Drawn to prayer and penance, he received the inspiration to found a community that would keep alive the memory of the Passion of Jesus, which he called "the greatest and most stupendous work of divine love."
In 1720, clothed by his bishop in a black tunic, he spent forty days in prayer and wrote a rule for the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, the Passionists. With his brother John Baptist, he was ordained a priest in 1727. The Passionists preached missions across Italy, calling people to conversion by the Cross, and wore a sign on their chests with the words "The Passion of Jesus Christ." Paul was a powerful preacher and spiritual director and endured decades of interior darkness with faith. He died in Rome in 1775 and was canonized in 1867.
Prayers to St. Paul of the Cross on Daily Catholic Prayers
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