In 1751, Vincent Romano was born to poor parents in Naples, Italy. His father hoped he would become a goldsmith, but at 14 he decided to become a priest like his older brother, and he was ordained at the age of 24. Fr. Romano had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and loved reading St. Alphonsus de Liguori. His life was simple and austere, and his homilies were noted for being clear and educational. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 1794 it destroyed his church. His personal labors in rebuilding the church, along with his tireless work of caring for the poor and educating orphans, earned him the nickname “the worker priest”.
CHALLENGE
During the rebuilding of St. Vincent Romano’s church, a ship arrived loaded with timber from Libya. It was explained that it was a gift for the construction of trusses for the roof. No one knew who paid for the lumber. Today, buy a gift card to a home improvement store or hardware store, and anonymously mail it to your pastor or put it in the collection at Mass.
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