Dominic Barberi
| Blessed Dominic Barberi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Confessor | |
| Born |
22 June 1792 Viterbo, Italy |
| Died | 27 August 1849 (aged 57) Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 27 October 1963, Rome, Italy by Pope Paul VI |
| Major shrine | Church of Saint Anne and Blessed Dominic, St Helens, Merseyside, England |
| Feast | August 27 |
| Attributes | Passionist Habit and Sign |
| Patronage | England |
Dominic Barberi (22 June 1792 - 27 August 1849) was an Italian theologian and a member of the Passionist Congregation. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1963.
Barberi was born near Viterbo to a poor family of Italian farmers in 1792. His parents died while Barberi as still a small boy, and he was raised by his maternal uncle, Bartolomeo Pacelli. As a boy he was employed to take care of sheep. He was taught his letters by a Capuchin priest, and learned to read from a country lad of his own age; although he read all the books he could obtain, he had no regular education.
When Napoleon suppressed the religious communities in the Papal States, Barberi ecame acquainted with several Passionists living in exile near his town. Barberi befriended these Passionists and served daily Mass with them.
When Barberi was one of the few men of his locality not chosen for military conscription, he felt it was a sign from God that he should enter a religious community. Barberi believed that he was called to preach the Gospel in far off lands, later he would affirm that he had received a specific call to preach to the people of England. Saint Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionist Congregation, also had a great enthusiasm for the conversion of England.
He was received into the Congregation of the Passion in 1814 after the re-establishment of the religious orders in the Papal States. Initially Barberi was accepted as a lay brother, but once his extraordinary gifts were revealed his status was changed to that of a clerical novice, in an extraordinary break with custom. During his studies Dominic's brilliance was an example to his fellow students, though he would often take steps to hide his intelligence. He was ordained priest on 1 March 1818.
After completing the regular course of studies, he taught philosophy and theology to the students of the congregation as lector for a period of ten years, first in Sant'Angelo and then in Rome. It was during this time that he produced his many theological and philosophical works. In the summer of 1830 he was asked to aid an English convert to Catholicism, Sir Henry Trelawney, with regard to the rubrics of the Mass. Through this meeting Barberi made the acquaintance of Ignatius Spencer and influential English Catholics, such as Ambrose Phillips. This was to be the first step in the long journey which eventually brought Blessed Dominic to England. Through his continued correspondence with these persons Dominic's hopes for England's conversion were kept alive.
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