Annibale Maria Di Francia

Annibale Maria Di Francia ( born July 5, 1851 in Messina, Italy, † July 1, 1927 in Messina ) was an Italian priest, religious founder and saint.

Life

Annibale, whose father died when he was little more than a year old entered, seven -year in the College of the Cistercians and was ordained a priest in 1878. He then devoted himself passionately to people in the slums " Avignon " on the edge of Messina in 1882 and called an orphanage in life. In 1887 he founded the " Congregation of the Sacred Heart " and 1897 the Order of " Rogationists ," the 1926 papal recognition. Today, both religious communities are united in the " Congregation of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus and the Rogationists ".

Annibale was beatified in 1990 and canonized in 2004 by Pope John Paul II. His feast day in the liturgy is June 1.