Rodolfo Acquaviva

Rodolfo Acquaviva (* October 2, 1550 Atri, Italy, † July 25, 1583 at Cuncolim, Goa ) is a blessed of the Catholic Church. He was an Italian Jesuit missionary, who died a martyr in India.

As the son of the Duke of Atri, he took over in 1567 at the entrance of his uncle Claudio Acquaviva in the Society of Jesus whose function at the court of Pope Pius V., however, wanted to follow his uncle and, after two months of earnest entreaty of his father's consent. On April 2, 1568, he began his novitiate, first studied literature in Macerata, then philosophy and theology in Rome. Determined to missionary service in India, he received in 1578 in Lisbon, the ordination and achieved the same year Goa, where he first taught at the College of St. Paul and then together with another Jesuit to Fatehpur Sikri set off to the court of Akbar in February 1580 which interested for Christianity.

Because the rulers did not want to convert, the Jesuits returned in 1583 to Goa back to where Acquaviva was made the head of the missions on the Salsette Peninsula. In July he sailed together with Pietro Berno and three other Jesuits there and immediately began a visitation of the missions that took him to Cuncolim. When they arrived on 25 July, they were warned by a tribal leader about to enter the village, as it was in a turmoil due to internal disputes. While the Jesuits outside Cunculim waited for the situation calmed down, they were attacked and murdered by Hindu warriors.

On April 2, 1893, Acquaviva and Pietro Berno and four more with them slain Jesuits by Pope Leo XIII. beatified. Your feast day is February 4.

Claudio Acquaviva (1543-1625), the fifth Jesuit General, was the uncle of martyr ( his father's brother). Maternal uncle ( mother's brother ) was Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi ( 1500-1564 ). The late Rodolfo Acquaviva was also related to St. Aloysius Gonzaga; both descended from the same great- great-grandmother.