ST. NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINE, AUGUSTINIAN SAINT 1245 - 1305
Our sister province, The Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, Order of Augustinian Recollects, has begun celebrating a jubilee year for the 7th Centenary of the death of St. Nicholas of Tolentine (1305 - 2005).
On September 10th, 2004, St. Nicholas' Feast Day, our Order's General, Fr. Javier Guerra Ayala, OAR opened the year long celebration of St. Nicholas' life and death in the Church of St. Rita in Madrid. After the Eucharist celebration there was a visit to the crypt to view the paintings by Juan Barba on the life of St. Nicholas of Tolentine.
Then, on Sunday October 31st, our General Chapter (OAR) visited Tolentine, Italy where they celebrated Mass, venerated the remains of St. Nicholas and enjoyed the hospitality of the Augustinian (OSA) friars there.
St. Nicholas was born in 1245 in Sant' Angelo, Pontano, Macerata, Italy. He joined the Augustinian Order (OSA) as a young man. He was a simple priest that touched many people.
St. Nicholas was proclaimed the Patron Saint of Souls in Purgatory due to a dream he had of a dead Augustinian friar who requested him to pray for the many souls in purgatory. Nicholas did this for seven days. Nicholas again heard from the friar who thanked him and assured him many souls were with God Nicholas died in Tolentine, Italy September 10, 1305. He was canonized in 1446 by Pope Eugene IV. Nicholas was the first Augustinian friar to be canonized.
Locally, the Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentine administers Holy Family Church and St. Augustine Church, both in Union City, New Jersey and the nearby Hispanic Pastoral Institute of the Archdiocese of Newark(Centro Guadalupe) also in Union City. The Union City Recollects inaugurated this jubilee celebration with a Mass at 12:00 noon September 10th at Holy Family Church. The Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentine (OAR) will be celebrating this saint all year until the 700th anniversary of his death September 10, 2005. All our best wishes from Tagaste!
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