St. Nicholas of Tolentino

St. Nicholas of Tolentino (c. 1245–1305) was an Italian Augustinian friar, mystic, and the first canonized saint of the Augustinian Order. Known as the "Patron of Holy Souls," he dedicated his life to prayer for the souls in Purgatory after receiving a vision of a deceased friar who asked him to celebrate Masses for their relief. Born in Sant'Angelo in Pontano to elderly parents who had prayed at the shrine of St. Nicholas of Myra for a child, he entered the Augustinian Order at eighteen after hearing a sermon on the words "Love not the world or the things of the world." Ordained around 1270, he was sent to Tolentino in 1274, where he spent the remaining thirty years of his life ministering to the sick, the poor, and prisoners. Nicholas was renowned as a wonderworker. When gravely ill from his austere penances, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him with Saints Augustine and Monica, instructing him to eat bread dipped in water. Immediately healed, he began distributing this blessed bread—the *panini benedetti*—to the sick, through which countless healings were reported. The tradition continues at Augustinian churches worldwide. He died on September 10, 1305, and Pope Eugene IV canonized him in 1446 after verifying over 300 miracles—including reports of raising more than 100 children from the dead. His incorrupt body rests in the Basilica di San Nicola in Tolentino, where his relics—particularly his arms—have been venerated since his death. Pope Leo XIII declared him patron of the souls in Purgatory in 1884. **Feast Day:** September 10