St. Benedict the Black Biography
St. Benedict the Black Profile. Born: 1526 in Italy, Europe. Worked in Sicily. Died: 1589 in Italy. Feast Day is celebrated on April 4.
St. Benedict the Black Biography, Feast Day, Date of Birth, Country of Birth, Profession, Place of Work, Date of Death, Place of Death, Beatification Date, Canonization Date |
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| Date of Birth | 1526 |
|---|---|
| Country of Birth | Italy of Europe |
| Matrimony/Holy Orders | Saints who were Married |
| Profession | Missionary |
| Place of Work | Sicily |
| Date of Death | 1589 |
| Place of Death | Italy |
| Feast Day | April 4 |
| Beatification | Beatified by Pope Benedict XIV on May 15 1743 |
| Canonization | Canonized by Pope Pius VIII on May 24 1807 |
| Patron Saint of | 1 Black people 2 African-Americans 3 African missions 4 Negroes 5 Palermo, Sicily, Italy 6 Additional Information |
Saint’s Biography
Saint Benedict the Black was born around 1526 in Sicily in Italy. His parents Cristoforo Manassari and Diana Larcari were African slaves from Ethiopia who belonged to a landowner called Manassari. Benedict did not get any schooling and could not read and write. He continued as a day worker after he had been free. He was often mocked for his skin color and for the fact that his parents had been slaves.
At 21, a young man named Hieronymus Lanza who was the leader of a group of Franciscan hermits noticed him. Convinced that Benedict had all the conditions to become a monk, so he invited him to join the group. Benedict accepted the invitation and moved to the hermit group at Montepellegrino. When Lanza died, the hermits chose Benedict as the new leader, even though he could neither read nor write.
St. Benedict the Black Death
He died on April 4, 1589, in the Palermo monastery after a brief illness, about 63 years old. His remains were reported decomposed when exhumed several years later
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