Saints and Blessed of Farfa
During the long history of the Abbey of Farfa divine Grace has always helped men when they was in trouble. This story began with Saint Lorenzo Siro, who is traditionally identified as the "founder of Farfa."
Saint Lowrece Siro (V-VI century)
St. Lorenzo came to Italy from Syria in V century, during the persecutions of the Arian heretics. After the evangelization of Umbria and Sabina, he became a bishop. Operò molti miracoli e fu detto il "Santo Illuminatore" perché restituì la vista agli occhi privi di luce e alle menti accecate. He accomplished many miracles and was told the "Enlighter Saint" because he brought sight back restored to blinded eyes and minds. Lorenzo died after a holy life, leaving an eternal memory. La sua fama e quella del His reputation and that of the monastery he founded spreaded and Farfa became an important center of Christianity. After some time the sanctuary was destroyed by barbarians, but the Holy Virgin did not abandon her home and appeared in a vision to a man chosen by God as an instrument of His grace. He was a holy priest.
Saint Thommas from Morienna (650 - 720)
Thomas was born in Savoy and he had gone to the Holy Land to venerate the Holy Sepulchre, deciding to remain in Jerusalem. Once he was praying at tomb of Christ, grieved, when, suddenly, the Holy Virgin appeared and told him to return to Italy and to look for the Sabine basilica dedicated to her:. She said that he wuold have stopped there and spent the rest of his life serving God. Thomas obeyed, found the place indicated ("Iste est locus quem tibi promiseram ") and restored the monastic life in Farfa, gathering other disciples. Therefore he is considered the second founder of Farfa. Starting from there three monk went to Isernia to build the largest monastery in Europe "Saint Vincenzo al Volturno" (Isernia) with over nine hundred monks.
Blessed Placido Riccardi (1844 - 1915)
He was born on 24 june 1844 in Trevi(Umbria). Blessed Placido was rector of the Marian Basilica in Farfa for twenty years. His life was holy and rigid. After the events occurred in 1912, due to which Farfa risked to become empty, he prayed fervently for the Abbey to be repopulated. His desire became true five years after his death in 1915 in Rome. In fact, in March 15, 1920, anniversary of his death, nine monks, with the blessing of the Holy Father, crossed the threshold of the abbey, giving rise to the celebration of the monastic hours Even today, in the era of the greatest technological civilization, forests, water sources, all the pleasant countryside around the Abbey of Farfa, are surrounded by his precious scent He was blessed in 1954 by Pope Pio XII.
Blessed Ildefonso Schuster (1880 - 1954)
Alfredo Schuster was born on 18 january 1880 in Rome, son of Giovanni e Maria Anna Tutzer. In 1891 he become student at the Abbey of St. Paolo, where on 12 november 1898 he begun his novitiate with the name of Ildefonso, mading the first vows ion 13 november 1899 and the definitive ones on 13 november 1902. He was ordained priest on 19 March 1904 in the Lateran Basilica In 1908 he was Master of Novices in 1915 Prior and in 1918 Abbot of S. Paolo On 15 march 1920 he sent nine monks to Farfa from S. Paolo. Pope Pio XI made him cardinal and on 21 july 1929 consecrated him archbishop of Milan, where he was a good shepherd , father and teacher of the Ambrosian Church until his death (Venegono August 30, 1954). On 12 may 1996, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him Blessed