Blessed Stephen Bellesini
![[painting of Blessed Stephen]](saints56.jpg "6kb jpg painting of Blessed Stephen praying before the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, artist unknown; if you have information on this image, please email me; please do not write to ask about the image")
- Also known as
- Aloysius Bellesini
- Memorial
- 2 February
- Profile
- Italian nobility.
Augustinian hermit in 1790 at age 16 at the monastery of Saint Mark in Venice, taking the name Stephen; made his profession on 31 May 1794.
Studied in Rome and Bologna.
During the French Revolution, troops shut down houses in the region, and dissolved the Augustinians; this ended to Stephen's studies, and left him without his religious community.
Devoted himself to preaching and religious education for children.
Organized a free school for poor children at Trentino.
It was called La Scola per gnent (The School for Nothing), and had nearly 500 students and several lay teachers.
His work impressed the governors of Trent, and they appointed him inspectors of the province's schools.
When the Augustinians were restored, Stephen return to religious life.
Novice master at Rome and Citta delle Pieve.
Parish priest in 1831 at Genazzano, site of the shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Devoted to his parishioners, he made endless sick calls, working with victims of a cholera epidemic in 1840 until contracting the disease himself.
- Born
- 25 November 1774 at Trent, Italy as Aloysius Bellesini
- Died
- 2 February 1840 of cholera at Gennazzano, Italy
- Venerated
- 14 May 1896
- Beatified
- 27 December 1904 by Pope Pius X
- Canonized
- pending;
if you have information relevant to the canonization of Blessed Stephen, contact:
Santuario Maria Ssma. del Buen Consiglio
00030 Genazzano, ITALY
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