May 8, 2024 | Optional Memorial
Bl. Àloysius Rabatà, priest
Information about the Blessed comes from witness statements gathered for the Acts of the 1533 diocesan process for the beatification of Aloysius Rabatà. The Acts do contain, as expected, details about his character, the works he performed, and his death as well as his physical appearance and his eating habits. Five out of eleven witness knew the Blessed personally, so the information is considered quite accurate. Later hagiographies merely repeat that information and give other details that are less cetain to be accurate.
Reading the various testimonies in the Acts of 1533 makes it clear Luigi Rabatà was considered an extremely virtuous man and a saint already during his life. Indeed, there are many references to his “sanctity” and his life filled with the practices of fasting and works of charity.
In 1756 the General Chapter of the Order decreed that the approval of his cult "ab immemorabili" be sought. This was granted on December 10, 1841, by Pope Gregory XVI.
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From the book by Marco Papasidero, "A Laudi Deu." Luigi Rabatà tra storia, memoria e pratiche devozionali. (Edizioni Carmelitane, 2019) €14.00
