Blessed Dominic Barberi

Dominic Barberi, C.P. (22 June 1792 – 27 August 1849) was an Italian theologian and Passionist priest who was prominent in spreading Catholicism in England. He contributed to the conversion of John Henry Newman. In 1963, he was beatified by Pope Paul VI. Barberi was born Domenico Giovanni Barberi near Viterbo to a poor family of Italian farmers in 1792. His parents died in his early childhood, and he was raised by his maternal uncle, Bartolomeo Pacelli. As a boy, he was employed to take care of sheep. An elderly Capuchin priest taught him to read. Although he read all the books he could obtain, he had no regular education. When Napoleon suppressed the religious communities in the Papal States, Barberi became acquainted with several Passionists living in exile near his town. Barberi befriended these Passionists and served daily Mass with them. When Barberi was one of the few men in his locality not chosen for military conscription, he felt it was a sign from God that he should enter a religious community. Barberi believed that he was called to preach the Gospel in far-off lands. He would later affirm that he had received a specific call to preach to the people of England. Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionist Congregation, also had great enthusiasm for converting England. Barberi was received into the Congregation of the Passion in 1814 after the re-establishment of the religious orders in the Papal States. Initially, Barberi served as a lay brother, but once his extraordinary gifts were revealed his status was changed to that of a clerical novice, in an extraordinary break with custom. During his studies, Barberi's brilliance was an example to his fellow students, although he would often take steps to play down his intelligence. He was ordained a priest on 1 March 1818.