The Feast of Saint Antoninus of Florence

Saint Antoninus of Florence
Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Stained Glass Window from Saint Dominic’s Church in Washington, D.C.

Today, May 10th, is the feast of St. Antoninus, a Dominican friar & Archbishop.

Consecrated as Archbishop of Florence in 1446, St Antoninus immediately embarked on a steady program of reform marked by the austere simplicity of his own lifestyle as Archbishop, and by his constant concern for the poor. To mitigate the wide-spread misery caused by the taxes of the Medici, St Antoninus established a lay society, known as the ‘Good Men of St Martin’, who systematically sought out the poor and gave assistance to them.

The plague hit Florence in 1448 and 1449. Then an earthquake shook it in 1453, followed by a cyclone in 1456, and then a famine! St Antoninus was frequently seen with his mule loaded with emergency supplies, going through the streets of the city to help those in both material and spiritual need, bringing relief supplies and the succour of the sacraments.

Photo & Description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Stained Glass Window from Saint Dominic’s Church in Washington, D.C.

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The Dominican friars are called to preach the Gospel in every age and in every place it is needed. Through preaching, teaching, pastoral ministry, and the formation of new friars, they work to bring the truth of Christ to a world searching for meaning and hope.

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