Feast: September 10th
Order: Hermits of St. Augustine
Early Life
St. Nicholas was born at Sant’Angelo in Pontano, in the Marches of Ancona, around the year 1245. His parents, Compagnonus and Amata, were long childless, and after many prayers at the shrine of St. Nicholas of Myra, they were granted a son. In gratitude, they named him Nicholas. From childhood, he showed a remarkable inclination toward prayer, mortification, and works of charity.
Entrance into Religious Life
At the age of 18, Nicholas was received into the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, newly founded in those days. He was trained in the strict observance of religious life, cultivating a spirit of obedience, humility, and austerity. After his ordination to the priesthood, he dedicated himself to a life of hidden holiness, preaching with great simplicity and living in continual prayer and fasting.
Apostolic Zeal
Assigned to various convents, Nicholas eventually settled at Tolentino, where he remained for the last thirty years of his life. There he became renowned for his gentleness of speech, his zeal for the salvation of souls, and his austerities. He was especially devoted to the Poor Souls in Purgatory: many times he was visited by them in visions, imploring his prayers and sacrifices. His devotion gave rise to the tradition of the “Panis Sancti Nicolai” (St. Nicholas’ blessed bread), small loaves distributed to the faithful and the poor in his memory.
Miracles
Nicholas was favored with many heavenly gifts:
- He healed the sick with the Sign of the Cross.
- He multiplied bread for the poor.
- He prophesied events, including the great victory of Christian forces over Saracens in Sicily.
- Countless souls in purgatory appeared to him, released by his Masses and prayers.
Death and Cult
After long years of penance and charity, Nicholas fell ill and bore his sufferings with angelic patience. He died on 10 September 1305, at the age of sixty. His tomb in Tolentino soon became a place of pilgrimage, marked by many miracles. Pope Eugene IV canonized him in 1446.
Legacy
St. Nicholas of Tolentino is venerated as:
- Patron of the Souls in Purgatory
- A model of Apostolic gentleness united with penitential austerity
- An intercessor for the poor and suffering
📖 From the Roman Breviary (Matins, Sept. 10th):
Nicholas, of the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, was born at Sant’Angelo in the Marches. From his tender years he gave clear tokens of sanctity, leading a life of innocence, penance, and prayer. Ordained priest, he burned with zeal for the salvation of souls, and converted many by his preaching and example. He was especially devoted to the relief of the souls in purgatory. He was adorned with heavenly gifts, and often consoled with visions of the Blessed Virgin and the saints. Worn out with labors and fasts, he rested in the Lord at Tolentino, famous for his miracles, in the year of salvation 1305.