On a day like today, 23 years ago, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Benedict Menni a saint. The celebration of the canonisation of our foundation is a very special moment to remember his extraordinary figure of inexhaustible charity and exceptional leadership.
St. Benedict Menni knew how to communicate God’s love to all men and women, especially to those who needed it most, the people vulnerable to the world of mental suffering.
Today we remember him with special affection and ask him to intercede for the entire Hospitaller Family and to continue to accompany us in our Mission.
This love of charity knows no limits and knows not when to say stop. This love wishes to fly from one place to another and wrap its arms around the entire planet
St. Benedict Menni (1841-1914)
St. Benedict Menni
Benedict Menni entered the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God in 1860. Subsequently, he changed his baptismal name Angel Hercules to Benedict.
He studied philosophy and theology, first in the Seminary of Lodi and then in the Roman College (Gregorian Pontifical University of Rome). He became priest in 1866 and, after that, Pope Pius IX entrusted him with the complex mission of restoring the extinct Hospitaller Order in Spain. Once the Order was restored in Spain, there followed similar restorations in Portugal at the end of the 19th century and in Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century.
Benedict Menni was a man of inexhaustible charity with exceptional leadership skills. Above all, during his life he created 22 large centres, including homes for people in need, and general and psychiatric hospitals. His remains are in the Mother House in Ciempozuelos, Spain.