The Venerable Father Angelico Lipani
In this historical and social context, "emerges the image of a religious man who knew how and wanted to dare with the courage and novelty of the Spirit, often intent on exploring new paths, sometimes at the edge of what a certain Capuchin tradition handed down to him, capable of facing complex situations with commitment and charity, convinced he could justify and defend his choices." [1]
"A luminous spirituality and an engaging testimony of charity" allow us to understand Father Angelico as a "multifaceted figure":
- A protagonist in the history of southern Italian holiness;
- An itinerant contemplative;
- An apostle of charity (on the side of miners' children);
- A son of St. Francis (from a Masonic background);
- An active member of official committees for assisting families of injured miners;
- Humble; Master; Writer; Innovative; Educator.
- Many facets of a figure we are accustomed to seeing only through the prism of a "founder."
Caltanissetta is the heart of Sicily, small enough to keep its ancient cultural tradition alive, yet large enough to be considered a city looking forward. Looking back to Caltanissetta at the end of the 19th century, we find ourselves in Via Parrinello, now Via Mussomeli, where Vincenzo Lipani was born in 1842.
The Lipani family was not wealthy but lived comfortably. From a young age, Vincenzo expressed a clear desire: to become a Capuchin friar, following in the footsteps of his cousin who had joined the order in 1856. Pietro, one of Vincenzo's brothers, was already a priest but died very young from pneumonia, making it difficult for the parents to accept their youngest son's wish to embrace religious life.
Vincenzo was a determined young man; he wanted to become a Capuchin and felt that was his path. At 19, he left Caltanissetta and, with his parents' blessing, arrived in Palermo. His steadfastness in following the Lord convinced them not to hinder the divine plan God was weaving for their beloved Vincenzo.
In the Capuchin convent, he had his first encounter with Francis of Assisi. The communal life, structured by moments of prayer, work, and spiritual and religious formation, did not disappoint Vincenzo; on the contrary, it further strengthened his desire to become a friar. In October 1861, he was sent to Caccamo to begin his novitiate, complete his formation, and don the Franciscan habit. According to custom, he was given a new name to signify the start of a new life: Angelico, a name that indicated a life project—to live like an angel, to live as a tireless messenger of God's Word. That was, after all, the task of angels: to bring God's voice into the world.
Vincenzo had chosen a challenging name but had before him an example: a merchant's son who had given rise to one of the most important religious phenomena in history—that young man was Francis of Assisi.
In 1862, Angelico Lipani was in Palermo to complete his theological studies, and in 1863, he was admitted to solemn profession. But suddenly, the world seemed to collapse around him, and his plans were shattered. In 1866, there was the suppression of religious orders and the confiscation of their assets. The Mayor of Palermo ordered the communities to abandon the convents. It was a severe blow to the Church in Italy.
In 1872, when the storm of suppression passed, Angelico Lipani, in Caltanissetta, was appointed rector of a dilapidated little church dedicated to the Lord of the City. Today, the feast of the Lord of the City is the most heartfelt among the people of Caltanissetta. In this little church is the Black Crucifix, a small crucifix found between the 1300s and 1400s in a cave by some "Fogliamari." The church and the crucifix were for Father Angelico what the restoration of San Damiano was for Francis of Assisi.
Summarizing the life of an active and, in his own way, modern man like Father Angelico is not easy. Certainly, in Caltanissetta, his attention to the area's miners and their families caused a stir. Weeks and weeks spent in the bowels of the earth extracting sulphur, a grueling job with countless accidents. The miners who died on the job during those years were innumerable, often very young workers, the famous "carusi," boys aged 6-12, forced to descend into the earth's depths to help their families, who sold them for a bit of money but then lost track of them; even their names were replaced with nicknames.
Father Angelico found his field of apostolate here, caring for their souls but especially bringing them closer to faith. In the moment of tragedy, the collapse of the Gessolungo mine, he gave life to what would become the Institute of the Lord of the City.
Father Angelico was a learned priest but, above all, a prophet of charity. He knew how to blend his talents well and thus began to focus on the human and spiritual growth of the miners' orphans. From the beginning, he had chosen to make himself available to the poorest; it was an obligatory choice because he had decided to become a faithful disciple of St. Francis of Assisi.
Next to the Church of San Michele, Father Angelico built a Capuchin convent and, always following in St. Francis's footsteps, he established the Secular Franciscan Third Order in Caltanissetta.
His assistance activities grew, but so did the consensus and admiration around him. Many from Caltanissetta and beyond began to share his project of charity. But it was from this first intuition that an even more demanding one began to mature: to create a female religious institute where the sisters would be devoted, like him, to serving the people. Thus, the project for the foundation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Lord of the City began to take shape, it was 1885.
The first two cornerstones of the nascent religious institute were Giuseppina Ruvolo and Grazia Padano, who were full-time volunteers. Father Angelico oversaw their formation, and at the beginning of the new century, it was already a reality. Many years have passed since then; the mines are no longer there. In 1920, Father Angelico left earthly life to join that Jesus whom he had so loved and served in the little ones and the needy, leaving behind the fragrance of his holiness.
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[1] C. Naro, p. 23, 1996.
[2] C. Naro, p. 7, 1996.
