Saint Paul of the Cross, the young man who founded the Passionists, a life dedicated completely to God

Paolo Danei, known as Paul of the Cross, was born on January 3, 1694 in Ovada, Italy, to a family of merchants. Paolo was a man of strong and sensitive character. Growing up in a large family, he learned the value of serenity and the power to inspire others around him.

When he finished twenty years, Paul had an intense interior experience that made him truly understand God as love and mercy. This experience marked the beginning of a profound transformation, which led him to give up ainheritance and the possibility of a convenient marriage. Instead she heard the call to found a congregation that focused on the memory of Christ's passion, the greatest example of God's love for humanity.

After consulting the bishop of Alexandria, Paul retreated to the church of San Carlo di Castellazzo for forty days. During this time, he composed a spiritual journal to share his experiences and wrote a rule for the congregation he had in mind. Later, Paul understood Jesus as a gift from the Father and he committed himself to living the memory of the Passion of Christ and spreading it among people through his life and his apostolate.

Paul of the cross founds the Passionist community

In 1737, he founded a Passionist community on the Monte Argentario, in which the religious had to live in solitude to promote prayer and the study. The Congregational Rule combined rigorous spiritual practice with the exercise of charity through preaching and missions.

In the following years, Paolo continued his itinerant mission, always helping people in need from a religious and spiritual point of view.

Paul of the Cross he died in Rome on 18 October 1775. At his death, the Passionist congregation numbered twelve convents and 176 religious. After the crisis of the Napoleonic period, the Passionists expanded in Italy and Europe, dedicating themselves to intense missionary activity. Paul was beatified on 2 August 1852 and canonized on 29 June 1867.