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Blessed William Gnoffi

Blessed William Gnoffi Also known as

Guglielmo Gnoffi

16 April

Profile

Born to the Sicilian nobility, William early felt a call to religion, possibly in response to briefly giving himself over to the sins of the flesh as a teenager, and at age 15 he fled the family estate to live as a hermit in the caves near the ruins of the monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian. He was never affiliated with any Order or Congregation, but his penance and holiness attracted many would-be spiritual students. He survived on alms, preached in the streets, and received multiple visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At age 20 he built a small church and lived near it for eleven years. He then moved to Castelbuono, Italy where, with the help of Count Alduiono Ventimiglia of Geraci, he built the church of Santa Maria del Parto, and spent the rest of his life in a hermitage near the church. He was known in the region for his holiness, and as a miracle worker.

Born

1256 at Polizzi Generosa, Palermo, Italy

Died

16 April 1317 at Castelbuono, Palermo, Italy of natural causes
re-buried at the Santa Maria del Parto abbey in Castelbuono
relics placed in a silver urn and enshrined in the Matrice Nuova church at the Santa Maria del Parto abbey in 1500
the relics are carried in procession each year at the memorial of Saint Anne