Saint Thomas of Villanova | |
|---|---|
 Old master print of St. Thomas inPortraits of Illustrious Spaniards (Madrid, 1791) | |
| Religious, bishop and confessor | |
| Born | Tomás García y Martínez 1488 inVillanueva de los Infantes, Ciudad Real, Spain |
| Died | September 8, 1555 inValencia, Spain |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | October 7, 1618 byPope Paul V |
| Canonized | November 1, 1658 byPope Alexander VII |
| Feast | September 22 |
| Attributes | A bishop distributing alms to the poor |
| Patronage | Danao,Cebu Santolan,Pasig Alimodian andMiag-ao inIloilo Dao,Capiz Villanova University |
Thomas of Villanova, OSA (1488 – September 8, 1555), bornTomás García y Martínez, was aSpanishfriar of theOrder of Saint Augustine who was a noted preacher,ascetic and religious writer of his day. He became an archbishop who was famous for the extent of his care for the poor of his see.
He was born Tomás García y Martínez inFuenllana, Spain, in 1488.[1] His father was a miller,[2] who regularly distributed food and provisions to the poor, as did his mother.[3] He grew up and was educated inVillanueva de los Infantes, in theProvince of Ciudad Real, Spain, therefore the nameThomas of Villanueva. Part of the original house still stands, with a coat of arms in the corner, beside a family chapel. In spite of his family's wealth, as a young boy he often went about naked because he had given his clothing to the poor.
At the age of sixteen years, Thomas entered theUniversity of Alcalá de Henares to study Arts and Theology. He became a professor there, teaching arts, logic, and philosophy, despite a continuing absentmindedness and poor memory.[4] In 1516, he decided to join the Augustinian friars inSalamanca and in 1518 was ordained a priest.
He became renowned for his eloquent and effective preaching in the churches of Salamanca.[3] Thomas composed beautiful sermons, among which stands out theSermon on the Love of God, one of the great examples of sacred oratory of the 16th century.Charles V, upon hearing him preach, exclaimed, "Thismonsignor can move even the stones!".[citation needed] Charles named Thomas one of his councilors of state and court preacher in Valladolid, the residence of theEmperor when on his visits to theLow Countries.[1]
His scathing attacks on his fellow bishops earned him the title of reformer.[2] Some of his sermons attacked the cruelty ofbullfighting. He also had a great devotion to theVirgin Mary, whose heart he compared to theburning bush ofMoses that is never consumed.
Within the Order, he successively held the positions ofprior of his local monastery,Visitor General, and PriorProvincial forAndalusia andCastile. In 1533, Thomas sent out the first Augustinian friars to arrive inMexico.[1] Charles V offered him the post ofArchbishop of Granada but he would not accept it.
In 1544 he was nominated as Archbishop ofValencia and he continued to refuse the position until ordered to accept by his superior. Given a donation to decorate his residence, he sent the money to a hospital in need of repair.[3] He began his episcopacy by visiting every parish in the Archdiocese to discover what the needs of the people were.[5] Aided by his assistant bishop, Juan Segriá, he put in order an archdiocese that for a century had not had direct pastoral government. He organized a special college forMoorish converts, and in particular an effective plan for social assistance, welfare, and charity.In 1547 he ordained as a priestLuis Beltrán, a noted missionary in South America. Thomas started Presentation Seminary in 1550.[5]
He was well known for his great personal austerity (he sold the straw mattress on which he slept in order to give money to the poor) and wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate, mending it himself.[4] Thomas was known as “father of the poor.”[2] His continual charitable efforts were untiring, especially towards orphans, poor women without a dowry, and the sick. He possessed, however, an intelligent notion of charity, so that while he was very charitable, he sought to obtain definitive and structural solutions to the problem of poverty; for example, giving work to the poor, thereby making his charity bear fruit. "Charity is not just giving, rather removing the need of those who receive charity and liberating them from it when possible," he wrote. He established boarding schools and high schools.[6]
Thomas died in Valencia on September 8, 1555, ofangina at the age of 67. His remains are preserved at the Cathedral there.[5]
He wascanonized byPope Alexander VII on November 1, 1658.[7][4] Hisfeast day is celebrated on September 22.
Thomas is the author of variousTracts, among which is included theSoliloquy between God and the soul, on the topic of communion.Francisco de Quevedo wrote his biography. His complete writings were published in six volumes asOpera omnia, inManila in 1881.
Thomas is thenamesake andpatron saint ofVillanova University, nearPhiladelphia in the United States, which was founded and is administered by the friars of his Order;Universidad Católica de Santo Tomás de Villanueva inHavana,Cuba;St. Thomas University inMiami Gardens,Florida, US; andVillanova College, a Catholic school for boys located inBrisbane,Australia.
In the Philippines, some churches and towns are dedicated in honor of the saint with grand celebrations on his feast day, preceded by nine-day novenaMasses. He is the patron saint of the towns ofAlimodian andMiag-ao inIloilo, Santolan and Sto. Tomas inPasig, and Pitpitan inBulakan, Bulacan.
A congregation of sisters is also named after him.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Valencia 1544–1555 | Succeeded by |
