Before he was 40 years old, St. Anthony Gianelli was a sought-after priest for his preaching and Confessions, and had established two new religious orders.

He was born in 1789 in Italy to middle-class parents. He was a smart boy who was diligent and kind. A benefactor paid for him to pursue an education at a seminary in Genoa. As a seminarian, he so impressed his superiors that they gave him permission to preach, and soon great crowds were gathering to hear him. With a special dispensation because of his age, he was ordained a priest in 1812.

As a priest, he traveled to give missions to other parishes, and it is said that he was in constant demand as a confessor. Soon he gathered other priests into a community in order to organize their missionary work and named the group after St. Alphonsus Liguori. He also established a community for women to teach poor children and tend to the sick.

In 1838, Anthony was appointed bishop of a region in Italy, and he died at a young age just eight years later. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

St. Anthony Gianelli, you were the sought-after priest whose short life led many to renew their faith, pray for us!