Nunzio Sulprizio

Nunzio's fragile constitution did not withstand this inhumane treatment for long. During the harsh winter of 1831, his uncle sent him to carry a heavy load of wrought iron on the slopes of Rocca Tagliata. Exhausted and frozen, the young boy returned in the evening with a high fever and a severely swollen leg. No longer able to work at the forge, he suffered further violence from his uncle. His leg wound, neglected and untreated, turned into gangrene and then bone tuberculosis. Having become an invalid, he was nicknamed by his companions "the little lame saint".

Faced with this dramatic situation, a neighbor alerted a paternal uncle of Nunzio, Francesco Sulprizio, a soldier stationed in Naples. In the summer of 1832, the latter brought the young man to Naples and introduced him to Colonel Felice Wochinger, an officer of the Bourbon army known for his great piety and charity towards the poor. Touched by Nunzio's distress and gentleness, the colonel took him under his protection and welcomed him into his home at Castel Nuovo starting in April 1834. A deep filial relationship was established between them: Nunzio called the colonel "my papa" and the latter considered him his own son.

Colonel Wochinger had Nunzio hospitalized at the Hospital of the Incurables in Naples to receive care. Despite intense physical suffering, Nunzio distinguished himself by his heroic patience and constant joy. He spent his days consoling other patients, serving them, and teaching the catechism to the hospitalized children. It was during this time that he met the priest Gaetano Errico (future saint and founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary), who, struck by his holiness, promised to welcome him as the first member of his congregation as soon as it was officially established. However, Nunzio's health declined rapidly. He passed away holily on May 5, 1836, in Naples, at the age of 19.

From the moment of his death, the reputation of Nunzio Sulprizio's holiness spread widely. It is reported that a scent of roses emanated from his body, which had been disfigured by illness but had regained an appearance of freshness and beauty. His remains were exposed for five days to the veneration of the faithful before being buried in the church of San Domenico Soriano in Naples, which quickly became a place of pilgrimage.

The process for his canonization was opened shortly after his death. On July 9, 1859, Pope Pius IX introduced his cause for beatification (which then conferred upon him the title of venerable). It was later Pope Leo XIII who promulgated the decree officially recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues on June 21, 1891, before proposing the young layman as a model of holiness for young workers, comparing him to Saint Aloysius Gonzaga because of his early piety and the brevity of his earthly life.

Nunzio Sulprizio was beatified on December 1, 1963, by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This solemn celebration took place in the presence of all the bishops of the world gathered for the Second Vatican Council. Pope Paul VI then presented him as the model par excellence for young people and workers, emphasizing that holiness is fully accessible to the working youth.

On June 8, 2018, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing a second miracle attributed to his intercession. This miracle concerns the unexplained healing of a young man from Taranto, who had fallen into a coma following a serious motorcycle accident and woke up after his parents placed a relic of Nunzio under his pillow and rubbed him with water from the sanctuary of Pescosansonesco.

Nunzio Sulprizio was canonized on October 14, 2018, by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square in Rome. This historic canonization took place during the Synod of Bishops on young people, faith, and vocational discernment. Remarkably, he was raised to the glory of the altars on the same day as Pope Paul VI, who had beatified him fifty-five years earlier.

The spirituality of Nunzio Sulprizio is based on the loving acceptance and offering of suffering in union with the crucified Christ. Far from sinking into revolt or bitterness in the face of injustice and illness, he transformed his trials into a path of configuration to Jesus. His words, reported by his contemporaries, testify to this deep mystical union: "Jesus suffered so much for me. Why should I not suffer for him?" or "I would like to die to convert a single sinner."

He nurtured a fervent devotion to the Eucharist and to the Virgin Mary, particularly under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows. His attitude in the hospital, characterized by constant concern for other patients and evangelization by example, shows that his faith was translated into active and joyful charity.

Saint Nunzio Sulprizio is today invoked as the patron saint of apprentices, blacksmiths, workers, and people who are disabled or sick. His legacy remains a message of hope for contemporary youth, proving that a short life, marked by poverty and physical suffering, can reach the heights of Christian holiness.