Antonio Augusto Intreccialagli

After his priestly ordination, Father Antonio of Jesus exercised various responsibilities within his order. In 1885, he was elected prior of the convent of Santa Maria della Scala in Rome, a position he held for six years. He was subsequently elected provincial superior of the Roman province of the Discalced Carmelites three times (in 1891, 1897, and 1903). During his terms, he zealously endeavored to restore regular discipline and revitalize religious communities that had been severely tested by state spoliations.

His eminent human and spiritual qualities led the Holy See to entrust him with missions of confidence. In 1896, he was appointed a consultor to the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. He was also sent as an apostolic visitor to several religious institutes in crisis, notably the Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians and Salvatorian Sisters).

On July 24, 1907, Pope Saint Pius X appointed him Bishop of Caltanissetta, in Sicily. Msgr. Intreccialagli accepted this charge only out of pure obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff. He received episcopal consecration on July 28, 1907, at the hands of Cardinal Girolamo Maria Gotti. Warmly welcomed by the Sicilian people, he deployed intense pastoral activity: he completed the construction of the diocesan seminary, inaugurated in 1912, and dedicated himself to the spiritual direction of numerous laypeople, among whom were figures of high spirituality such as Marianna Amico Roxas and Antonietta Mazzone.

In 1911, due to the advanced age of the Archbishop of Monreale, Msgr. Domenico Gaspare Lancia di Brolo, Pope Pius X appointed him apostolic administrator of that diocese. On March 16, 1914, he was named titular Archbishop of Serdica and coadjutor of Monreale with the right of succession, obliging him to divide his time between Caltanissetta and Monreale. He officially succeeded to the head of the Archdiocese of Monreale on July 31, 1919.

It was in Monreale that he actively supported the Venerable Margherita Diomira Crispi in the foundation of the Congregation of the Oblate Sisters of Divine Love (Oblate del Divino Amore). Faced with strong local opposition, Msgr. Intreccialagli welcomed the foundress and her first companions, first assigning them premises near the church of San Castrense, and then at the "Badiella" monastery, which became the motherhouse of the institute officially established on January 17, 1923.

Nicknamed during his lifetime "the holy bishop" by his faithful, Msgr. Intreccialagli led an existence of absolute evangelical poverty, spending long hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and exhausting himself without measure for the poor and the sick. His final years were darkened by severe physical and moral suffering, notably slanders and defamation campaigns that he endured with a profound spirit of forgiveness and abandonment to the divine will.

He died holily in Monreale on September 19, 1924, at the age of 72. His solemn funeral bore witness to the popular fervor and the affection of all of Sicily for its pastor. Initially buried in the Monreale cemetery, his body was found intact during his exhumation and was solemnly transferred on January 27, 1936, to the Cathedral of Monreale (Duomo), where he now rests in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

The reputation for holiness of Msgr. Intreccialagli led to the opening of his cause for beatification and canonization in 1952. The diocesan informative process took place in Monreale from 1952 to 1954.

After the examination of his life and writings by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues on January 22, 1991, thus proclaiming him "Venerable." The cause is currently ongoing, awaiting the recognition of a miracle to pave the way for his beatification.

The spirituality of Antonio Augusto Intreccialagli is deeply marked by the charism of the Teresian Carmel: a life of contemplative prayer, intimacy with Christ, and detachment, lived at the heart of a demanding pastoral ministry. He knew how to combine the rigor of religious life with the gentleness and closeness of a pastor of souls.

His spiritual and apostolic legacy continues today through the Congregation of the Religious Oblates of Divine Love, which he co-founded and which is present today in Italy, North America, Central America, and South America, working primarily in the education of youth and social assistance. His memory also remains very alive in the dioceses of Caltanissetta and Monreale, where he is still venerated as a model of episcopal holiness.