Michele Arcangelo Maria Antonio Vinti

After his ordination, the young priest was sent to exercise his ministry in his hometown of Grotte. However, economic tensions soon arose with the archpriest, who was experiencing serious financial difficulties in providing for a second curate. To appease the situation, the bishop decided to transfer Father Vinti to Cianciana as vice-parroco (curate). He remained there for seven months, fulfilling his duty with obedience and humility. At the end of this period, the bishop recalled him to Grotte to replace another priest. He was then appointed rector of the Carmine church (chiesa del Carmine) and coadjutor to the archpriest. Despite the latter's sometimes harsh and severe attitude toward him, Father Vinti demonstrated heroic obedience and constant respect for his superiors, refusing any recrimination. The heart of his pastoral work lay in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Father Vinti became a tireless confessor, spending very long hours each day in his confessional. He was always available, welcoming, affable, and smiling, becoming a true instrument of divine mercy for sinners. At the same time, he dedicated himself with zeal to preaching and catechesis, particularly among the children and young people of the parish. Of a particularly fragile physical constitution, he suffered from chronic anemia. Despite his failing health, he imposed upon himself harsh mortifications, fasting, and absolute voluntary poverty, frequently depriving himself of the bare necessities to help the most destitute. His health declined sharply starting in 1942. He passed away holily on August 17, 1943, in Grotte, at the age of 50, after 21 years of a priestly ministry entirely given to God and to souls.

From the moment of his death, a solid reputation for holiness (fama sanctitatis) spread not only in Grotte, but also in the surrounding municipalities. During his funeral, an immense crowd of all conditions came to pay him a final tribute; it is worth noting that even members of the local Protestant community, who deeply esteemed him for his charity, were among the first to accompany his remains to the cemetery. On November 7, 1970, responding to the ardent wishes of the population and his many devotees throughout the world, his mortal remains were solemnly transferred from the communal cemetery to the mother church (Santa Venera) of Grotte. They were placed in the Chapel of the Rosary, within a marble sarcophagus inaugurated and blessed the following year, in 1971. His birthplace, which remained a place of memory and reflection, was restored and officially inaugurated on January 19, 2004, to welcome pilgrims. The diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness was successfully carried out by the Diocese of Agrigento. In June 2020, the seals of the acts of the canonical process were officially lifted in Agrigento to allow the theologians of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome to continue the in-depth examination of the Positio.

On January 21, 2021, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Michele Arcangelo Maria Antonio Vinti, thereby officially declaring him Venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession by the Holy See is required. To this day, the cause is under investigation in Rome, supported by the prayers of the diocesan community of Agrigento and the association of the "Friends of Father Vinti."

The spirituality of the Venerable Michele Vinti is characterized by deep humility, constant union with the presence of God, and a passionate love for the crucified Christ and the Eucharist. He spent long hours in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, drawing from it the strength for his ministry. He had formulated his ideal of life in this intimate prayer, preserved by the postulation: « Come abbiamo bisogno di avere santi sacerdoti! Voglio essere un sacerdote santo, che sia puro, umile, povero di spirito, distaccato da ogni cosa. Gesù e Maria, custoditemi, salvatemi, fatemi santo sacerdote. » (How we need to have holy priests! I want to be a holy priest, who is pure, humble, poor in spirit, detached from everything. Jesus and Mary, guard me, save me, make me a holy priest.) He transmitted this demand for holiness to all those who approached him, often concluding his confessions with this simple and direct exhortation: « Become a saint » (Fatti santo). His legacy remains very much alive in Sicily. On July 9, 2022, on the occasion of the centenary of his priestly ordination, the Archbishop of Agrigento, Mgr. Alessandro Damiano, announced the creation of a permanent commission on the figures of holiness of the Church of Agrigento, citing Father Vinti as a priestly model par excellence. Furthermore, on May 19, 2023, a bronze statue in his likeness was inaugurated and blessed in the public square in Grotte, testifying to the affection and continuous devotion of the faithful toward this humble and merciful « good shepherd ».