St Andrew Avellino

Andrew Avellino was born at Castronuovo in the Kingdom of Naples and first trained in law before becoming a priest. The turning point of his life came when, serving in an ecclesiastical lawsuit, he discovered how easily ambition and self-protection could enter even church work. A lie that escaped his lips struck him deeply, and he resolved to belong wholly to God. He entered the Theatines, took up a life of austerity and prayer, and became known less for outward brilliance than for uncompromising seriousness about holiness.

He preached in Naples, guided souls in confession, trained novices, and helped reform houses at Milan and Piacenza. Again and again the pattern was the same: he first corrected himself, then helped correct the life of others. Even his death belongs to that priestly picture. In 1608 he collapsed at the altar as Mass was beginning, worn out in the service of God after a life spent fighting sin first in himself and then in the world around him.