These words of Bishop Francis Venturi (Rome 1629) refer to St. Andrew Corsini. He lived the words of Jesus in an exemplary way: "Inasmuch as you did it to the least of my brothers, you did it to me."
St. Andrew was born in Florence around 1300 as one of twelve children of Niccolò Corsini and his wife Gemma. He was probably of noble birth and as a young man, like his peers, is said to have cultivated a very worldly lifestyle.
However, the warnings of his pious mother caused him to change his mind and Andrea entered the Carmel of his hometown. The date of his profession is unknown, as is the date of his ordination as a priest. In 1338, he is mentioned as a member of the convent in Florence, which at the time comprised fifty-two religious. In 1348, the year of the plague, the General Chapter of the Order in Metz elected him the first provincial of Tuscany.
On October 13 of the following year, Pope Clement VI appointed him Bishop of Fiesole near Florence. According to legend, the Mother of God appeared to Andrew and made him promise to accept the office of bishop. During his first holy mass, the young Carmelite is also said to have had a vision of the Madonna, as indicated by a marble relief in the Corsini Chapel of the Carmelite Church in Florence by G. B. Foggini from the 17th century.
He led his diocese with prudence and zeal. He was a true shepherd of his flock, which flourished under him. He had churches and monasteries renovated, endeavored to restore and embellish the cathedral, which was threatened by collapse, built apartments for the canons and repaired the bishop's house.
But he was not only concerned with external renewal. He strove to settle disputes between the citizens and often pointed out in his sermons the need for good neighborly coexistence and the obligation to Christian charity. People from near and far flocked to hear his words, not only because he was a good preacher, but also because he had a reputation for holiness. He admonished the clergy of his diocese to carry out their official duties, for there was much that was amiss. Andrew was not afraid to remove those unworthy of their office.
He also set himself this strict standard for an exemplary lifestyle: extreme frugality and modesty were a matter of course for him, and even in old age he practiced an ascetic lifestyle despite his sickliness. He was particularly fond of the poor, none of whom ever went away without a gift. The bishop often sat at the gate of his house and handed out bread himself. Not only the people in his diocese experienced his willingness to help, but also the inhabitants of his hometown and its surroundings, where he provided the needy with grain and clothing in particular. Andrew thus embodied the ideal of Christian poverty and testified to a deep faith that was not exhausted in words, but came alive in good deeds.
Andrea Corsini died on January 6, 1374, and was buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Carmine, the Carmelite church in Florence, in the so-called Corsini Chapel. His corpse has still not yet been buried.
Pope Eugene IV permitted his public veneration as early as 1440, following the victory of the Florentines at Angiari. Andrew is said to have appeared to the Florentine troops at the time and promised them victory. Corsini has been listed in the Carmelite Breviary since 1462. He was canonized on 29 April 1629.
In 1734, Pope Clement XII (Corsini) built a chapel in S. Giovanni in the Lateran in Rome in honor of the saint, which has since become world-famous. Scenes from the life of the saint are reproduced in marble.
The Carmelite bishop is usually depicted with a wolf or lamb or both, which probably goes back to a legend according to which Andrew was once in danger of being attacked by a wolf. The Mother of God then transformed the wolf into a lamb in order to save him. Another legend tells of Mary announcing the bishop's imminent death on the Christmas Night of 1374 and leading him to God on the night before Epiphany, as the star once led the Magi. A miraculous scent was said to have emanated from his corpse, which healed the sick.
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