Faithful on their way to celebrate the memory of the saint on the anniversary of his passing
A pilgrimage was organized from Matera to the Pulsano Abbey in Manfredonia on the occasion of the 885th anniversary of the death of Saint John of Matera, with the participation of numerous faithful.
On June 15, a group of faithful from Matera participated in a pilgrimage to the Pulsano Abbey in Manfredonia (province of Foggia, Puglia), to honor the places where St. John of Matera lived. Despite being paradoxically little known in his native land, Saint John of Matera is one of the 300 most venerated saints in Italy according to a survey by the CEI. Born into a wealthy family in the 11th century, he renounced his possessions to embrace monastic life, becoming a precursor of Saint Francis.
Saint John of Matera developed his apostolic action along the Ionian arc, from Taranto to Calabria up to Sicily. Having settled in Ginosa, then part of the territory of Matera, he worked between Bari and Foggia. On the Gargano, at the Monastery of Pulsano di Manfredonia, he founded the Congregation of the Pulsanesi Hermits, also known as the Scalzi, which aimed to live the Rule of Saint Benedict in an even more rigorous way.
On the occasion of the 885th anniversary of the death of Saint John of Matera (1139-2024), the Amici Pro San Giovanni da Matera Association organized a pilgrimage which saw the participation of a large community of faithful. The pilgrims were welcomed by the monks of Pulsano Abbey and the local communities. After the visit to the sacred places and a speech by Prof. Alberto Cavallini on the life of the saint, the holy mass was concelebrated in the Grotta di Santa Maria Church of the Pulsano Abbey by Mons. Antonio Giuseppe Caiazzo, Archbishop of Matera-Irsina-Tricarico , and Monsignor Franco Moscone, Archbishop of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo, together with Fathers Piero and Eifrein of the Abbey of Santa Maria di Pulsano and Don Luciano Micheli, spiritual father of the association.
The celebrations will continue on June 20th with a solemn mass in the Cathedral of Matera to commemorate the anniversary of the saint’s death.
