Oriol, Joseph, St.
ORIOL, JOSEPH, ST.
Miracle-worker; b. Vich (Barcelona), Spain, Nov. 23, 1650; d. Barcelona, March 23, 1702. Oriol's father died when he was a child and his mother worked hard to bring up her family. With the help of friends, he was able to reach ordination and obtain a doctorate in theology. He lived humbly, did penance, and adhered strictly to the demands of his priestly life. He was not an extraordinary preacher, but his evangelical simplicity inspired his hearers. Impelled by a strong desire to go to the foreign missions, he journeyed to Rome, but fell ill, and Our Lady, in a vision, directed him to return to Barcelona. He predicted the day and hour of his death, and distributed his few possessions to the poor without revealing the reason. He was beatified in 1806 and canonized by pius x on May 20, 1909.
Feast: March 23.
Bibliography: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 1 (1909) 605–621. j. ballester de claramunt, Vida de San José Oriol (Barcelona 1909). Enciclopedia de la Religión Católica, 7 v. (Barcelona 1951–56) 4.2: 838–840. t. vergÈs i forns, Sant Josep Oriol i l'Església del Pi (Barcelona 1975), art.
[s. a. janto]