Angelo d'Acri

Luca Antonio Falcone, known in religion as Angelo of Acri (Angelo d'Acri), was born on 19 October 1669 in Acri, a town in Calabria then belonging to the Kingdom of Naples. He came from a modest family; sources name his father as Francesco Falcone. In youth he discerned a vocation to the Capuchin Franciscans. Traditional accounts record that he was dismissed from the novitiate on two occasions before being accepted on a third attempt. He received the Capuchin habit, took the name Angelo, made religious profession, and was ordained a priest. His early years in the order followed the ordinary pattern of Capuchin formation and conventual life in southern Italy.

As a young priest he was assigned to preach, but his first efforts in the pulpit were unsuccessful. Hagiographical narratives describe him as poorly received, to the point that he considered abandoning public preaching. After a period of prayer—and, according to later tradition, a spiritual experience that restored his confidence—he resumed missionary preaching and quickly gained a reputation for eloquence and for moving large crowds to repentance. From the early eighteenth century he became one of the most sought-after popular missionaries in the Kingdom of Naples, conducting parish missions, Lenten courses, and standing missions in towns across Calabria and in neighboring regions such as Campania and Basilicata.

His missions were associated in contemporary reports with mass confessions, the reconciliation of feuds, and the reform of public morals. Devotees and later biographers attributed to him charismatic gifts including prophecy, knowledge of consciences, and miraculous healings; such claims belong to the hagiographical tradition later examined in his cause for sainthood rather than to independently documented history. He was noted for personal austerity, long hours in the confessional, devotion to the Passion and to the Virgin Mary, and care for the poor. In later life he resided chiefly at the Capuchin convent in Acri, continuing to preach when health allowed.

He died in Acri on 30 October 1739. A popular cult formed around his tomb soon afterward. Pope Leo XII beatified him on 18 December 1825. After approval of a miracle attributed to his intercession, Pope Francis canonized him on 15 October 2017 in Saint Peter's Square. His liturgical feast is 30 October. He is venerated as patron saint of Acri, where his relics are enshrined in the sanctuary that bears his name.