Aug 17, 2024

β›ͺ St. Nicholas Politi

🌿 Saint Nicolò Politi

Hermit of Sicily

🌍 Born: 1117, Adrano, County of Sicily

πŸ•ŠοΈ Died: 17 August 1167 (aged 49), Alcara li Fusi, Kingdom of Sicily

πŸ™ Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church

🌟 Canonized: 7 June 1507, Old Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Papal States by Pope Julius II

πŸŽ‰ Feast Day: 17 August

✨ Attributes: Staff

🌿 Patronage: Adrano, Alcara li Fusi

β€œA humble hermit, he sought God in silence and became a light for Sicily.”


On August 17, the Catholic Church honors Saint Nicola Politi (1117–1167), a Sicilian hermit whose life of prayer, penance, and trust in God shines as an example of radical devotion. Known as San NicolΓ² Politi in his native Sicily, his story, recorded in the Roman Martyrologyβ€”β€œIn Arcaria near Milazzo in Sicily, Saint Nicola Politi, a hermit, who practiced a life of extreme austerity in a cave”—inspires us to seek God above all else. Born in 1117 in AdernΓ² (modern Adrano, Catania) to the noble Politi family, NicolΓ² was a long-awaited child, granted to his aging parents through fervent prayer and charity. From infancy, divine signs marked his calling: the water used to wash him at birth caused a warm spring to flow, and he fasted from his mother’s milk on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, yet grew strong in health and grace. Raised in the Basilian Christian culture of Norman Sicily, NicolΓ² was educated in faith, learning to read and write while deepening his love for Christ’s Passion and the Virgin Mary. 

 As a youth, Nicolò’s faith worked wonders. With the sign of the cross, he drove wolves from sheepfolds, healed livestock, and interceded for the sick, leading many to Christ. But when his parents arranged a marriage, an angel appeared on his wedding day, urging him to flee. At just 17, NicolΓ² left home, choosing a hermit’s life in a cave near AdernΓ² on Mount Etna’s slopes, armed only with a wooden cross and unwavering faith. Three years later, as his family searched for him, an angel guided NicolΓ² to Mount Calanna near Alcara Li Fusi (Messina), promising it as his final home. Escorted by a miraculous eagle, he faced temptation from the devil, disguised as a merchant offering riches. NicolΓ², meditating on Christ’s wounds, raised his cross and banished the tempter. En route, he stopped at the Basilian abbey in Maniace, where he met Lorenzo da FrazzanΓ², a holy monk who directed him to the Monastery of Santa Maria del Rogato. Near Alcara, NicolΓ² struck a rock with his cross, causing a springβ€”still called Acqua Santaβ€”to flow. On Mount Calanna, he found his final cave, where the eagle delivered half a loaf of fresh bread daily. At Rogato, NicolΓ² became a lay Basilian monk, embracing their rule. Each Saturday, he trekked a rugged path to confess and receive the Eucharist. In 1162, he reunited with Lorenzo at his hermitage, sharing prayers and a humble meal of herbs and eagle-brought bread. Lorenzo, foreseeing his death, revealed he would pass on December 30. That evening, Nicolò’s cave glowed with light and the scent of roses, signaling Lorenzo’s ascent to heaven. 

 On August 12, 1167, an exhausted NicolΓ² returned from Rogato. An angelic voice announced that two days after the Assumption (August 15), he would enter eternal rest. On August 15, he made his final confession and received the Eucharist, bidding farewell to the monks. On August 16, the eagle delivered its last bread, circling the cave in farewell. After a night of prayer, at dawn on August 17, 1167, NicolΓ², kneeling with his cross and prayer book, offered his soul to God in a final act of love. His serene passing marked the end of fifty years of unyielding prayer, penance, and purity. Saint Nicola’s incorrupt body, later discovered, sparked miracles, and his relics rest in the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Alcamo, where he is a patron. On August 17, Sicilians, especially in Adrano and Alcara, honor him with processions and prayers. His life challenges us to embrace sacrifice, trust divine providence, and seek God in simplicity. May Saint Nicola Politi intercede for us, guiding us to the heart of Christ. Amen.
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