http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11383a.htm
St. Pacificus
of San Severino
Born at San Severino,
in the March of Ancona, 1 March, 1653; died there 24 September, 1721; the
son of Antonio M. Divini and Mariangela Bruni. His parents died soon
after his confirmation when three years old;he suffered many hardships until
in December, 1670, he took the Franciscan habit in the Order of the Reformati,
at Forano, in theMarch of Ancona, and was ordained on 4 June, 1678, subsequently
becoming Lector or Professor of Philosophy (1680-83) for the younger members
of the order, after which, for five or six years,he laboured as a missionary
among the people of the surroundingcountry. He then suffered lameness, deafness,
and blindness fornearly twenty-nine years. Unable to give missions, he cultivatedmore
the contemplative life. He bore his ills with angelicpatience, worked several
miracles, and was favoured by God with ecstasies. Though a constant sufferer,
he held the post ofguardian in the monastery of Maria delle Grazie in San
Severino(1692-3), where he died. His cause for beatification was begun in1740;
he was beatified by Pius VI, 4 August, 1786, and solemnly canonized by Gregory
IX [sic, i.e., Gregory XVI], 26 May, 1839. His feast is celebrated on 24
September.
MELCHIORRI, Vita
di S. Pacifico da San Severino (Rome, 1839), compiled from theActs of Canonization;
SDERCI DA GAJOLE, Vita di S. Pacifico da Sanseverino (Prato, 1898); DIOTALLEVI,
Vita di S. Pacifico Divini
dei Minori da Sanseverino(Quaracchi, 1910).
MICHAEL BIHL
Transcribed by Herman
F. Holbrook
Benedictus Deus
in sanctis suis
The Catholic
Encyclopedia, Volume XI
Copyright © 1911
by Robert Appleton Company
Online Edition Copyright
© 1999 by Kevin Knight
Nihil Obstat,
February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor
Imprimatur.
+John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Divini, Eustachio
(b. Oct. 4, 1610, San Severino delle Marche, near Ancona, PapalStates [now
in Italy]—d. 1685, Rome), Italian scientist, one of the firstto
develop the technology necessary for producing scientific optical instruments.
After some scientific training under Benedetto Castelli, a disciple of
Galileo, Divini established himself in Rome in 1646 as a maker of clocksand
lenses. He constructed a number of compound microscopes and long-focustelescopes,
the latter consisting of wooden tubes with four lenses, witha focal length
of more than 15 m (50 feet).
In 1649 Divini published a copper engraving of a map of the Moon, basedon
his own observations made with his invention. He also made a number ofastronomical
observations, including some of the rings of Saturn and thespots and satellites
of Jupiter. Many of his microscopes and telescopes have survived in museums
in Florence, Rome, Padua, and elsewhere.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=31189