Padre Raffaele of Sant'Elia a Pianisi (14 December 1816 â 6 January 1901), baptized as Domenico Petrucelli, commonly known as Padre Raffaele, was an Italian Priest and a monk of the Franciscan Capuchin order.
Padre Raffaele was born in Sant'Elia a Pianisi on December 14, 1816, to a peasant Italian Roman Catholic family; he was baptized the next day. Domenico was the seventh of ten children. His father was a farmer and, his mother was a housewife. He would work in the fields and care for his family's animals. His parents names were Salvatore Petruccelli and Brigida Mastrovita.
He worked several different jobs before joining the Franciscan Order.
In 1834, he was admitted to the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars in Morcone. During this time he was given the name Raffaele after Archangel Raffaele.
In 1835, he made his profession.
After his studies he was ordained a priest, on March 29, 1840, in Larino.
From this time he spent time at various convents in Apulia and Molise. The most notable being in Morcone, Campobasso, and Sant'Elia a Pianisi.
In September 1900, he was reassigned to the convent in Sant'Elia a Pianisi, where he died 4 months later.
After the Unification of Italy, more secularist policies arouse, these policies were seen as discriminatory towards Capuchin friars and Catholics, prompting responses from local Catholics. Padre Raffaele lived under these policies, which took many of their assets away.
Padre Raffaele is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church. He was declared venerable by Pope Francis on April 6, 2019, and two days later, on April 8, 2019, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree positio for Servant of God Raffaele. His beatification process is currently underway.
He was declared venerable because of his heroic virtues.
Padre Pio spoke of and wrote about the good virtues of Padre Raffaele and thought of him to be a saintly model for monks.
He was a consistent witness to the sequela Christi according to the Capuchin charism. He observed the rule and was loyal to the Church and faith.
Padre Raffaele is heavily venerated and respected in Sant'Elia a Pianisi; many homes have pictures of him, and a tarp of him is on the local Franciscan Convent.
He died and was buried January 6, 1901, in Sant'Elia a Pianisi.
In 1904, Padre Pio visited the convent where Padre Raffaele died; he stated he felt the "aura" Padre Raffaele left.
On April 26, 1936, his remains were exhumed and transferred to the convent church, where they are preserved and venerated.
He was later exhumed for a second time in 2017.