FRA NAZARENO DA PULA: A MAN WHO WANTED TO PLEASE GOD MORE THAN MEN

A peculiarity of the Sardinian Capuchin province consists in the fact that all the figures of our saints are humble and simple lay brothers: Ignatius of Laconi, the Blessed Nicola da Gesturi among the best known, but also between Nicolò da San Vero Milis, brother Paolo da Cuglieri, between Giacomo of Decimoputzu and others. A sign of popular humility, of that rural and agro-pastoral culture of Sardinia in which simplicity is the only language that simple people can understand and is perhaps the only language that brings us closer to God.

- Church news -

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Author
Ivano Liguori, Ofm. Cap.

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The 22 May the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints recognized the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Fra Nazareno da Pula (1911-1992) Capuchin minor friar of the Province of Sardinia proclaiming him venerable (you see who).

In giving thanks to the Lord for this gift to the Church and to our Capuchin province I can only underline the figure of Brother Nazareno who I had the grace of knowing when I was little more than a child.

To begin, it is right to frame the figure with some biographical information: Fra Nazareno is an adult vocation, he spent most of his youth working with his father from the age of twelve to go and cultivate the fields and take care of the livestock and family duties. In 1936, at the age of twenty-five, embarks on an adventure in Ethiopia, in the newly proclaimed Italian East Africa, where we find him managing his own catering business, he was in fact an expert cook, an activity that he will also carry out as a friar. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Fra Nazareno is enlisted in the artillery departments as a sergeant and undertakes campaigns against the British army, and it was precisely in those years that he was captured as a prisoner by the English and taken to Kenya, where it will remain until 1946.

After the war our Venerable returned to Sardinia, where he will face a period of hospitalization and consequent convalescence following the suffering he experienced during the war, sad prison conditions, of deprivation and humiliation. This ordeal was a source of intense internal work for him, so much so that the desire for religious consecration peeked into his heart.

The turning point in the life of Nazarene occurred in the autumn of 1950, when he decided to go and meet Padre Pio of Pietrelcina to discuss with him what he felt in his heart and what he wanted to undertake. When he managed to approach Padre Pio, he told him: "Guagliò, you have finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for a long time!» and yet he treated him harshly and told him in a gruff tone: «Go away!». This ordeal shook him but did not leave him discouraged, rather. He cried all night, but he needed an answer to his doubts and aspirations. The next day he presented himself to Padre Pio again and this time he welcomed him affably as if they were old friends. «I would like to become a friar... to stay with her in this convent» but Padre Pio, after confessing and encouraging him, answers him: «Your place is indeed among the children of Saint Francis, but not here though, but in Sardinia; go calmly, I will never leave you alone!».

The meeting with the man who would become Saint Pio of Pietrelcina marks a decisive turning point in the life of Brother Nazareno, who after a few days returned to Sardinia transformed. These meetings also marked the beginning of a relationship of spiritual sonship with Padre Pio, which lasted as long as the Saint remained alive.

In 1951 fra Nazareno has 39 year old and the 23 December he makes a written request to enter the order of the Capuchin Friars of Sardinia as a lay brother; the 23 September 1951 he is admitted to the novitiate in the Sanluri convent and receives the Capuchin habit; The 24 September 1952 makes the religious profession of temporary vows for a three-year period; the 29 November 1955 makes the profession of perpetual vows, always in the convent of Sanluri. From the 1951 al 1955 Fra Nazareno is in the convent of Sanluri, where he takes care of the vegetable garden and cooking, activities he knew well from his African experience. Afterwards, he spent two years in the convent of Sassari as a beggar and was then sent to the convent of Iglesias. From the 1958 Fra Nazareno was a beggar in the convent of Cagliari, but as the years went by many people went to look for him in the convent to ask him for advice and help. So he slowly dedicated himself to this service of listening and welcoming, visiting the sick in hospitals and homes and reserving the begging activity only on Wednesdays at the San Benedetto civic market in Cagliari. From the 1977 al 1986 Fra Nazareno was transferred to the convent of Sorso in the province of Sassari, because his reputation as a seeker had congested the convent of Cagliari a little too much, which was invaded daily by multitudes of faithful who were trying to meet the begging friar.

From the 1986 Fra Nazareno is once again added to the stable fraternity of the convent of Cagliari, although he ended up settling permanently in a country cottage near the crossroads of Is Molas anyway, so that he could be increasingly available to welcome and listen to the numerous people who turned to him from all parts of Sardinia. That little house was the first nucleus where the church dedicated to the Madonna della Consolazione was later born, wanted by Fra Nazareno and helped in this project by many trusted friends. In this church since 22 May 1994, his mortal remains rest.

Personally, I have a faint memory of Fra Nazareno, when I was little my father sent me to give him alms while he stopped at the church of Sant'Antonio Abate in via Manno in Cagliari, he parried the saddlebag, he smiled at me and I ran away from my father again between surprised and intimidated by this mysterious and silent figure. Afterwards, when I also entered the convent, for two and a half years I was at the convent of Is Molas al Pula, in the church he wanted of the Madonna della Consolazione and I am currently finishing my mandate as guardian at the convent of Sanluri, where ours spent the first years of his Capuchin life.

There would be a lot to say about Fra Nazareno who was also a controversial figure both for his own character and for his spiritual connotation, he had inherited a roughness that not everyone liked. Roughness of a man accustomed to toiling and forged by the horrors of war and imprisonment but also an indication of that spiritual seriousness that Padre Pio was able to pass on to him as an inheritance.

In twenty-six years of convent, I heard various testimonies about Brother Nazareno from the friars who knew him and lived with him. The beauty of Brother Nazareno consisted in the fact that he always wanted to please the Lord, even when this would have displeased the man or brother who approached him. In short, he wasn't a one-to-one guy and his language was typically evangelical: Yes, Yes; no, no. Singular facts and signs relating to his holiness are also attributed to him, but the most important thing, of his being Venerable today, it is the ability to live the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. Virtues that will one day be the basis for his veneration as a blessed and saint of the Catholic Church.

The spirituality that Fra Nazareno transmitted to people who arrived to meet him consisted of daily and intense prayer, in the frequent exercise of the sacrament of Confession and in Holy Mass. Like Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, he sent away people who resorted to him out of mere curiosity, out of superstition or who lived in a stable condition of sin. It was rude, as mentioned, but this attitude knew how to shake consciences and bring us closer to God, so much so that several people began to have an intense spiritual life after meeting him. He wasn't exactly a "politically correct" friar., he would certainly be considered an uncomfortable figure today, or how to say divisive, but praise God if he gives us an inconvenience that is capable of saving and converting, this is absolutely needed today.

As an authentic lay Capuchin brother, he had the awareness and humility not to imitate his brother priests, it can be said that he had no ambitions or crickets in his head in wanting to do things that were pertinent to the ordained ministry. When the people who approached him had particular problems of morality or conscience, he knew well how to refer the case to his brother priests, while he remained a discreet traveling companion on the journey of conversion and rapprochement of these people with God and the Church.

A peculiarity of the Sardinian Capuchin province consists in the fact that all the figures of our saints are humble and simple lay brothers: Ignatius of Laconi, the Blessed Nicola da Gesturi among the best known, but also between Nicolò da San Vero Milis, brother Paolo da Cuglieri, between Giacomo of Decimoputzu and others. A sign of popular humility, of that rural and agro-pastoral culture of Sardinia in which simplicity is the only language that simple people can understand and is perhaps the only language that brings us closer to God. A prophetic sign also for us Capuchin priests, an invitation to smallness and real humility, together with the encouragement to know how to sanctify ourselves both in the ordained ministry and in the welcoming and charitable relationship with people. And who knows, perhaps one day there will also be a holy Capuchin priest from the Sardinian province, we want to wish it and ask our lay brothers already in heaven to pray for this.

Sanluri, 7 June 2026

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FRA NAZARENO OF PULA: A MAN WHO WANTED TO PLEASE GOD MORE THAN MEN

A particularity of the Capuchin province of Sardinia is that all the figures of our saints are humble and simple lay brothers.: San Ignacio de Laconi, Blessed Nicolás de Gesturi among the best known, but also Brother Nicolás de San Vero Milis, Brother Paul of Cuglieri, Brother Santiago de Decimoputzu and many others. A sign of popular humility, of that rural and agricultural culture of Sardinia in which simplicity is the only language that the simple know how to understand and is perhaps the only language that brings closer to God.

- Ecclesial news -

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The 22 of May the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints recognized the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Friar Nazarene of Pula (1911-1992), Capuchin minor friar of the Province of Sardinia, proclaiming him venerable (see here). By thanking the Lord for this gift granted to the Church and our Capuchin province, I cannot help but make some considerations about the figure of Friar Nazareno, whom I had the grace to know when I was little more than a child.

To start, It is fair to place this figure through some biographical data. Fray Nazareno was an adult vocation. He spent most of his youth working with his father from the age of twelve., cultivating the fields, taking care of livestock and attending to family chores. On 1936, at the age of twenty-five, went on an adventure in Ethiopia, in the newly proclaimed Italian East Africa, where we find him managing a restaurant activity on his own account; era, in fact, an excellent cook, office that he would also perform as a friar. With the outbreak of World War II, Friar Nazareno was enrolled in the artillery units with the rank of sergeant and participated in the campaigns against the British army.. It was precisely in those years when he was captured by the English and taken prisoner to Kenya., where he remained until 1946.

War over, our Venerable returned to Sardinia, where he had to face a period of hospitalization and subsequent convalescence due to the suffering suffered during the war, the harsh conditions of captivity, deprivation and humiliation. This test was the cause of intense inner work for him., to the point that the desire for religious consecration began to make its way into his heart.

The great transformation in the life of Friar Nazareno took place in the fall of 1950, when he decided to go to meet Padre Pio of Pietrelcina to confront with him what he felt in his heart and what he wanted to undertake. When he managed to get close to Padre Pio, this one told him: "Young guy, you have finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for a long time!». However, He treated him harshly and, in a brusque tone, told him: «¡Yourself!». This test shook him deeply., but it didn't discourage him. He cried all night, but he needed an answer to his doubts and aspirations. The next day he appeared before Padre Pio again and this time he was received affectionately., like they were old friends. «I would like to become a friar… stay with you in this convent". But Padre Pio, after confessing and encouraging him, he answered: «Your place is certainly among the children of Saint Francis, but not here, but in Sardinia; go calmly, I will never leave you alone!».

The meeting with who would become Saint Pio of Pietrelcina marked a decisive turn in the life of Friar Nazareno, who, after some days, He returned to Sardinia transformed. Those meetings also marked the beginning of a relationship of spiritual affiliation with Padre Pio., that lasted as long as the Saint remained alive.

On 1951 Friar Nazarene was thirty-nine years old and the 23 December he presented in writing his request to enter as a lay brother in the Order of the Capuchin Friars of Sardinia; he 23 September of 1951 He was admitted to the novitiate at the convent of Sanluri and received the Capuchin habit.; he 24 September of 1952 issued the religious profession of temporary vows for a three-year period; he 29 November 1955 made the profession of perpetual vows, also in the convent of Sanluri. From 1951 until 1955 Friar Nazareno remained in the convent of Sanluri, where he took care of the garden and the kitchen, activities that he knew well from his African experience. Later he spent two years in the convent of Sassari as an almoner and was later assigned to the convent of Iglesias. From 1958 Friar Nazarene was an almoner in the convent of Cagliari, But as the years went by, many people began to seek him out at the convent to ask for advice and help.. Thus, little by little, he dedicated himself to this service of listening and welcoming., visiting the sick in hospitals and private homes and reserving the activity of begging only for Wednesdays in the civic market of San Benedetto in Cagliari. From 1977 until 1986 Friar Nazareno was transferred to the convent of Sorso, in the province of Sassari, because his reputation as a searcher of souls had excessively congested the convent of Cagliari, which was daily invaded by crowds of faithful who wanted to meet the almoner friar.

From 1986 Friar Nazarene was once again added to the stable fraternity of the convent of Cagliari, although he ended up settling permanently in a small country house next to the Is Molas crossroads., in Pula, in order to be more and more available to welcome and listen to the many people who came to him from all parts of Sardinia. That small house was the first nucleus of what would later become the church dedicated to Our Lady of Consolation., wanted precisely by Friar Nazareno and realized also thanks to the help of many faithful friends. His mortal remains rest in this church since 22 May 1994.

Personally, I have a vague memory of Friar Nazareno.. when I was a child, my father sent me to give him alms while he was next to the church of San Antonio Abad, on Via Manno de Cagliari. He opened the saddlebag, He smiled at me and I immediately ran back to my father., between surprised and intimidated by that mysterious and silent figure. Later, when I also entered the convent, I spent two and a half years in the convent of Is Molas, in Pula, next to the church of Our Lady of Consolation that he had wanted to build; and I am currently concluding my term as guardian at the Sanluri convent, where our friar spent the first years of his Capuchin life.

There would be a lot to say about Brother Nazarene, who was also a controversial figure both for his character and for his spiritual profile. He had inherited a certain harshness that not everyone liked.. A harshness typical of a man accustomed to hard work and forged by the horrors of war and prison, but also an expression of that spiritual seriousness that Padre Pio had been able to transmit to him as an inheritance.

Throughout twenty-six years of conventual life I have heard numerous testimonies about Friar Nazareno from the friars who knew him and lived with him.. The greatness of Brother Nazarene consisted in the fact that he always wanted to please the Lord., even when it meant displeasing the man or brother who approached him. In a nutshell, He was not one of those who kept things to himself., and his language was typically evangelical: Yeah, Yeah; no, no. Singular facts and signs related to his holiness are also attributed to him., but the most important thing about his current status as Venerable is his ability to have lived the Christian virtues of faith., hope and charity. Virtues that one day will form the basis for his eventual veneration as a blessed and saint of the Catholic Church..

The spirituality that Friar Nazareno transmitted to people who came to him consisted of daily and intense prayer, in the frequent practice of the sacrament of Confession and in participation in the Holy Mass. Like Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, he kept away those who turned to him out of mere curiosity, out of superstition or because they lived stably in a situation of sin. It was rough, as already said, but that attitude knew how to shake consciences and bring them closer to God again., to the point that many people recovered an intense spiritual life after meeting him. He wasn't exactly a "politically correct" friar.; surely today he would be considered an uncomfortable figure or, as they say, divisive. But praise God if He grants us discomfort capable of saving and converting; We have an absolute need for that today..

As an authentic Capuchin lay brother, He had the conscience and humility not to imitate his brother priests.. It can be said that he had no pretensions or fantasies of doing things typical of the ordained ministry.. When the people who approached him presented particular problems of a moral or conscientious nature, knew how to promptly refer the case to the brother priests, while he remained as a discreet companion on the path in the process of conversion and reconciliation of those people with God and with the Church.

A peculiarity of the Capuchin province of Sardinia is that all the figures of our saints are humble and simple lay brothers: San Ignacio de Laconi, Blessed Nicolás de Gesturi among the best known, but also Brother Nicolás de San Vero Milis, Brother Paul of Cuglieri, Brother Santiago de Decimoputzu and many others. A sign of popular humility, of that rural and agricultural culture of Sardinia in which simplicity is the only language that the simple know how to understand and perhaps the only language that brings closer to God. It is also a prophetic sign for us, capuchin priests: an invitation to smallness and true humility, together with the encouragement of knowing how to sanctify ourselves both in the ordained ministry and in the charitable and close welcome of people. and who knows, perhaps one day there will also be a holy Capuchin priest from the Sardinian province; We want to wish it and ask our lay brothers who are already in Paradise to pray for it..

Sanluri, 7 June 2026

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