Blessed Nicolò Rusca
Also known as: Hammer of the Heretics
Feast Day
4-Sep
Born
20 April 1563 in Bedano, Italy (in modern Ticono, Switzerland)
Died
Tortured to death on 4 September 1618 in Thusis, Graubünden, Switzerland; relics in the collegiate church at Sondrio, Italy
Beatified
21 April 2013 by Pope Francis; beatification recognition celebrated in Sondrio, Italy, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato
Venerated
19 December 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI (decree of martyrdom)
Biography
Blessed Nicolò Rusca, priest and martyr, dedicated his life to strengthening Catholic faith in post-Tridentine Italy amid the growing influence of Protestantism. Born in Como, he studied at the Collegium Helveticum in Milan from 1580 to 1587, preparing for service in the diocese of Como. Ordained a priest, he became deeply committed to reviving Catholic practice and theology throughout his pastoral ministry. His leadership culminated in his appointment as Archpriest of Sondrio, a strategic town in the Lombard region, where he tirelessly worked to
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