Gaetano Errico
Gaetano Errico, MSSCC (19 October 1791 – 29 October 1860) was an Italian Catholic priest from Naples and the founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Errico was born to devout and hardworking parents whose income was modest but sufficient for him to do his ecclesial studies in Naples. It was common for him to be seen twice a week tending to the ill despite his studies and he also helped his father on occasion at his warehouse. He became a teacher after his ordination and later a parish priest.
Errico became better known for having had a vision while on a retreat in 1818 in which Alphonsus Liguori came to him in a vision requesting he both found a religious congregation and oversee the establishment of a new church dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Errico did this despite several obstacles, though he did not see it through to the end until just over a decade later.
Patron saint of Missionari dei Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria
In the Martyrology
- October 29 Saint Gaetano Errico, priest, founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary