Egidio Marcelli

After his religious profession, Brother Laurent was sent to the convent of L'Angelo in Lucca, a fervent community then led by the venerable Generoso Fontanarosa. There, he performed humble tasks, distinguishing himself particularly in the role of mendicant friar (questuante), responsible for collecting alms for the community's sustenance. On November 14, 1914, he was sent to São Paulo, Brazil, alongside three fellow priests, to participate in the founding of the very first Passionist house in that country. He worked there with dedication for more than seven years. However, having contracted tuberculosis, he was forced to leave Brazil on February 7, 1922, to return to Italy for treatment. From 1924, he resided at the religious house in Nettuno, adjacent to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces (Santuario della Madonna delle Grazie), where the body of Saint Maria Goretti would be transferred in 1929. While continuing his mission as a mendicant friar, he was entrusted with the responsibility of his religious province's vineyard in Rocca di Papa. In 1935, he was transferred again to Monte Argentario. During the Second World War, he actively supported the religious community and the local population, who were suffering from deprivation and bombings. After the war, he returned to Nettuno to participate in the reorganization of the seminary, which had been requisitioned by German troops. On August 30, 1953, a tragic event deeply shook the community: a domestic employee of the convent murdered the rector and the vicar of the house. Brother Laurent then deployed all his charity and energy to restore peace and serenity within his traumatized community. This shock severely affected his already fragile health. Forty-five days later, on October 14, 1953, he suffered a heart attack while praying before the tabernacle, at the foot of the statue of Our Lady of Graces in the sanctuary of Nettuno. He died at the age of 79.

The reputation for holiness of Brother Laurent of the Holy Spirit, widely recognized during his lifetime as the "beggar of God," spread rapidly after his death. On September 10, 2004, the postulation of the cause was entrusted to Father Adolfo Lippi. On November 16, 2004, the Holy See granted the Nihil Obstat decree for the opening of the cause. The diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness was officially opened on May 14, 2005, by the Bishop of Albano, Mgr. Marcello Semeraro, and concluded on March 25, 2006. The validity of this inquiry was recognized by a decree of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on September 16, 2010, paving the way for the drafting of the Positio, published in 2014.

On December 6, 2016, the theological consultors of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted unanimously in favor of the heroism of his virtues. On December 21, 2016, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Egidio Marcelli (Brother Lawrence of the Holy Spirit), thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of the Venerable Laurent of the Holy Spirit rests on a profound humility, a trusting abandonment to the divine will, and a life of silent and continuous prayer. Although illiterate, he demonstrated scrupulous honesty and great precision in the management of the alms he collected. As a mendicant friar, he was a true apostle of proximity, distributing words of comfort, sharing his devotion to the Virgin Mary, and showing himself to be particularly attentive to the poor and the suffering. His legacy remains alive in Nettuno and within the Passionist family as a model of holiness lived in the simplicity of everyday life.