Aldo Brienza

Despite his total paralysis and confinement to his home, Aldo Brienza felt a deep call to religious life and the spirituality of Carmel. On March 25, 1943, he was admitted into the Secular Order of Carmel (OCDS), offering himself as a victim of love for the sanctification of priests. Desiring to commit himself more radically but physically unable to join a monastery, he benefited from an exceptional privilege granted by the Holy See on March 2, 1948. Rome authorized him to pronounce his solemn vows directly from his bed of suffering within the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD). His solemn profession took place on May 11, 1948, under the religious name of Immacolato Giuseppe di Gesù. His room then became a true "domestic convent," a cell of prayer and a spiritual parlor. Although bedridden, Brother Immacolato exercised an apostolate of extraordinary fruitfulness. He continuously received visits from Carmelite brothers, priests, and numerous faithful who came to seek spiritual counsel, comfort, and prayers from him. He also maintained a vast epistolary correspondence with members of the Carmelite family throughout the world, sharing his spiritual insights.

The reputation of holiness of Aldo Brienza spread widely during his lifetime. The famous Capuchin Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), who considered him a "victim chosen by God," told pilgrims from Campobasso: "Why do you come to me? In Campobasso, you have a saint in the flesh. It is Brother Immaculate and he lives in the station square."

After his death on April 13, 1989, popular devotion continued to grow. On December 15, 2004, the Holy See granted the nihil obstat for the opening of his cause for beatification. The diocesan inquiry was officially opened on April 15, 2005, in the Archdiocese of Campobasso-Bojano and closed on April 19, 2007. The decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry was signed on April 9, 2011. The cause is led by the postulator Father Fabio Di Tommaso and the biographer and vice-postulator, Professor Giuseppe Biscotti.

On February 18, 2022, Pope Francis authorized Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Aldo Brienza (in religion Immacolato Giuseppe di Gesù), thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

A solemn celebration in honor of his venerability was held on May 11, 2022, at the church of Sant'Antonio di Padova in Campobasso, presided over by Cardinal Semeraro, in the presence of the Archbishop of Campobasso-Bojano, Mgr. GianCarlo Bregantini, and hundreds of the faithful.

The spirituality of Brother Immaculate is deeply Christocentric, Eucharistic, and Marian. He offered himself as a victim of love for the sanctification of the clergy and the salvation of souls, uniting his daily sufferings to the Passion of Christ.

His spiritual motto perfectly summarizes his abandonment: "To work is good, to pray is even better, but to suffer in union with Jesus is everything" ("Lavorare è bene, pregare ancora meglio, ma soffrire in unione a Gesù è tutto").

Inspired by the great saints of Carmel, notably Saint John of the Cross, he went through periods of profound spiritual aridity ("dark night") without ever losing his absolute trust in God. What struck his visitors most was his disarming smile and the total absence of complaint despite the intensity of his physical pain. He wrote: "I climb Calvary with a smile, with joy" ("salgo il calvario con il sorriso con gioia") and "Pain is nothing for those who love, believe, and hope" ("il dolore è nulla per chi ama, crede e spera").

Today, his memory remains alive in Campobasso, where a public garden located in front of his birthplace (Piazza Cuoco) was inaugurated in his honor in 2015.