Giuseppe Atonna

In 1873, as community life could finally resume, Father Berardo returned to the convent of Santa Maria Occorrevole in Piedimonte d'Alife. There, he dedicated himself to prayer, study, and preaching, drawing inspiration from the figure of Saint John Joseph of the Cross, who had lived in that place for a long time. For nearly forty years, he traveled through Campania, Apulia, Molise, Latium, and Umbria to conduct countless popular missions. A zealous preacher and sought-after confessor, he inspired numerous conversions. Within his order, he assumed various administrative roles: novice master, provincial definitor, guardian of the convent of Piedimonte d'Alife, and provincial guardian. In 1897, when Pope Leo XIII decreed the merger of the various Franciscan branches into the single Order of Friars Minor (simpliciter dicti), Father Berardo, although deeply attached to the strict observance of the Alcantarine tradition, obeyed promptly. From 1902 to 1905, he was appointed the first provincial minister of the newly constituted province of Principato under the patronage of Saint James of the March. In this capacity, he had to face misunderstandings, slanders, and resistance from certain friars opposed to the unification, trials he endured with profound humility and a spirit of forgiveness. At the same time, Father Berardo became the spiritual advisor and guide to several major figures of the Church of his time. He notably accompanied Saint Bartolo Longo (founder of the Shrine of Pompeii), Saint Maria Cristina Brando (founder of the Expiatory Victims of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament), and Blessed Maria Serafina of the Sacred Heart (Serafina Micheli, founder of the Sisters of the Angels). He also supported the foundation of the Alcantarine Franciscan Sisters of Castellammare di Stabia. In 1906, freed from his administrative duties, he agreed to provide spiritual direction to a charitable work founded by one of his penitents, Antonietta Fiorillo, on the hill of Capodimonte in Naples: the 'Villa Fiorillo' (later 'Casa San Giuseppe'), intended to welcome poor elderly women and orphaned young girls. He settled there as chaplain, father, and spiritual guide.

Afflicted by illness and the infirmities of old age, Father Berardo celebrated his golden jubilee of religious profession on January 16, 1914. Sensing his death approaching, he prepared himself in absolute silence during the last fifteen days of his life. He passed away at dawn on March 4, 1917, in his room at Villa Fiorillo in Naples, assisted by his confreres from the Sanità convent, after having received the last sacraments from the hands of Father Modesto Trinchese.

In 1929, his mortal remains were transferred to the church of Santa Lucia al Monte in Naples, where they now rest in the chapel of Saint Paschal Baylon. His reputation for holiness led to the opening of his cause for beatification and canonization in 1930. After a long phase of diocesan inquiry and the examination of his writings, the cause is actively progressing at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

On December 18, 2025, during an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Berardo (Giuseppe) Atonna. By this act, he is officially declared Venerable. The recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is now required to pave the way for his beatification.

The spirituality of the Venerable Berardo Atonna is deeply Christocentric and Marian, nourished by intense contemplative prayer and absolute trust in divine mercy. He actively propagated devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the practice of the Way of the Cross.

Marked by the ideal of poverty and minority of Saint Francis of Assisi, he manifested concrete charity and a particular tenderness towards the poor, the sick, and marginalized persons, in whom he contemplated the face of the suffering Christ. He is also the author of several spiritual and apologetic booklets, among which are Il balsamo degli infermi (The Balm of the Sick), a booklet he distributed himself to the sick during his visits, and Il papato difeso da alcuni errori e da alcuni pregiudizi moderni (The Papacy Defended Against Certain Errors and Modern Prejudices).