2009 PASSIONIST CHARISM RESOURCES - Passionists

• They were married in the Oratory of the Confraternity of the Annunciation by Luca’s
uncle, Don Giovanni Andrea Danei, on 6 January 1692
• The first of sixteen children, a girl, was born on 4 January 1693 but lived only three
days
• She was called Caterina, perhaps after Luca’s first wife
• Of the sixteen children Anna Maria would bear, only six survived to adulthood
• All except one child, Caterina, lived long lives - Paul Francis 81, John Baptist 70,
Teresa 93, Giuseppe 84 and Antonio 82
1694 – 1700 THE EARLY YEARS
Introduction to the Letters of St. Paul of the Cross (Roger Mercurio C.P.)
• On January 3, 1694 Paul Danei was the firstborn son of a large family in northern
Italy.
• During his formative years and as a young man, Paul helped his father in his
tobacco business
• Education for Paul was at best spotty, studying in a variety of schools as the family
moved from place to place
• During his early years, Paul’s mother was a great influence on him, grounding him
in a devotion to Jesus Crucified that would never cease growing
• The stories he heard of the sufferings of Jesus caused a deep devotion to the
Passion of Jesus from a very early age
• With his younger brother John Baptist, he learned the value of meditation and
prayer, which became a lifetime practice for both of them
(As A Seal Upon Your Heart, Paul Francis Spencer, C.P.)
• Almost a year to the day after the death of her first child, Caterina, Anna Maria
Danei held in her arms her first son, Paul Francis, born at sunrise on 3 January
1694
• He was baptized three days later, his parents second wedding anniversary
• In April 1695, John Baptist, was born
• Other children would follow in 1696, 1699, 1700, 1701, and 1702 but none of them
would live more than a year
• The cycle of birth and death was the background to the early years of the two
brothers and would be broken only with the coming of Teresa when Paul was nine
years old
• John Baptist, his boyhood companion, would remain close to him throughout his
adult life
• During his childhood Paul’s mother was almost continually pregnant or nursing a
baby
• She was also in constant poor health
1700-1710 HEARING THE CALL
(As A Seal Upon Your Heart, Paul Francis Spencer, C.P.)
• In 1701 when Paul was seven years old the family moved to Cremolino
• In Cremolino he attended the school run by the Carmelite Fathers
• From 1701 until 1709 Paul’s family lived at Cremolino
6