Saint Who?
Saints Who Studied Law
Saint Andrew Avellino
Priest and religious († 1608) Feast: November 10
He was raised in the village of Castronuovo di Sicilia, Italy, and given the name Lancelot by his parents. He decided to study for the priesthood and was soon ordained. But he also earned a degree in canon and civil law and became a successful lawyer, serving in ecclesiastical courts. Unfortunately, he chose to lie in court one day for the sake of winning a case. That night, the words the lying mouth destroys the soul (Wis 1:11) kept coming to his mind. He resolved to give up trying to win cases and decided to try to win souls instead.
His time as a lawyer was not wasted, however. His bishop assigned him to tasks that required both prudence and diplomacy, such as reforming a community of nuns who were not living virtuously or according to their rule of life. That experience led him to join the Theatine Clerks Regular, changing his name to Andrew.
Throughout the rest of Andrew’s long life, he trained many novices and founded new Theatine communities. He became well known for his preaching and miracles. But perhaps his greatest gift to the Church was his dedication to inspiring and reforming priests to live out their vocations with self-discipline, dedication, and honesty.
Wisdom of God, may our words be always
truthful and effective.
