Tolentine Trivia
“Give thanks to God, not to me. I am only a vessel of clay, a poor sinner”
"The heavens are not pure in the sight of Him Whom I serve;
how then shall I, a sinful man, stand before Him?"
1. Nicholas was born in 1245 at Sant’Angelo, Pontano, Macerata, Italy. Who were his parents?
2. His middle-aged parents who were childless made a prayerful visit to a shrine at Bari, Italy humbly seeking Divine providence to give them a child. What was the name of the patron saint of that shrine that the pious couple asked intercession and later named their child after?
3. What was the name of the prior of the Augustinian monastery in Sant'Angelo who inspired Nicholas to join the Augustinian Order at the age of 18?
4. Nicholas was ordained as priest at the age of 25 in the year 1270 or 1271. Where his ordination to priesthood took place?
5. After his ordination, Nicholas was assigned to different monasteries of his order where he finally assigned in the friary of Tolentino. In what particular the year he arrived in Tolentino where he would spend the rest of his days, evangelizing to everyone and anyone he could?
6. At his canonization, Nicholas was credited with three hundred miracles, including three resurrections. What was the miracle attributed to him after Nicholas said these prayerful words: “The good God will heal you”?
7. Once, when severely ill, Nicholas had a vision telling him to eat a certain type of roll that had been dipped in water. Cured, he began healing others by administering bread over which he recited Marian prayers. The rolls became known as panecillos or St, Nicholas Bread and are still distributed at his shrine. Who appeared to Nicholas in that vision?
8. After suffering from a long illness, Nicholas died at the age of 60 in the Augustinian friary of Tolentino. What was the exact date of his death?
9. Nicholas was the first Augustinian friar to be canonized after the Grand Union of the Order of St. Augustine in 1256. Name the Pope who canonized him on June 5, 1446.
10. In 1345 a lay Brother cut off the arms of his body intending to take them to Germany as relics, and the friars then hid his body to prevent further attempts of this kind. It has not been found to this day, but the arms have been preserved. It is recorded that they have bled on several occasions. In 1926, St. Nicholas’ body was rediscovered and the Church verified that it was his body. At that time, the arms were reunited with the rest of the body, a silver mask was placed over the his face and the remains of the St. Nicholas are exposed for veneration, at the base of the Altar of Sacrifice, fitting for a priest who had prayed for so many Souls as he celebrated Mass. Where in the world today are the remains of St. Nicholas preserved?
11. One of the famous titles attributed to St. Nicholas of Tolentino is “Patron of the Souls in Purgatory.” A story was told of an Augustinian friar who had recently passed away appeared to Nicholas and pleaded with his old friend to offer Mass, not only for himself, but for the many other souls who had asked him to implore the aid of Nicholas. He brought Nicholas into the pits of Purgatory, so that he could see first-hand, the suffering of all those who had asked for his intercession. Before him were a multitude of souls of all ages and conditions, experiencing terrible torment. After relating this event to his superior, Nicholas was granted permission to dedicate his Masses as well as all his prayers, toward the deliverance of the Poor Souls from Purgatory. What was the name of that Augustinian confrere who requested Nicholas?
12. According to the Peruvian chronicler Antonio de la Calancha, the permanent Spanish settlement in this part of the world with a very unfriendly climate (rigorous, high-altitude climate) was made possible through St. Nicholas of Tolentino. He reported that all children born to Spanish colonists there died in childbirth or soon thereafter, until a father dedicated his unborn child to St. Nicholas of Tolentino. The colonist's son, born on Christmas Eve, 1598, survived to healthy adulthood, and many later parents followed the example of naming their sons Nicolás. Where in the world this particular event happened?
13. The Middle Ages saw the emergence of two opposing political factions which Nicholas encountered in his priestly ministry for thirty years in Tolentino. These groups first acquired significance in Italy during the reign of the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick I Barbarossa who tried to assert imperial authority over northern Italy and was opposed by Pope Alexander III. The split between those who sided with the papacy, and those who were sympathetic to the Holy Roman emperors, contributed to chronic strife in the cities of northern Italy in the 13th–14th century, reflected in Dante’s Divine Comedy. To remedy the violence and evils brought about by these political divisions, Nicholas devoted himself to street preaching. What were the names of these two factions?
14. Among the many symbols that depict St. Nicholas of Tolentino what peculiar symbol UNO-Recoletos is using to represent him as the patron of the University?
15. What are the three towns in Negros Island whose parishes are entrusted to the patronage of St. Nicholas of Tolentino?
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