Cacciaguerra, Bonsignore
CACCIAGUERRA, BONSIGNORE
Spiritual writer; b. Siena, 1494; d. Rome, June 30, 1566. As a young man he became a very successful merchant in Palermo and devoted his life to luxury and pleasure. An apparition of Christ on the cross and a series of personal misfortunes finally brought about his conversion. He disposed of his wealth, left Palermo and all its associations, and as a penitent visited the shrine of Santiago de Compostela and various cities in Italy. In 1545 he went to Rome and was ordained there two years later. His close friend and confessor, St. Philip Neri, helped Cacciaguerra secure a position as chaplain at S. Girolamo della Carità and encouraged him in what proved to be his particular apostolate, the fostering of frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist. While neither a learned theologian nor a profound thinker, he possessed a deep spiritual insight characterized by prudence and fervor. His writings were widely read, much admired by St. Francis de Sales, and repeatedly edited and translated into other languages. They include Trattato della comunione (Rome 1557), Trattato della tribolazione (Rome 1559), Lettere spirituali (2 v. Rome 1564–75), and others.
Bibliography: l. ponnelle and l. bordet, St. Philip Neri and the Roman Society of His Times, tr. r. f. kerr (New York 1933). p. auvray, Dictionnaire de spiritualité ascétique et mystique 2.1:10–14. c. testore, Enciclopedia cattolica 3:266.
[j. c. willke]