Andrew Corsini

Saint Andrew Corsini was born in Florence on November 30, 1302, into the noble Corsini family. Dedicated to God before his birth, he nevertheless spent his youth in extravagance and vice, grieving his devout mother. Her firm rebuke became the turning point of his life: Andrew went to the Carmelite church of Santa Maria del Carmine and chose the hidden path of repentance, entering the Carmelites in 1318. Ordained a priest in 1328, he embraced deep mortification and a life of prayer, even offering his first Mass quietly in a hermitage. Gifted as a preacher and formed by study in Paris and Avignon, he returned to Florence to serve as prior and later as provincial for Tuscany, earning the title “Apostle of Florence.” In 1349 he was appointed Bishop of Fiesole, a burden he accepted only with reluctance and greater austerity. As bishop he became a peacemaker among rival factions, a father to the poor, and a reformer of clergy. Miracles were reported at his tomb, and he is honored as patron of Pino Torinese. His feast day is January 6.