Alfonso Mistrangelo

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Alfonso Cardinal Mistrangelo
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Florence |

Alfonso Maria Cardinal Mistrangelo, SchP (April 26, 1852—November 7, 1930) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Florence from 1899 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1915.

Biography

Alfonso Mistrangelo was born in Savona, and received the Sacrament of Confirmation on May 17, 1859. He studied at the seminary in Savona before entering the Congregation of the Clerics Poor Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools, more commonly known as the Piarists, on October 23, 1870, in Liguria. Educated at Piarist houses of study from 1870 to 1877, Mistrangelo made his simple profession in 1871, and his solemn profession in 1874.

He received the tonsure and other insignias of the clerical character on February 28, 1875, the subdiaconate on May 13, 1875, and the diaconate on July 18, 1875. Mistrangelo was ordained to the priesthood on March 17, 1877, and then taught at the Piarist schools of Finalborgo, Carcare, and Ovada. In 1880 he became the rector of the Piarist school in Ovada.

On January 16, 1893, Mistrangelo was appointed Bishop of Pontremoli by Pope Leo XIII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 11 from Lucido Cardinal Parocchi, with Archbishop Antonio Grasselli, OFM Conv, and Bishop Luigi Canestrari serving as co-consecrators, in the church of "S. Pantaleone".

Mistrangelo was later promoted to Archbishop of Florence on June 19, 1899, and served as Superior General of the Piarists from 1900 to 1904 as well. Pope Benedict XV created him Cardinal Priest of "S. Maria degli Angeli" in the consistory of December 6, 1915. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 1922 papal conclave, which selected Pope Pius XI.

Cardinal Mistrangelo died from gastric poisoning [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,740722-2,00.html Milestones] November 17, 1930] in Florence, at the age of 78; his tenure as Archbishop lasted for thirty-one years. He is buried in the cemetery of Soffiano.

References

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-m.htm#Mistrangelo Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmist.html Catholic-Hierarchy]