St. Albert of TrapaniSt. Albert of Trapani was a Carmelite hermit and missionary. He was born in Trapani, Sicily, and joined the Carmelite Order. After ordination, he was sent to nearby Messina, where he gathered thousands with his preaching and miracles. After serving as a missionary, Albert entered a monastic hermitage near Messina. He remained there until his death.
Abati; Sicilian: Sant’Albertu di l’Abati; c. 1240 – 7 August 1307) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Carmelites. He practiced great austerities upon himself to make himself poor in the spirit of Jesus Christ and went out preaching and evangelizing.
He was known for working and maintaining a positive relationship with Jews as well as for his powers of healing.
The saint was likewise attributed for the 1301 lifting of the siege in Messina that could have seen hundreds die from starvation had it not been for his intervention.
His beatification received approval in 1454 from Pope Nicholas V, and he was canonized sometime later in mid-1476.
Some sources suggest that Pope Callixtus III canonized the saint on 15 October 1457.
About the Rare First-Class Relic of Saint Albert’s Skull:
Saint Albert’s Water is still blessed and available at many Carmelite monasteries, including within the United States.
This first class relic and reliquary was made to dip into glasses of water, in the hopes for a miracle when people drank the water.
The item is an antique, 18th century, very rare and unusual silver color metal reliquary. It is a tube with an inscription in Portuguese, Reliquia de St. Alberto. Cranio, meaning Relic of St. Albert’s Skull” Inside of it is a pierced container with a handle. Through the holes it is possible to see the relic inside
Size: circa 6.89 x 0.87 inches
Father Kunst purchased this because it is so unique and unusual a relic:
It was made to dip into glasses of water, in the hopes for a miracle when people drank the water. It used to be a common practice, but I had not seen one of these made available before, so I purchased it as a great educational tool. —Father Richard Kunst
