page_title: Alexander Sauli
section_title: Apostle of Corsica (1570–1590)
hierarchical_section_title: Alexander Sauli / Apostle of Corsica (1570–1590)
caption_attribution_description: English: Murato (Corsica) St. Michael Church
context_page_description: Alexander Sauli, C.R.S.P. was an Italian priest who is called the "Apostle of Corsica". He is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1571, he was appointed by Pius V to the ancient see of Aleria, Corsica, where he rebuilt churches, founded colleges and seminaries, and, despite the depredations of corsairs, placed the Church in a flourishing condition.
  In 1591, he was made Bishop of Pavia, and died at Calozza the following year. He left a number of works, chiefly catechetical. He was beatified by Benedict XIV, 23 April 1742, and canonized by Pope Pius X, 11 December 1904. His feast is celebrated on October 11.
context_section_description: Corsica had not seen a bishop in 70 years, and in many ways had fallen into a pitiful condition. Pope Pius V had advised him to bring along to Aleria at least a dozen confreres to help him. But the community could afford only four: three priests, Vincent Corti, Thomas Gambaldi, Francis Stauli, and one Brother, John Battista.
  At the end of April, 1570, Sauli, his four confreres and a few servants landed in Corsica. The first impact was very harsh because the episcopal residence had been destroyed during the war. Seminaries did not yet exist, and in Corsica there were no schools or universities. Only a few priests could be educated in the main land, while the others were learned a little from those who knew a little more.
  On May 18, 1570, the new Bishop wrote to Cardinal Borromeo in Milan Charles describing the deplorable conditions:
  Most Reverend and honorable my Lord:
  It has pleased the Divine Majesty to allow me to reach safe and sound Corsica, and I feel obliged to send you, my reverend greetings and give you news about conditions of my Church of Aleria. ...as I reached Bastia, I had to stop therefore ten days to get the provisions... During that time I received the visit of many of the priests of my diocese. I did not find one who knows Latin, rather many do not even know how to write. I leave to your Illustrious Lordship, to imagine the moral situation here in Corsica, where for a long time there have been wars, where the Bishops did not usually reside in their diocese. My episcopal residence had been the sea and habitation of the guerrilla fighter, Dampiero the Corso, and it has registered more tumults and rebellions than any other section of the island.
  I am still in Corte, a devastated area and in ruins. The Fathers of St. Prahcis have prepared for me two little rooms, ...Nor can I think to stay here, because the Friars have told me that my overstay would cause too much disturbance in their regular observance; and it seems to me that they are right, because there is a continuous come and go of people, and if any one wishes to come to my room, he is forced to cross through the Friars’ refectory.
  What really worries me is that the town is in such ruins and devastation that I am not able to find, what should I say, a house for eighteen people between servants and Fathers that I am taking with me by order of His Holiness, where even two can live. Nor do I have the possibility to build, myself a room, in the Capuchin style, as I have intention to do next year, if God keeps me in life, due to the many expenses I have to face.
  During the year I will take residence in Bastid, where I think to stay until harvest time, since in the present moment there is great scarcity. Then I will start the pastoral visit ...I will try always to keep with me some of the priests to instruct them, in the vernacular, the most necessary things about the administration of the Sacraments, and the salvation of souls.
  ...I close kissing the hands of your Lordship and declare myself a very devout servant. May the Lord God keep you.
  From Corte, May 18, 1570.
  Your Lordship and reverend devout servant, the Bishop of Aleria
  He established himself in precarious and humble dwellings and started immediately the visitation of the whole Diocese, entailing great and severe sacrifices, to bring to all the Word of God "like a beneficial rain that the good Lord sends on a field for long time arid and destroyed." By the end of August he was able to hold a synod with 150 priests present to set up rules and regulations.
  The synod became an annual event of three days. Albert Grozio, the Bishop's secretary wrote: "He took advantage of these days to live heart to heart with his priests who were invited, if they wanted, to live with him at his own expenses. He ate with them, talked with each one of them, and was generous in his charity. To instruct them he used to create cases of conscience, going over liturgical formulas, dogmatic or moral principles, and counciliar and ecclesiastical documents. At the end of the synod most of the priests had to face a most arduous 
caption: Murato,Corsica, St. Michael Church