Feast of San Renato di Sorrento

San Renato di Sorrento, ora pro nobis

October 6th is the feast of St. Renato of Sorrento, one of the co-patron saints of the city. Little is known with certainty about his life, but tradition places him in the fifth century and remembers him first as a hermit, living in prayer and solitude in the Sorrentine Peninsula. His reputation for holiness eventually led the local community to choose him as its bishop.

The site associated with Renato later became an important religious center, and the primitive Cathedral of Sorrento stood near the ancient monastery that bore his name. His cult is attested from at least the early Middle Ages, when he and St. Valerio were already invoked as protectors of Sorrento. Relics traditionally identified as those of the two saints were discovered there in 1603.

During the Middle Ages, Renato’s story became intertwined with that of St. René of Angers, giving rise to later traditions identifying the two saints. Modern scholarship, however, cannot establish that they were the same person. The Roman Martyrology commemorates Renato simply as bishop of Sorrento in Campania. Evviva San Renato!

In celebration of his feast, we offer this prayer:

O Holy St. Renatus, faithful confessor of the faith and ancient shepherd of the Church in Sorrento, you dedicated your life to prayer and the service of God. We ask for your powerful intercession today. Pray for us, that we may stand firm in our Christian faith amidst the trials and confusions of the world. Obtain for us the grace to live with courage, love, and unwavering devotion to our Lord, Jesus Christ.