Francis de Geronimo

Francesco de Geronimo, also Francis Jerome (17 December 1642 – 11 May 1716) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Jesuits. He was an energetic pastor who dedicated himself to missions across Naples either in large locations or in rural areas where he was known for succinct and concise preaching that resonated with all people regardless of their social status. But from his love for the missions came a desire to be in the Far East for missions; he was pained when he was not allowed to join the Jesuit mission in Japan or India but continued to dedicate himself to preaching and teaching students. He is known to have written the "Diu vi Salvi Regina" which later was adopted as the national anthem of an independent Corsica in 1735.

Life Francesco de Geronimo was born in Grottaglie on 17 December 1642 as the eldest of eleven children to Giovanni Leonardo di Geronimo and Gentilesca Gravina.

Writings Francesco de Geronimo wrote little. Some of his letters have been used in biographical works and cited by other authors. The archives of the Jesuits contain a voluminous collection of his sermons.

The account he wrote to his superiors of the fifteen most laborious years of his ministry dates from October 1693. He called it Brevi notizie della cose di gloria di Dio accadute negli exercizi delle sacri missioni di Napoli da quindici anni in quâ, quanto si potuto richiamare in memoria. Giuseppe Boero published it in S. Francesco di Girolamo, e le sue missioni dentro e fuori di Napoli, p. 67-181 (Florence, 1882).