Born at Castronuovo (today
Castronuovo di Sant'Andrea), a small town in the province of
Potenza, in
Basilicata, his
baptismal name was
Lancelotto, which he changed to
Andrew when he entered the
Order of Theatines. After receiving his elementary training in the school at Castronuovo, he was sent to
Venice to pursue a course in the
humanities and in
philosophy. Being a handsome youth, his chastity was often exposed to danger from female admirers, and to escape their importuning he took ecclesiastical
tonsure. He went to
Naples to study
canon and
civil law, obtained the degree of
Doctor of Laws and was ordained
priest at the age of twenty-six. For some time he held the office of lawyer at the ecclesiastical court of Naples. After completing his novitiate, he obtained permission to visit the tombs of the
Apostles and the Martyrs at
Rome, and, upon his return, was made master of novices. After holding this office for ten years, he was elected superior. His zeal for strict religious discipline and for the purity of the clergy, as well as his deep humility and sincere piety, induced the General of his Order to entrust him with the foundation of two new Theatine houses, one at
Milan and the other at
Piacenza. By his efforts, many more Theatine houses rose up in various dioceses of Italy. As superior of some of these new foundations, he was so successful in converting sinners and heretics by his prudence in the direction of souls and by his eloquent preaching that numerous disciples thronged around him, eager to be under his spiritual guidance. ==Works==