22 December - Blessed Jacopone da Todi - Independent Catholic News

22 December - Blessed Jacopone da Todi - Independent Catholic News: Italian Franciscan Friar from Umbria. Born in 1230, he wrote many songs of praise and was an early pioneer in Italian theatre, being one of the earliest scholars who dramatised Gospel subjects. Born Jacopo dei Benedetti, he was a member of a noble family. He studied law in Bologna and became a successful lawyer. In his late 20s, he married a young noblewoman, named Vanna, who was a pious and generous woman.