CATALANI, GIUSEPPE. – A celebrated liturgist, born in Paola (Cosenza) to Francesco and Anna Baroni on 14 June 1698. He completed his studies in Naples, where he was ordained a priest in 1723. He was declared a doctor of theology by the Dominican Vincenzo Maria d'Aragona, archbishop of Cosenza. Having gone to Rome, he obtained degrees in canon and civil law. In 1731 Clement XII entrusted him with founding the Corsini College for Italo-Albanians at S. Benedetto Ullano in Calabria. The same Pope proposed the purple to him twice, as did Benedict XIV, who esteemed him very highly; but he firmly refused, preferring to join the Oratory of S. Girolamo della Carità (and not, as many write, the Girolamini). He died in Rome on 10 August 1764 and was buried in S. Maria in Monterone.
His important liturgical writings include: Pontificale romanum prolegomenis et commentariis illustratum (3 vols., Rome 1738–40, Paris 1850, Augsburg 1878); Caeremoniale episcoporum commentariis illustratum (2 vols., Rome 1744, Paris 1860); Sacrarum caeremoniarum sive rituum ecclesiasticorum S. R. Ecclesiae libri tres (2 vols., Rome 1750–1751); De codice S. Evangelii atque servatis in eius tectione et usu variis ritibus (there 1733). His historical activity was equally extensive: De magistro sacri Palatis Apostolici libri duo (there 1751); De secretario S. Congregationis Indicis libros duo (there 1751); Prefazioni critiche antoposte agli Annali d'Italia di L. A. Muratori (there 1754); Sacrosancta concilia oecumenica commentariis illustrata (4 vols., there 1736–59); Collectio conciliorum Hispaniae et Novi Orbis (there 1693).
C. also published: S. Hieronymi Epistolae selectae in tres libros novo ordine distributae (there 1731); Commentaria in Concilia Oecumenica (4 vols., there 1736, 1743, 1758, 1759); Commentaria in Epistolam D. Hieronymi ad Nepotianum (there 1740); Notae in libros s. Joannis Chrysostomi de Sacerdotio (there 1740).