a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

Church of Saint Sulpicius, Paris

“Whatever a man prefers to God, that he makes a god to himself.”


Today, September 16, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Cyprian (died 258), Bishop of Carthage, and Martyr for the Faith. Saint Cyprian is remembered for his importance in the development of Christian thought and practice, especially in northern Africa. His sermons and writings, extant today, continue to inspire us. His principal works, which are respected and valued as those of a Church Father, included: On the Unity of the Church; On Apostates; a collection of Letters; The Lord's Prayer; On the Value of Patience. Saint Jerome said of him: "It is superfluous to speak of his greatness, for his works are more luminous than the sun."

Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus was born in Carthage, an African of noble birth, and the son of a Roman senator. While little is known of his life prior to the year 246, history tells us that he taught rhetoric, and was well-respected. In 246, however, Cyprian discovered the truth of Christianity through a friend—a priest who had converted late in life—and himself was converted and subsequently consecrated and ordained a priest. He immediately gave up all his possessions to those in need, and publicly made a vow of chastity to the astonishment of those who had known him. Only two years later, following a time of great preaching and consolidating of the faith in Carthage, Saint Cyprian found himself recognized as Bishop of the city

Cyprian led his city with vigor and zeal. He was an energetic shepherd of souls and a prolific writer, seeming never to tire, and fighting for the salvation and conversion of all he encountered. Similarly, Saint Cyprian recognized his own sinfulness and weakness, working to stamp out his pride over his accomplishments, and his love of the pleasures of his former life of frivolity. He defended the unity of the Church against schismatic movements in Africa and Italy, and greatly influenced the shaping of Church discipline relative to reinstating Christians who had apostatized.

When the persecution of Christians under the direction of Emperor Decius began, Saint Cyprian was the object of a search by the pagans wanting to disorganize the flock. He fled the city of Carthage, securing a hidden retreat, and from there continued to minister to the needs of his flock via epistles and the Sacraments. He assured the Christian burial of the martyrs suffering under Decius, and arranged for the needs of the poor and those stripped of their possessions during the persecution. When plague struck, Cyprian came out of hiding to minister to the sick and dying. He encouraged Christians everywhere to help the sick—not only their fellow Christians, but those who persecuted them as well. His fellow priests and bishops encouraged him to return to his place of secrecy, for fear he would be captured.

Saint Cyprian maintained a rigorous discipline of the mind and body, fasting, prayer, and penance. He expected the same from others, especially those who had apostatized to avoid persecution. Cyprian maintained a hard line, backed by Rome, greatly developing the Sacrament of Penance as a result. With the succession of emperor Valerian to the Roman throne, Saint Cyprian was free to come out of hiding. He continued to lead his flock for several years, until he was banished by the emperor.

Saint Cyprian was exiled fifty miles outside the city, and while there, learned by a supernatural vision that he was to be martyred. Upon hearing the news, he responded, “Thanks be to God,” and was ready to return to the city to stand trial when summoned. There, when he refused to recant his faith, he was sentenced to death outside the city. Saint Cyprian refused, however, to leave, insisting that he be martyred surrounded by crowds of faithful. It is said that the executioner grew so scared of the public’s reaction to his duty, that Cyprian paid him his fee as a means of encouraging him.

Saint Cyprian was beheaded in 258. His decade of Christian fellowship and stewardship had a profound influence on the development of the Church in northern Africa, and later, through his writings, across the globe. Even his death was a testament to his modeling of the faith, with a large number of pagans converting upon the spot. He received a public and solemn burial, and was mourned by all of Carthage—Christian and pagan alike.

The feast day of Saint Cyprian is shared with the feast of Pope Saint Cornelius (see here), his dear friend. Below, an excerpt from a letter written by Cyprian to Cornelius:

“Dearest brother, bright and shining is the faith which the blessed Apostle praised in your community. He foresaw in the spirit the praise your courage deserves and the strength that could not be broken; he was heralding the future when he testified to your achievements; his praise to the fathers was a challenge to the sons. Your unity, your strength have become shining examples of these virtues to the rest of the brethren.


Divine providence has now prepared us. God’s merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand. By that shared love which binds us closely together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common. These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defenses, the God-given armaments that protect us.


Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart. Let us pray without ceasing, you for us, we for you; by the love we share we shall thus relieve the strain of these great trials.”



From the Acts of the Martyrdom of Saint Cyprian by Saint Pontius:

“On the morning of the 14th of September, a great crowd gathered at the Villa Sexti, in accordance with the order of the governor Galerius Maximus. That same day the governor commanded Bishop Cyprian to be brought before him for trial. After Cyprian was brought in, the governor asked him, “Are you Thascius Cyprian?” The bishop replied, “Yes, I am.” The governor Galerius Maximus said, “You have set yourself up as an enemy of the gods of Rome and our religious practices. You have been discovered as the author and leader of these heinous crimes, and will consequently be held forth as an example for all those who have followed you in your crime. By your blood the law shall be confirmed.” Next he read the sentence from a tablet. “It is decided that Cyprian should die by the sword.” Cyprian responded, “Thanks be to God!” After the sentence was passed, a crowd of his fellow Christians said, “We should also be killed with him!” There arose an uproar among the Christians, and a great mob followed after him. Cyprian was then brought out to the grounds of the Villa Sexti, where, taking off his outer cloak and kneeling on the ground, he fell before the Lord in prayer. He removed his dalmatic and gave it to the deacons, and then stood erect while waiting for the executioner. When the executioner arrived, Cyprian told his friends to give the man 25 gold pieces. The most Blessed martyr Cyprian suffered on the 14th of September under the emperors Valerian and Gallienus, in the reign of our true Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong honor and glory for ever. Amen.”




Select Writings of Saint Cyprian:

“You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother…. God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body…. If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace.”

“We say ‘Hallowed be thy Name,’ not that we want God to be made holy by our prayers, but because we seek from the Lord that his Name may be made holy in us, … so that we who have been made holy in Baptism may persevere in what we have begun to be.”

“The episcopate is a single whole in which each bishop’s share gives him a right to, and a responsibility for, the whole. So is the Church a single whole, though she spreads far and wide into a multitude of Churches… If you leave the Church of Christ you will not come to Christ’s rewards, you will be an alien, an outcast, an enemy. You cannot have God for your Father unless you have the Church for your Mother.”

“Prayer with us is public and common and when we pray we do not pray for one but for the whole people because we the whole people are one.”

“Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides of death always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy.”

“God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body.... If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace”

“You who are envious, let me tell you that however often you may seek for the opportunity of injuring him whom you hate, you will never be able to do him so much harm as you do harm to yourselves. He whom you would punish through the malice of your envy, may probably escape, but you will never be able to fly from yourselves. Wherever you may be your adversary is with you, your sin rankles within. It must be a self-willed evil to persecute a person whom God has taken under the protection of His grace; it becomes an irremedial sin to hate a man whom God wishes to make happy. Envy is as prolific as it is hurtful; it is the root of all evil, the source of endless disorder and misery, the cause of most sins that are committed. Envy gives birth to hatred and animosity. From it avarice is begotten, for it sees with an evil eye honors and emoluments heaped upon a stranger, and thinks that such honors should have been, by right, bestowed upon himself. From envy comes contempt of God, and of the salutary precepts of our Savior. The envious man is cruel, proud, unfaithful, impatient, and quarrelsome; and, what is strange, when this vice gains the mastery, he is no longer master of himself, and he is unable to correct his many faults. If the bond of peace is broken, if the rights of fraternal charity are violated, if truth is altered or disguised, it is often envy that hurries him on to crime. What happiness can such a man enjoy in this world? To be envious or jealous of another, because such a one is virtuous and happy, is to hate in him the graces and blessings God has showered down upon him. Does he not punish himself when he sees the success and welfare of others? Does he not draw down upon himself tortures from which there is no respite? Are not his thoughts, his mind, constantly on the rack? He pitilessly punishes himself, and, in his heart, performs the same cruel office which Divine Justice reserves for the chastisement of the greatest criminal.”



O holy God,
who didst bring Cyprian to faith in Christ
and didst make him a bishop in the Church,
crowning his witness with a martyr’s death:
grant that, following his example,
we may love the Church and her doctrine,
find thy forgiveness within her fellowship,
and so come to share the heavenly banquet
which thou hast prepared for us;
through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.





Year 2: Day 257 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Zeal for the Lord; Courage to hold true to our faith
Requested Intentions: Clear speech for a child (C); Conversion of a family (A); Successful employment (S); For the healing of impaired vision (F); For a couple experiencing difficulties (L); Successful employment after finishing college (M); Mother’s health (A); Financial security, freedom from anxiety (S); For a son and cousins (L); Peace and civility (B); Successful examination results (D); Safety of family, strength, courage, wisdom (C); For the souls of a departed father and brother, finding of a suitable marriage partner (R); Successful pilgrimage, deepening of prayer life (R); Restoration of health (J); Restoration of health (S); Freedom from pride (A); For children and marriage (M); For the birth of a healthy baby (Y); For personal family intentions, for the sick, poor, hungry, and homeless (G); Financial security and peace (J); Grace, peace, and obedience to the will of God in a marriage (H); Successful and blessed marriage for sin, freedom from anxiety for husband, spiritual contentedness for family (N); Employment and health for a husband (B); Recovery and health of a mother (J); For a family to grow closer to the Church, salvation for all children (D); Successful employment (L); Successful employment (S); Renewal of faith life (A); Support for an intended marriage, health for friend and aunt (J); Mental health assistance for son (G); Freedom from illness (S); Successful employment (C).

Today, July 14, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Francis Solano (1549-1610), Confessor, missionary, and “Wonder Worker of the New World.” Saint Francis lived a life of tireless service, and earned the respect, love, and recognition of all he encountered. Throughout all he did—including countless miracles—his zeal for the conversion of souls never waned, nor did his humility. Gentle, humble, and virtuous, Saint Francis remains an inspiration to us today, reminding us through quiet witness the world can be changed for the better.


Francis Solano was born in Montilla, in the province of Andalusia, to devout and well-respected parents. His mother, who attributed his conception and birth to the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, requested he receive this holy name at baptism. Educated by the Jesuits, he excelled at academic studies. A joy to his parents, Francis was the epitome of modesty, gentleness, and virtue, which earned him the respect of both his peers and teachers.

At the age of 20 Francis entered the Friars Minor. There, his supervisor needed to keep careful watch over him, to keep his zealous and strict penances and mortifications in check. In everything he did, Francis chose the worst for himself—eating little, sleeping on the floor, wearing rough clothing—and spent the greater part of each night in prayer and meditative contemplation of the Lord.

Francis completed his studies and was ordained to the priesthood, proving his zeal for the salvation of souls during an epidemic of the plague that broke out in the region. With little concern for his own health or safety, Francis ministered to the sick and dying, eventually becoming infected himself. Miraculously restored to health, Francis continued his ministry, with many beginning to regard him as a saint, even while alive. When people began speaking of him with the greatest of respect and reverence, Francis requested to be reassigned—to Africa on mission—lest he lose his humility.

His superiors, however, had a different plan in mind for Saint Francis—the New World. Francis was sent to South America with several members of the Order, assigned to the provinces of Tucuman (Argentina), Gran Chaco (Bolivia), and Paraguay. Obediently, Francis accepted his assignment, never complaining about the countless hardships the missionaries encountered. Concentrating on the indigenous peoples of the regions, Francis approached the Indians so courteously and kindly that they rejoiced at his very appearance. He learned the difficult native languages in a very short time, and he was miraculously understood wherever he went, even in those places which he visited for the first time.

Saint Francis was further gifted with the extraordinary power over the hearts of others. On one occasion, when he was in the city of La Rioja, a mass of thousands of armed Indians approached the city to slay all Europeans and Christianized Indians. Courageously, Francis went out to meet them alone. He spoke eloquently, his words softening their hearts and disarming them of their weapons and ill intent. All understood what he said although they spoke different languages. They begged him for instructions, and 9,000 were baptized.

Other miracles attributed to Saint Francis included laying his cloak on roaring streams, which would allow him safe passage, or using his mantle to sail across difficult waters to the opposite shore. He calmed wild animals with his gentle demeanor, and by placing his cord around their neck. Once when a swarm of wild locusts came up and hovered like a black cloud over the fields of the poor Indians, threatening to devastate the entire harvest, he commanded that none of them should land, and at once the swarm moved on to the mountains. Such miracles and benefits opened to him the hearts of all he encountered, who only felt love for this humble, gentle man.

During the holy season of Christmas, Saint Francis gathered his congregation around the crib, and taught them to sing the most beautiful hymns to the Christ Child while he himself accompanied them on the violin. He often cheered the sick with song and music. Once he was seen sitting under a tree, playing his beloved violin, and the birds flocked about him and sang along. He was further devoted to Our Blessed Mother, whom he praised daily in song and prayer.

After Father Francis had labored 12 years among the Indians, he was re-assigned to the Monastery at Lima, Peru, where he led the Christians of Lima away from wanton laxity, back to the tenets of the faith. Saint Francis processed through the city, calling aloud for the repentance of the inhabitants, and they were—one by one—moved to repent , receive Reconciliation, enact penances, and pray for mercy. Through his efforts and model, the city was restored.

After twenty years of tireless labor and miracle-working in South America, Saint Francis died, and was reunited with his Lord. His last words, uttered while his brethren celebrated the Mass—at the moment of the Consecration—were, “Glory to God.” The viceroy and the most distinguished persons of Lima bore the body of the poor Friar Minor to the grave. Numerous miracles—including the raising of several dead children—were reported at his tomb side. The last of the North American missions (in modern-day California) was named for him by the Franciscans, and the Church can still be visited today.



O God, who through St. Francis Solano did lead many of the nations of America to the bosom of Thy holy Church, turn away Thine anger from us through his intercession and merits, and in Thy mercy impart to the nations who still do not know Thee the fruits of Thy holy name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.



Year 2: Day 195 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Zeal and humility
Requested Intentions: Healing of a heart and relationship (V); Employment for daughter (J); For a marriage that glorifies the Lord (K); Resolution of family situation, parents’ health (A); Positive results (C); For a son’s employment, faith, and relationships (S); Restored family relationships (A); Healthy conception and delivery of children (J); For a girlfriend’s recovery from a debilitating mental illness (J); For a daughter’s successful examination results (A); Occupational success, health and safety of family (S); Reduction in anxiety for husband, financial freedom (S); Healing for a sister-in-law (J); For a family experiencing a difficult child custody case (M); Reunification of a family struggling with separation (M): For a son struggling with mental illness (M); Successful examination results (B); To be freed from the chains of sin (J); Admission to a good university (M); For successful surgery (T); For a mother’s mental health and for kindness and forgiveness, for housing problems, for dental health (T); For the soul of a departed friend (X); Restoration of health (D); Successful employment for couple (N); For employment for children (K); For health of friend, for successful relationships for children, for safe pregnancy for daughter (C); For the health of a mother (J); Virtue for daughter (V); Successful acceptance to college for nephew (M); For the health of a cousin (T); Freedom from legal difficulties for husband (S); Husband’s freedom from illness (L).

Today, July 8, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Priscilla (first century), wife of Aquila, and disciple and friend of Saint Paul. Priscilla and Aquila were a Jewish couple who had been exiled to Corinth, and hosted Saint Paul on his visit to that city. Likely converted by Saint Paul, they are later mentioned in the New Testament several times as “co-workers in Christ” and went on to preach and evangelize throughout the region. Holy legend tells us that Saint Priscilla was martyred by an angry mob at the end of her holy life.


3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. (Romans 16: 3-4)


19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. (1 Corinthians 16:19-20)

Saints Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers, sharing the same profession as Saint Paul, which is likely why he stayed with them. Priscilla and Aquila had likely been exiled from Rome by the order of Emperor Claudius who forbade Jews to live within the city walls. Following his time in Corinth, we learn in Acts of the Apostles that the holy couple—who Paul likely converted—accompanied him to Ephesus and worked alongside him for three years. It was in their home that Mass was likely celebrated.

1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.


18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. (Acts 18: 1-3; 18-19)

Upon Saint Paul’s departure, Aquila and Priscilla stayed behind, where they continued the work of the Lord.

24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. (Acts 18: 24-26)

Saints Priscilla and Aquila, as evident in the writings of Saint Paul, later met up with Paul in Rome, where they were likely martyred around the same time as Saint Paul. Catacombs in Rome are named for Saint Priscilla, where many holy men and women are buried.

It is interesting to note that Aquila and Priscilla are mentioned six times throughout the New Testament, and in half of those references, Aquila is listed first, whereas in the other half, Priscilla is mentioned first. This is likely indicative of Paul’s love of both, and his consideration of their being on equal terms in ministry and the eyes of the Lord. It is clear from the descriptions of this holy couple that Saint Priscilla was an effective teacher and evangelist without usurping or undermining her husband's ecclesial authority.



God of grace and might, we praise thee for thy servants Priscilla and Aquila, whom thou didst plenteously endow with gifts of zeal and eloquence to make known the truth of the Gospel. Raise up, we pray thee, in every country, heralds and evangelists of thy kingdom, that the world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Year 2: Day 189 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Zeal and Eloquence
Requested Intentions: For a daughter’s successful examination results (A); Occupational success, health and safety of family (S); Reduction in anxiety for husband, financial freedom (S); Healing for a sister-in-law (J); For a family experiencing a difficult child custody case (M); Reunification of a family struggling with separation (M): For a son struggling with mental illness (M); Successful examination results (B); To be freed from the chains of sin (J); Admission to a good university (M); For successful surgery (T); For a mother’s mental health and for kindness and forgiveness, for housing problems, for dental health (T); For the soul of a departed friend (X); Restoration of health (D); Successful employment for couple (N); For employment for children (K); For health of friend, for successful relationships for children, for safe pregnancy for daughter (C); For the health of a mother (J); Virtue for daughter (V); Successful acceptance to college for nephew (M); For the health of a cousin (T); Freedom from legal difficulties for husband (S); Husband’s freedom from illness (L).

Today, July 7, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Palladius (died 450), the first bishop of the Church in Ireland, and apostle to the Scots. Saint Palladius preceded Saint Patrick, paving the way for mass conversion of the green isle.


Saint Palladius was born in Rome, and is likely to have lived there, serving the Roman community for the majority of his adult life. He is known to have been married, and with his wife raised a daughter. Drawn to the contemplative life, however, he secluded himself from his family, and lived as an ascetic in Sicily, allowing his daughter to be raised by nuns in a convent on that island.

Rejoining Roman society, Saint Palladius was ordained a priest in 415, and was eventually elevated to Archdeacon of the Roman Church under Pope Celestine. In this role, he advised and encouraged the pope to send the Bishop Germanus to Britain, where he guided “the Britons back to the Catholic faith.”

Given the success of Bishop Germanus, Palladius himself was sent as the first Bishop to the Irish by Pope Celestine in the year 430. He had a difficult time, as a contemporary described: “God hindered him…and neither did those fierce and cruel men receive his doctrine readily, nor did he himself wish to spend time in a strange land, but returned to him who sent him.”

For twenty years, Saint Palladius labored in Ireland and Scotland, particularly around Leinster and Mearns. While he had little luck in Ireland, founding only three churches in his time, his foundational work is said to have prepared the countries for the arrival of Saint Patrick. Saint Palladius has considerably more success in Scotland, forming a considerable church, preaching with great zeal, and bringing many to the faith. He is referred to as the First Apostle to the Scots for this reason.

Church of Saint Palladius

Saint Palladius died at cell Fine (near modern-day Killeen), where his books, writings, and relics of Saints Peter and Paul were discovered. A church bearing his name remains.

While we know little of the life of Saint Palladius, we recognize the courage and zeal required for one to leave a home, travel to a distant land, and preach to an unwelcoming population. We pray today for that same courage and zeal, for the Word of God, and for those who have yet to hear it and believe.



Year 2: Day 188 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Zeal for the Word of God
Requested Intentions: For a daughter’s successful examination results (A); Occupational success, health and safety of family (S); Reduction in anxiety for husband, financial freedom (S); Healing for a sister-in-law (J); For a family experiencing a difficult child custody case (M); Reunification of a family struggling with separation (M): For a son struggling with mental illness (M); Successful examination results (B); To be freed from the chains of sin (J); Admission to a good university (M); For successful surgery (T); For a mother’s mental health and for kindness and forgiveness, for housing problems, for dental health (T); For the soul of a departed friend (X); Restoration of health (D); Successful employment for couple (N); For employment for children (K); For health of friend, for successful relationships for children, for safe pregnancy for daughter (C); For the health of a mother (J); Virtue for daughter (V); Successful acceptance to college for nephew (M); For the health of a cousin (T); Freedom from legal difficulties for husband (S); Husband’s freedom from illness (L).

“Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel. This is what St. Paul says to the Corinthians, ‘Clearly you are a letter of Christ which I have delivered, a letter written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh in the heart’ (2 Corinthians 3:3). Our heart is the parchment; through my ministry the Holy Spirit is the writer because ‘my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe’ (Psalm 45:1)." (from a sermon by Saint Joseph of Leonessa)

Today, February 4, we celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph of Leonessa (Giovanni da Leonessa, 1556-1612), missionary, friar, and confessor. Saint Joseph is known for his brave and tireless preaching throughout Europe and Muslim lands, sacrificing his own comfort and safety to bring the Word of God to those in need.

Born Eufranio Desiderio in Leonessa, Italy, a small town in Umbria, Joseph demonstrated considerable piety and devotion from infancy. As soon as he was old enough to move about, Joseph spent his days erecting alters and praying before them, encouraging his play companions to join him in his daily exhortations. The third of eight children, he and his siblings were doubly orphaned when Joseph was just 12 years old. His uncle, a teacher in nearby Viterbo, undertook the care and education of Joseph.

Joseph, while living in the care of his uncle, continued in his religious development, feeling the call of the Lord to religious life growing within him. His uncle, however, had arranged a suitable marriage for him, and upon his sixteenth birthday made arrangements for the wedding to occur. Joseph fell ill with fever, and upon recovering, petitioned the Capuchin reform of the Franciscan Order to enter. He was approved and made his novitiate in the convent near Assisi, taking the name Joseph. From his entrance into the Order, he exemplified a single-minded resolve to reach what he called "the inexpressible joy of being a son of St. Francis."

Saint Joseph of Leonessa with Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Joseph became known for his abstinence and austere embrace of life. He referred to himself as “Brother Ass,” saying to his hungry body: "there is no need to feed thee as a noble horse would be fed; thou must be content to be a poor ass." In 1599, the year before his Jubilee year, he fasted for the entire year in preparation of receiving an indulgence. Saint Joseph preached and traveled with fellow Capuchin friar, Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, until the latter’s martyrdom.

At the age of 31, Saint Joseph was dispatched to Constantinople, with the intent of ministering to the Christians help captive in Muslim lands. Following a dangerous journey, Saint Joseph took residence in a run-down lodging of Benedictine monks, living in abject poverty, and ministering to those in need. The example of Saint Joseph and his companions attracted the attention of the Turks, who visited the new missionaries in great numbers. Saint Joseph, despite prohibitions, ministered to the captive Christians and preached in the town squares each day, until his arrest.

Upon release, this zealous holy man sought audience with the Sultan, to preach the Good News in his court. Joseph was captured and condemned to death for his audacity, and was hung by metal hooks through his right hand and foot on the gallows over a smoky fire. There he remained, alive, for three days until (as Holy Legend recounts) he was miraculously freed by an angel.

For reasons of safety and recovery, Joseph was recalled to Italy, and spent the remainder of his days traveling and preaching throughout the region, continuing his missionary work, and living with the same spirit of poverty. He would preach and celebrate Mass six or seven times a day, and became known by his brothers as the “Companion Killer” as the brothers assigned to accompany him generally tired and succumbed to the rigor of his zealous pace.

Saint Joseph also spent considerable time and energy in feeding, clothing, and caring for the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned. He cultivated a garden from which to harvest food for those in need, washed the clothes of the poor by hand, cut their hair, and ministered to their spiritual needs. Never tiring, Joseph established hospitals, homeless shelters, and food banks throughout Italy. With his crucifix in hand, he would wade into gang fights and brawls, praying, and preaching peace and good sense. His nephew, also a Capuchin, praised his zeal, saying, "Wherever he found hatred and quarrels he went there in hope of restoring peace. He paid no heed to storms, snow, impossible roads. Exhorting, ’Lord make me an instrument of your peace!’ and clutching the crucifix to his heart or raising it to the heavens, no one could resist him.”

When Joseph reached the end of his days, he asked to be transported to Leonessa. There, he made his goodbyes with family and friends, and raised his crucifix to bless his home town. He was taken to Amatrice, to see his nephew, and too weak to recite the Divine Office, is said to have prayed: "Today is a Saturday dedicated to Mary. Like Francis, I will be happy to die on this day. Holy Mary, help the suffering." Dying peacefully, his relics are enshrined in Leonessa.

Saint Joseph suffered illness, poverty, and exhaustion throughout his life, never ceasing in his efforts to bring the peace of Christ to those around him. He embraced his suffering, contemplating the wounds of Christ, and frequently exclaiming, "When we suffer anything we give proof of our love." We look to Saint Joseph of Leonessa as a shining example of the union of joy and suffering made manifest by Our Lord on the cross, and the experience of Our Blessed Mother throughout her life. May we, like this holy saint, embrace our own personal sufferings as bringing us closer to our risen Lord, and for expiation of the sins of the world.



Almighty God,
You made Saint Joseph an illustrious preacher of the gospel.
Through his prayers inflame us with love
and with his zeal for souls that we may serve You alone.
Amen.




Year 2: Day 35 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Zeal for the Lord; Joy in our Sufferings.
Requested Intentions: Successful employment (N): Freedom from mental illness for a friend (L); For successful marriage (N); For friends having and recovering from surgery; for the reduction of a brain tumor (L); For resolution of a housing crisis (P); For a brother who is struggling financially, for a son who is struggling academically (B); For financial security for a friend (C); Success in business; familial happiness and health (J); Health and recovery of a sister (I); Development of a chaste relationship pleasing to the Lord (E); Successful surgery of mother; delivery of daughters’ babies (L); For a friend suffering with depression (M); For a friend entering religious life (R); Success of a parish men’s retreat (H); For a mother who is grieving; for the soul of a dearly departed son (M); Reconciliation of a marriage (M); End to grief after death of son (B&C); End to grief (S); Successful marriage (N); For an RCIA candidate struggling with financial and family stressors (O); Freedom from anxiety regarding medical procedure (J); Return home of an ill mother, peace and financial security (J); Healing of a father following stroke (S).