Franciscan saints & blesseds: October 2011 Archives

St Seraphin of Montegranaro.jpg

More of the simple lay friars were made saints than the Capuchin priest friars. I wonder why? But a snippet from a biography on Saint Seraphin may be helpful to get a sense of the man:


In 1556, Felix repeated his request to the provincial minister who admitted him to the novitiate at Jesi, where Felix received the name, Seraphin. Upon his reception into the Order, Seraphin remarked, "I have nothing‹just a crucifix and a rosary‹but with these I hope to benefit the friars and become a saint."


Although he was not totally illiterate, Seraphin could speak about God more eloquently than any theologian. Even the bishop of Ascoli, the eminent theologian, Cardinal Bernerio, sought Seraphin's advice in especially difficult cases. 


With himself, Seraphin was austere. Only once in his life did he accept a new habit, and then, only out of obedience. For 40 continuous years, all he ate was soup or salad. In keeping with the spirituality prevalent at the time, Seraphin had a personal devotion of serving as many eucharistic liturgies as possible.

Saint Francis of Assisi

| | Comments (0)
St Francis of Assisi Andrea diVanni d'Andrea.jpgFrancis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up.

O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and humility, grant that, by walking in Francis' footsteps, we may follow your Son, and, through joyful charity, come to be united with you.

The mystery of the Cross is likely never made more evident in Christianity than through the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. The above prayer, in fact, the new collect for the Roman Missal brings this to bear on us. Francis' life of charity and apostolic zeal effected God's love for all.

The Pope offers a glimpse into the Poor Man of Assisi:

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

Categories

Archives

Humanities Blog Directory

About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the Franciscan saints & blesseds category from October 2011.

Franciscan saints & blesseds: September 2011 is the previous archive.

Franciscan saints & blesseds: February 2012 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.