November

Ven. Placido Cortese

Conventual Friar Who Saved Lives in Wartime

Nicolò Cortese was born on the island of Cres in the Adriatic, then part of Austria-Hungary. He entered the minor seminary of the Conventual Franciscans at thirteen, took the name Placido at his profession in 1924 and was ordained a priest in 1930.

For reflection: Placido risked everything to save strangers and would not betray his friends. Courageous love is the most eloquent preaching.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

Bl. Andrew of Palazuelo and Companions

Capuchin Martyrs of Madrid

Miguel González González was born in 1883 in the province of Zamora, Spain. He entered the Capuchins, took the name Andrew of Palazuelo and was ordained a priest in 1908. For many years he taught the young friars at the Capuchin house of studies at El Pardo, near Madrid, and he served as archivist and chronicler of his province. He was a learned and gentle man, much sought after as a spiritual director. When the Spanish Civil War began in July 1936, the Capuchin friaries of Madrid were attacked, and the friars were forced to scatter and hide in the homes of relatives and friends. Many were hunted down.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. Didacus of Alcalá

Lay Brother and Missionary

Didacus, or Diego in Spanish, was born to a poor family in Andalusia. As a young man he lived for some years with a hermit, praying and working with his hands. He then entered the Franciscans as a lay brother.

For reflection: Didacus served without title or learning, in the islands, in Rome and at the friary door. Humble service goes wherever it is needed.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

Bl. John Duns Scotus

The Subtle Doctor

John Duns, called Scotus, “the Scot,” was born in southern Scotland and entered the Franciscans as a young man. He studied and taught at Oxford, Cambridge and Paris, the great universities of his day, and became one of the most brilliant theologians the Church has known. For the precision of his thought he was called the “Subtle Doctor.” Scotus taught that God created the world and became man not merely to repair sin, but out of pure love, so that Christ is the center and purpose of all creation. He defended human freedom and the dignity of each individual person, whom God loves in his or her uniqueness.

For reflection: Scotus gave his brilliant mind to the love of Christ and His Mother. All true learning ends in praise.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. Nicholas Tavelić

Martyr of Jerusalem

Nicholas Tavelić was born to a noble family of Šibenik on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. He entered the Franciscans and was sent with Fr. Deodat of Rodez to preach in Bosnia, where he worked for about twelve years.

For reflection: Nicholas and his brothers spoke of Christ where it was most dangerous. The Gospel is for everyone, everywhere.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

Bl. Mary of the Passion

Foundress of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary

Hélène de Chappotin de Neuville was born to a noble family in Nantes. In 1860 she entered the Poor Clares there, but serious illness forced her to leave. In 1864 she joined the Society of Mary Reparatrix, taking the name Mary of the Passion, and was sent to India. In southern India she proved a gifted leader and was soon made provincial superior. But conflicts in the community led to her departure, together with a group of sisters, in 1876.

For reflection: Mary of the Passion began again after failure and founded a family for the whole world. God writes straight with crooked lines.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Patroness of the Secular Franciscans

Elizabeth was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. At four she was sent to the court of Thuringia, in Germany, to be raised alongside her future husband, Louis, and at fourteen she married him. Their marriage was a happy one, and they had three children. Elizabeth had heard of the friars of St. Francis and was drawn to their poverty. As landgravine she lived simply, gave away food and money, and cared for the sick with her own hands. During a famine she emptied the granaries to feed the poor and built a hospital below the castle of the Wartburg. Her husband supported her charity.

For reflection: Elizabeth was a princess who chose to serve the poor with her own hands. Love is shown in deeds more than in words.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

Bl. Salome of Cracow

Queen and Poor Clare

Salome was the daughter of Leszek the White, Duke of Kraków. As a small child she was betrothed, for political reasons, to Coloman, a son of King Andrew II of Hungary, and she was married to him while still very young. For a time they reigned as king and queen of Galicia, in the lands of today’s western Ukraine. Salome and Coloman agreed to live their marriage in chastity.

For reflection: Salome was a queen who became a poor sister. The greatest dignity is to belong to God.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. Agnes of Assisi

Sister of St. Clare

Catherine was the younger sister of St. Clare. Sixteen days after Clare fled from home to follow Francis in 1212, Catherine followed her to the monastery where Clare was staying.

For reflection: Agnes followed her sister to God and was not parted from her for long. Family bonds can become bonds of holiness.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

Bl. Paschal Fortuño Almela and Companions

Franciscan Martyrs of Valencia

Pascual Fortuño Almela was born in 1886 at Vila-real, near Castellón, in eastern Spain, the town where St. Paschal Baylon had died. He entered the Franciscans in 1905 and was ordained in 1913.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

Bl. Salvatore Lilli and Companions

Martyrs of Armenia

Salvatore Lilli was born in 1853 in the village of Cappadocia, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. He entered the Franciscans in 1870 and was sent to the Holy Land, where he completed his studies and was ordained a priest in Bethlehem in 1878.

For reflection: Salvatore would not leave his people when danger came. The good shepherd stays with his flock.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. Humilis of Bisignano

Unlettered Wise Man

Luca Antonio Pirozzo was born to a farming family in Calabria, in the far south of Italy. He worked on the land and was known from youth for his prayer and devotion to the Eucharist.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. Leonard of Port Maurice

Preacher of the Way of the Cross

Paolo Girolamo Casanova was born on the Ligurian coast of Italy, the son of a sea captain. He studied with the Jesuits in Rome and, drawn to a life of poverty and preaching, entered the Franciscans of the strict observance in 1697, taking the name Leonard.

For reflection: Leonard led thousands to walk with Christ to Calvary. Meditating on the Passion changes hearts.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. Francis Anthony Fasani

“Padre Maestro” of Lucera

Giovanniello Fasani was born to a poor farming family in Lucera, in the region of Apulia. His father died when he was a child. He entered the Conventual Franciscans in his hometown at fifteen, taking the name Francis Anthony.

For reflection: Padre Maestro taught in the classroom and in the prison cell. The best teachers teach by their love.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

St. James of the March

Preacher Across Europe

Domenico Gangale was born in the Marches of Italy, from which he took his name. He studied law at Perugia and worked for a time as a tutor and a magistrate. In 1416 he entered the Franciscans of the Observance at Assisi, taking the name James.

For reflection: James walked across Europe for forty years to preach the Gospel. Love for Christ makes us tireless.

Read more: The Encyclopedia of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds