September

13 Franciscan feasts in September.

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2Sep

Bls. John Francis Burté, Apollinaris of Posat, Severin Girault and Companions

The September Martyrs of Paris

By the summer of 1792 the French Revolution had turned violently against the Church. Priests who refused to take the oath to the new state-controlled Church were arrested by the hundreds in Paris and held in makeshift prisons, among them the former Carmelite monastery on the rue de Vaugirard.

For reflection: These martyrs were asked to sign a paper, and they would not. Small compromises can be the first steps away from Christ.

Dates

Martyrs: Three Franciscans among nearly two hundred priests and religious
Died: September 2, 1792, Paris
Beatified: October 17, 1926, by Pope Pius XI
Orders: First Order and Third Order Regular

4Sep

St. Rose of Viterbo

Young Preacher of Penance

Rose was born to a poor family in Viterbo, north of Rome. As a small child she was known for her prayer and her love of the poor. When she was about ten, after a serious illness, she had a vision of the Virgin Mary, who told her to wear the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis and to call the people of Viterbo to penance.

For reflection: Rose was a child with a crucifix, and a whole city listened. God can speak powerfully through the young.

Dates

Born: c. 1233, Viterbo, Italy
Died: March 6, 1251, Viterbo
Order: Secular Franciscan (Third Order)
Canonized: 1457, by Pope Callistus III

10Sep

Bl. Agnellus of Pisa

Founder of the Franciscans in England

Agnellus was born in Pisa and, according to tradition, was received into the Order by St. Francis himself when Francis passed through the city. He was later sent to Paris, where he served as guardian of the friars.

For reflection: Agnellus arrived in a strange land with eight brothers and nothing else. Trust in God is the foundation of every lasting work.

Dates

Born: c. 1195, Pisa, Italy
Died: May 7, 1236, Oxford, England
Order: Friars Minor (First Order)
Beatified: Cult confirmed 1882, by Pope Leo XIII

11Sep

Bl. Bonaventure of Barcelona

Founder of Retreat Houses in Rome

Miguel Bautista Gran was born in Catalonia to a farming family. At eighteen, to please his father, he married, but his wife died within a few months. Free to follow his own call, he entered the Franciscans in 1640 as a lay brother and took the name Bonaventure.

For reflection: A widowed farmer’s son became a counselor to popes. God raises up the humble.

Dates

Born: November 24, 1620, Riudoms, Spain
Died: September 11, 1684, Rome
Order: Friars Minor (First Order)
Beatified: June 14, 1906, by Pope Pius X

18Sep

St. Joseph of Cupertino

The Flying Friar

Joseph Desa was born in a stable in southern Italy, his family having lost their home to creditors. He was a slow, awkward, absent-minded boy, and he failed at every trade he tried. The Conventual Franciscans would not accept him, and the Capuchins took him as a lay brother but sent him away after eight months.

Dates

Born: June 17, 1603, Cupertino, Italy
Died: September 18, 1663, Osimo, Italy
Order: Conventual Franciscans (First Order)
Beatified: 1753, by Pope Benedict XIV
Canonized: July 16, 1767, by Pope Clement XIII

19Sep

St. Francis Mary of Camporosso

“Padre Santo” of Genoa

Giovanni Croese was born to a farming family in Liguria, near the French border. He worked as a shepherd and on his family’s land as a boy. At eighteen he asked to join the Capuchins and was received as a lay brother, taking the name Francis Mary.

Dates

Born: December 27, 1804, Camporosso, Italy
Died: September 17, 1866, Genoa
Order: Capuchin Friars Minor (First Order)
Beatified: June 30, 1929, by Pope Pius XI
Canonized: December 9, 1962, by Pope John XXIII

22Sep

St. Ignatius of Santhià

Confessor and Novice Master

Lorenzo Maurizio Belvisotti was born in Piedmont, in northern Italy. He was ordained a diocesan priest in 1710 and soon gained a reputation as a capable and devoted pastor. He was offered a comfortable position as a parish priest, but he felt called to a life of poverty. In 1716, at about thirty, he entered the Capuchins, taking the name Ignatius. He served as sacristan, then for many years as novice master, guiding the young friars with kindness and firmness.

Dates

Born: June 5, 1686, Santhià, Italy
Died: September 22, 1770, Turin
Order: Capuchin Friars Minor (First Order)
Beatified: April 17, 1966, by Pope Paul VI
Canonized: May 19, 2002, by Pope John Paul II

23Sep

St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Padre Pio,” Capuchin Priest and Confessor

Francesco Forgione was born to a poor farming family in southern Italy. He entered the Capuchins at fifteen, taking the name Pio, and was ordained a priest in 1910. Frequent illness kept him at home with his family for years.

For reflection: Padre Pio said, “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” His simple counsel still brings peace.

Dates

Born: May 25, 1887, Pietrelcina, Italy
Died: September 23, 1968, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
Order: Capuchin Friars Minor (First Order)
Beatified: May 2, 1999, by Pope John Paul II
Canonized: June 16, 2002, by Pope John Paul II

24Sep

St. Pacificus of San Severino

Patient Sufferer

Carlo Antonio Divini was born in the Marches of Italy and was orphaned as a small child. He was raised by an uncle who treated him harshly, more as a servant than a nephew.

Dates

Born: March 1, 1653, San Severino, Italy
Died: September 24, 1721, San Severino
Order: Friars Minor (First Order)
Beatified: August 4, 1786, by Pope Pius VI
Canonized: May 26, 1839, by Pope Gregory XVI

26Sep

St. Elzéar of Sabran

Nobleman, Husband and Peacemaker

Elzéar was born to a noble family in Provence, in southern France, and was raised in part by an uncle who was abbot of the monastery of St. Victor in Marseille. As a boy he was betrothed to Delphine of Glandèves, and they were married when he was about fifteen.

For reflection: Elzéar and Delphine made their home a school of holiness. Married love, too, can be a path to God.

Dates

Born: 1285, Provence, France
Died: September 27, 1323, Paris
Order: Secular Franciscan (Third Order)
Canonized: 1369, by Pope Urban V

26Sep

Bl. Delphine of Glandèves

Wife and Franciscan Tertiary

Delphine was born to a noble family of Provence and was orphaned young. As a girl she privately vowed her virginity to God. When she was betrothed and married to Elzéar of Sabran, she confided her vow to him, and together they chose to live in perpetual chastity while sharing a life of faith and service.

For reflection: Delphine lived her vow with her husband and then alone in poverty. Faithfulness can take many forms through the seasons of life.

Dates

Born: c. 1284, Provence, France
Died: November 26, 1360, Apt, France
Order: Secular Franciscan (Third Order)
Status: Honored as Blessed since the fourteenth century

26Sep

Bl. Aurelio of Vinalesa and Companions

Capuchin Martyrs of Valencia

José Ample Alcaide was born at Vinalesa, near Valencia, in 1896. He entered the Capuchins, took the name Aurelio and was ordained in Rome in 1921. He became director of the Capuchin school of philosophy and theology at Alicante, known as a learned teacher and a gentle priest.

Dates

Martyrs: Capuchin friars and Capuchin Poor Clares of Valencia
Died: 1936, Spanish Civil War
Order: Capuchin First and Second Orders
Beatified: March 11, 2001, by Pope John Paul II

28Sep

Bl. Innocent of Berzo

Humble Capuchin Priest

Giovanni Scalvinoni was born in the Val Camonica, in the mountains north of Brescia. His father died when he was an infant, and he was raised by his mother in poverty. He studied for the priesthood in Brescia and was ordained in 1867.

For reflection: Innocent was relieved of every office and found peace in being least of all. Humility is the soil in which holiness grows.

Dates

Born: March 19, 1844, Niardo, Italy
Died: March 3, 1890, Bergamo, Italy
Order: Capuchin Friars Minor (First Order)
Beatified: November 12, 1961, by Pope John XXIII

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