It is said that his mother often considered him a nuisance and treated him harshly. His deep devotional life led him to the kind of holiness which is forged through humility, voluntary mortification, and obedience. When he did revive and saw what had happened, he would call these visitations fits of giddiness, and ask them not to burn him again. His father had died before Joseph was born, and since he left large debts in his earthly wake, the family had to sell everything they owned, and Joseph was born in a stable. Stay up to date with the latest news, information, and special offers. He was transferred to another hiding-place, where again the same regulations were enforced. He died on September 18, 1663. Arrived at the convent, Joseph was treated with the strictest rigor. The Bishop called on a number of the candidates, who responded superbly. Let your joy in heaven bring us the attention that everything is possible with God. Catholic Online School - Free education with 1,000,000 student enrollments. In his eighth year Joseph had an ecstatic vision while at school and this was renewed several times; so that the children, seeing him gape and stare on such occasions, lost to all things about him, gave him the sobriquet "Bocca Aperta". He told himself that all this was only what he might have expected; being what he was, he might consider himself fortunate to find any job at all entrusted to him. What was more, in spite of his dullness, perhaps because of it, Joseph had by nature a merry heart. But now began that wonderful experience the like of which is scarcely to be paralleled in the life of any other saint. He was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and promoted devotion to her among all classes of people as wonderful path to a deeper Christian life and love for Jesus Christ. This saint has been one of my favorites, I prayed for his assistance in heaven and I do so now too in Seminary. He was absent-minded, he was awkward, he was nervous; a sudden noise, such as the ringing of a church-bell, would make him drop his schoolbooks on the floor. Immediately the sheep all around looked up. He was ordained a priest on 28 March 1628. The old laughter seemed to come back to his face; those around could scarcely resist the contagion. On His part, Jesus never left him alone and one day came to bring him to Heaven. He had a learning disability. He was reported to the Vicar General; the Vicar General believed what was said, and Joseph was called to stand his trial before the inquisitors of Naples. He wasnt smart. Finally, St. Joseph died, was buried, and for a century, this puzzling man who didnt fit in anywhere was forgotten. Even his mother wearied of him. St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us. After several years of working there, he had so impressed the friars with the devotion and simplicity of his life that he was admitted to their Order, destined to become a Catholic priest, in 1625. When he was a candidate for deacon, the bishop at random asked Joseph to expound on the text Blessed is the womb that bore thee. He did well. Joseph had been examined before, and had been declared unsuitable; he had been tried, and had been found wanting; the most they could do was to give him the habit of the Third Order, and employ him somewhere as a servant. Nevertheless he remained a trial, especially to the practical-minded; to the end of his life he had to endure from them many a scolding. Joseph could not hide them, nor could he hide the truth, but he had an explanation ready. He grew in humility and gentleness, fruits of the Holy Spirit at work in a person. He is recognized as the patron saint of air travelers, aviators, astronauts, and people with a mental handicap, test takers, and weak students. The Inquisition of Perugia received a peremptory order to take him at once from his own monastery and to hand him over to the Father Guardian of a Capuchin convent, hidden away among the hills, there to be kept in the strictest seclusion. On hearing the names of Jesus or Mary, the singing of hymns during the feast of St. Francis, or while praying at Mass, he would go into a dazed state and soar into the air, remaining there until a superior commanded him to revive. However, this humble man had to endure many severe trials and terrible temptations throughout his life. Joseph was assisting in the procession when he suddenly soared into the sky, where he remained hovering over the crowd. He fell so deeply in love with God that everything he saw only drew him into a deeper union. The realization became to him so vivid, so engrossing, that he would spend whole days lost in its fascination, and only an order from his superiors could bring him back to earth. Best of Week, For indeed, as we have seen, Joseph had no delusions about himself; and his ordination did not make him think differently. Once as Christmas carols were being sung, he soared to the high altar and knelt in the air, in ecstatic prayer. One morning he came down to the church to say mass, and announced to the brethren about him that the Pope had died during the night. Joseph was but little versed in human knowledge, for his biographers relate that he was able to read but poorly, yet infused by knowledge and supernatural light he not only surpassed all ordinary men in the learning of the schools but could solve the most intricate questions. Eight months later, they sent him away. Pass it on! "Have I to go to prison?" Generals of religious orders have enough to do, and more than enough to give them trouble, without being tried by such subjects as Joseph. The population was 57,820 as of the 2020 census. His life was now one long succession of visions and other heavenly favours. St. Joseph was born in 1603 at Cupertino, in the diocese of Nardo in the Kingdom of Naples. On August 10, 1663, Joseph became ill, but the experience filled him with joy. And so it came about. He grew in humility and gentleness, fruits of the Holy Spirit at work in a person. But in an instant he recovered. Absorbed in ecstasy, he would fly towards the altar or over it in the church, or to a shrine on a special festival. He was already well on the road to ruin; to help him would only make him worse. Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. In spite of his dullnessand perhaps because of itJoseph had a merry heart. British academic John Cornwell has suggested that Joseph had consumed rye bread (see ergot poisoning). Amen. Elena Maria Vidal. At once a new idea came into Joseph's mind. Take your St. Lawrences, for example. Neither dragging him about, buffeting, piercing with needles, nor even burning his flesh with candles would have any effect on him - only the voice of his superior would make him obey. Mystic, born 17 June, 1603; died at Osimo 18 September, 1663; feast, 18 September. He asked to become a Franciscan, but they initially would not accept him. He was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and promoted devotion to her among all classes of people as wonderful path to a deeper Christian life and love for Jesus Christ. The bishop opened the New Testament at haphazard; his eye fell upon the text "Beatus venter qui te portavit," and he asked Joseph to discourse upon it. Even if history never really remembered Joseph, it should have been enough. WebSt. The mere mention of God or a spiritual matter was enough to take him out of his senses; at Mass he is said to have frequently floated in the air in rapture. Gradually, the friars began to take notice of Joseph. They recognized how little he thought of himself and how glad he was to serve. Joseph began to experience ecstatic visions as a child, which were to continue throughout his life, and made him the object of scorn. He was consecrated to continue reading, A disciple of Christ sent by St. Thomas to the court of King Abgar the Black, the second century Osroene ruler. Indeed, scarcely anything else could be done. As he lay at her feet she rounded on him. With all his good intentions he learnt to read with the greatest difficulty, and, says his biographer, his writing was worse. image: Zvonimir Atletic / Shutterstock.com, Tagged as: He tried to learn the trade of shoemaking, but failed. There were many, by this time, besides the very poor who had come to realize the wonderful simplicity and selflessness of Joseph, hidden beneath his dullness and odd ways; a few had discovered the secret of his abstractedness, when he would lose himself in the labyrinth of God. Continue reading about St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Joseph Of Cupertino Sterling Silver Oval Pendant, St. Joseph of Cupertino Pendant (14 Karat Gold Filled), Submit a Rosary Prayer Request to be Read Live Online. He was without a hat; he had no boots or stockings, his coat was moth-eaten and worn. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. Evidently, he said to himself, the boy had inherited his father's improvident ways, and would come to nothing good. St. Joseph of Cupertino. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Image Books edition published September, 1959, EWTN | 5817 Old Leeds Rd. St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of St. James the Less, and a relative of Our Saviour. When he bent down to kiss the Pope's feet, he was suddenly filled with reverence for Christ's Vicar on earth, and was lifted into the air. A decade later he was canonized. It was a text of St. Luke (xi, 27): "Beatus venter qui te portavit." There theres modern saints and blesseds like Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. After this, the Holy Spirit began to work many amazing miracles through St. Joseph. At last he reached his native town, and made for his mother's cottage. Like I said, there is some seriously bizarre imagery going on in his holy cards. 5 things the Catholic woman should keep in her purse, Daily Readings for Sunday, April 30, 2023, St. Pius V, Pope: Saint of the Day for Sunday, April 30, 2023, Prayer to Saint Joseph for Success in Work: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, April 30, 2023. He became more careful and successful at his work. His deep devotional life led him to the kind of holiness which is forged through humility, voluntary mortification, and obedience. He used to say that when they deprived him of the habit it was as if they had torn off his skin. His life was written by Robert Nuti (Palermo, 1678). Joseph was the subject of an investigation by the Inquisition at Naples. ", "Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things, by Robert Bartlett", "The Feat of the Flying Friar: St. Joseph of Cupertino", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_of_Cupertino&oldid=1148327572, 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Italian-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Butler's Lives of the Saints (Vol. Your day my saint. The estimated cost of the land for the new campus is $160 million with a total project cost estimate of $500 million. Besides, Joseph's father already owed him money; how, then, could he be expected to do anything for the son? St. Sebastian Sterling Silver Track Medal - Female, Submit a Rosary Prayer Request to be Read Live Online. His body is in the church at Osimo. Images 2 and 3: Life-sized bronze statue of St. Joseph in mid-flight, St. Joseph of Cupertino Church prayer garden, Cupertino, California. He was a prosperous tradesman there, with a thriving little shop of his own; and Joseph hoped he would find with him some kind of comfort, perhaps another start in life. The General received him, at first, with little favor. Now when he was a friar, and a priest besides, the vision grew stronger; it seemed easier for him to see God indwelling in His creation than the material creation in which he dwelt. Other than a love of snarky retorts, what is there that is familiar to the modern ear? He could not even be trusted with serving out the bread, for the reason that he forgot the difference between brown bread and white. However, for a very short period of time. After his ordination to the holy priesthood, he gave himself up entirely to a life of devotion to the Lord and his church. What is a fun fact about St Joseph? All the time they sang he sang too, when the office was over he flew away again. 14 Feb. 2014, "Secrets of the 'Flying Friar': Did St. Joseph of Copertino Really Levitate? Joseph gave off a sweet smell because he was pure. His father Felice Desa, a poor carpenter, died before Joseph was born and left some debts, in consequence of which the creditors drove the mother, Francesca Panara, from her home, and she was obliged to give birth to her child in a stable. During the time of your tests and examinations, the young seminarians of the sanctuary of St Joseph of Cupertino will unite with you and support your prayers at the altar in Osimo (Italy), where the saint reposes and watches. Have faith! Scarcely had he gone a little further down the road when a nobleman on horseback met him. Angelo Pastrovicchi wrote another in 1773, and this is used by the Bollandist "Acta SS. St. Joseph was born in 1603 at Cupertino, in the diocese of Nardo in the Kingdom of Naples. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. The latter could see in Joseph nothing but a suspicious tramp who had no business in those parts, and thought to hand him over to the police; only when, after examining him, he had come to the conclusion that he was too stupid to be harmful did he let him go. Angelo Pastrovicchi. He might be washing dishes in the scullery, he might be carrying food into the refectory; one of these fits of abstraction would come on, and down everything would crash in pieces on the floor. He could never expound a Sunday Gospel in a way to satisfy his professors; one only text seemed to take hold of him, and on that he could always be eloquent; speaking from knowledge which was not found in books. Then there came another visitation. Joseph was made the keeper of the monastery mule and was called "Brother Ass" by his companions. In the church especially this would come upon him; he would fly towards the altar or over it, or to a shrine on a special festival. He would slip down to the kitchen and wash up the dishes; he would sweep the corridors and dormitories; he would look out for the dirtiest work that others shirked, and would do it; when building was going on in the convent he would carry up the stones and mortar; if anyone protested, declaring that such work did not become a priest, he would only reply: And when he got Brother Ass alone in his cell, he would beat him to make him work harder. New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia. He would wash dishes, sweep the corridors and dormitories, and do the dirtiest work that others shirked. This article took me back to when I was a kid sitting for exams. But it was of no avail; with the best of intentions to be kind to him, the brethren found him a test of their patience. B. Herder Book Company. Casimir realized from an early age that his life belonged to someone else, but to Author and Publisher - Catholic Online The body of St. Joseph was placed under the altar in 1771 and the new church was consecrated 10 years later. Prayer of St. Joseph Cupertino Such were some of the stories the brethren had to tell one another of Joseph and his ways. One Saturday Joseph went to the chapel as usual, and found not a soul there. 98% of our readers don't give; they simply look the other way. His father had died before Joseph was born, and since he left large debts in his earthly wake, In 1781 a large marble altar in the Church of St. Francis in Osimo was erected so that St. Joseph's body might be placed beneath it. Images of St. Jude often include a flame around his head, which represent his presence at Pentecost, when he accepted the Holy Spirit alongside the other apostles. Learning Resources - Free printable resources for schools, parishes, and more. Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. Besides he had two uncles in the Order; that gave him hope and encouragement. Enjoyed this article and st Joseph of cupertino pray me and for my children to be successful in their learning. Joseph could not comment on any passage of Scriptures except one: "Beatus venter qui Te portavit" ("Blessed be the womb that bore Thee"). (Italian: Giuseppe da Copertino; 17 June 1603 18 September 1663) was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian mystic and saint. He said that all the troubles of this world were nothing but the "play" battles children have with popguns. In early September, Joseph could sense that the end was near and could be heard mumbling, "the jackass has now begun to climb the mountain!" Catholic Online Prayer Candles - light your prayer candle. St. Joseph became so famous for the miracles that he was finally kept hidden from the public, but he was happy for the chance to be alone with his beloved Lord. And he did. When he was 17, Joseph attempted to join the Franciscan Friars in various ways. It has remained there ever since. I think they all look like they had it pretty easy. WebSt. [5], Human poisoning due to the consumption of rye bread made from ergot-infected grain was common in Europe in the Middle Ages. Pray for me St. Joseph of Cupertino especially for my mental health. With such a beginning Joseph had very poor prospects. He is the patron saint of air travelers, pilots and learning disabled. Saint Joseph of Cupertino (San Giuseppe da Copertino) was born June 17, 1603, in Cupertino, Apulia, and named Giuseppe Maria Desa. Lorenzo Ruiz. He also began to pray more do more voluntary acts of penance. miracles, After his ordination to the holy priesthood, he gave himself up entirely to a life of devotion to the Lord and his church. Finally he did join the Capuchins. The regulations were the same, the surveillance, if anything, was stricter than ever. But he went on trying and his master tolerated him, merely to give the boy something to do. What? So abstracted was he that he would forget his meals; and when his attention was called to the fact his only reply would be: "I forgot." Sources say it was because he could not seem to do anything right. However, this humble man had to endure many severe trials and terrible temptations throughout his life. He now gave evidence of great virtues, humility, obedience, and love of penance to such an extent that he was admitted to the clerical state in 1625, and three years later, on 28 March he was raised to the priesthood. Source. Having escaped from the dogs, poor Joseph trudged along, wondering what next would happen. Under pain of excommunication he was forbidden to speak to anyone, except the religious around him. Please help me to be as HOLY as you were, even till now which you are. Since such occurrences in public caused much admiration and also disturbance in a community, Joseph for thirty-five years was not allowed to attend choir, go to the common refectory, walk in procession or say Mass in church, but was ordered to remain in his room, where a private chapel was prepared for him. Let us detect the stink of sin on those around us who hide it even from themselves. He came from a background of poverty, as had Christ, and indeed, much as Christ is said to have been born in a stable, there being no room at the inn where Mary stopped, Joseph of Cupertino too was born in a stalla, meaning in Italian either a stable, a shed, or some kind of lowly stall. He told his companions that the first day on which he failed to receive communion would be the day on which he would die. He was assigned a tiny cell apart from the community, and a little chapel in which he might say his mass apart from others. Especially for those with Down syndrome and other special needs, learning disabilities, adhd, lifelong chronic pain and illness, ulcers, etc. He fell into his agony. Fr. Altogether, even for those who pitied him, and wished to be kind to him, Joseph was something of a trial. WebAnd each of the saints, often because of the facts of their life, became associated with particular places or professions. Joseph decided that since he could never be a Franciscan, he could at least be their servant. St. Joseph was born in 1603 at Cupertino, in the diocese of Nardo in the Kingdom of Naples. But the time at last came for his release. They left their pasture, leaped over hedges and ditches, formed themselves into orderly companies, and gathered round Joseph at the chapel door. What happened to the Catholic Knights Hospitaller? WebSt. May we find humbleness and softness in knowing what we are. He also performed menial tasks around the friary, such as gardening, looking after the animals, cleaning their stalls, and helping in the kitchen. He was told that the convent could not afford to give him new clothes every day. WebJoseph had a special interest in the shepherds of the neighborhood; with people of that class he was always most at home. His mother was not at all pleased to have the eighteen-year-old Joseph back home again, so she finally got him accepted as a servant at the Franciscan monastery. What happened to the Catholic Knights Hospitaller? Saint Joseph of Cupertino was said to have been remarkably unclever, but prone to miraculous levitation and intense ecstatic visions. Eventually, in his early twenties, he was admitted into a Franciscan friary near Cupertino. He was deemed disruptive by his religious superiors and church authorities, however, and eventually was confined to a small cell, forbidden from joining in any public gathering of the community. He was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus and his attribute is a club. Joseph could also smell the bad odor of a sinful person. He was then sent to the convent of Santa Maria della Grotella, just outside Cupertino, where he spent the next 15 years.[2]. Finally he did join the Capuchins. For a moment, when he heard the sentence, Joseph shivered. "St. Joseph of Cupertino: The Dunce1603-1663." While they had pleasant things said to them, and nice things given to them, Joseph always wrote himself down an ass, and never looked for any special treatment. Adone my days with the peace from God and my life a blessing fill. We are weird and odd and outsiders everywhere. A little thing would suffice to bring about these levitation's; a word of praise of the Creator and His creature, of the beauty of the sky or of the trees on the roadside, and away Joseph would go. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Finally, he was able to enter the Franciscan order and, eventually, study for the priesthood. Copious folklore and popular culture surrounds this saint. His superiors set him to his studies, in the hope that he might learn enough to be ordained, but the effort seemed hopeless. He was said to frequently wander aimlessly, with his mouth gaping open. He was the son of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. He was soon after admitted as a Capuchin, but removed from the order shortly thereafter when his constant fits of ecstasy proved him unsuitable. May they all see their infinite worth through your compassionate eyes. Even, in some respects, the martyrs. When asked to pray for his own healing he said, "No, God forbid!" Thank God for St. Joseph. St. Joseph became so famous for the miracles that he was finally kept hidden from the public, but he was happy for the chance to be alone with his beloved Lord. They would come to speak to him, and would be surprised that he read their thoughts before they spoke; sometimes he would read there more than they wished him to know. Finally, he was able to enter the Franciscan order and, eventually, study for the priesthood. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, Copyright 2022 Catholic Online.