Joseph of Cupertino’s Great Life of Faith

An 18th century image of St. Joseph of Cupertino

This coming Sunday – September 18 – is the feast day of a famous Conventual Franciscan Friar – St. Joseph of Cupertino. His story reminds all of us that no matter what obstacles we face in life we should always maintain our faith and press ahead.

It was the year 1603 and Joseph was born into a poor family in the town of Copertino, Italy. Joseph’s father died before the future Conventual Franciscan Friar was even born. By nature Joseph was absentminded and not very social. He was also easy to anger. Blessed with great faith he experienced his first vision at the age of eight.

Life required that Joseph find a way to support himself as well his family. He began apprenticing with a cobbler but then at 17 applied to the Conventual Franciscans. Joseph knew that God was calling him to religious life.

Since he lacked former education, Joseph was not able to join the Conventual Franciscans. He did become a lay-friar with the Capuchins, but was eventually told to leave the Order. After some time, a Conventual friary not far from Copertino took Joseph on as a stable hand.

During the time Joseph worked at the friary near Copertino he became a different person. The absentminded and often irritated Joseph became a kind, patient, and thoughtful man. By the time he was around 25 years old, Joseph was a friar as well as a priest.

Joseph’s faith remained great throughout his life. The words “God” or “Jesus” brought him into a meditative state. Stories abound of Joseph’s faith causing him also to levitate.

Some people disliked Joseph. A few even reported him to the Inquisition. Joseph however was a good man and the Inquisition found that he had done nothing wrong. In his friary, Joseph mostly stayed in his room where he celebrated Mass. On September 18, 1663 he died in the Italian town of Osimo. Pope Clement XII canonized Joseph of Cupertino in 1767.

(Source of all related images on webpage and homepage: wikipedia.)