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| St. Joseph of Cupertino |
Welcome to the Saint of the Day. Today, September 18th,
the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph of Cupertino, a mystic, famous
for his ability to fly. His father, a poor carpenter, died before his
birth and his mother, who was unable to pay the debts, lost her home and gave
birth to Joseph in a stable at Cupertino, Italy on June 17, 1603.
Joseph
began having supernatural visions when he was seven, and was often so lost to
the world around him that the other children called him,
"open-mouthed".
He could
not even read properly, giving others the impression that he was good for
nothing. Aside from that, he was so continually drawn into ecstasy that it was
impossible for him to be attentive to the tasks at hand. Thus, when he got a
job, he lost it very quickly.
He
finally managed to obtain a post taking care of horses in a Franciscan monastery
near Cupertino. Upon realizing his
holiness and aptitude for penance, humility, and obedience, it was decided that
he could begin studying for the priesthood.
Joseph
was a very poor student, however during his final examination, the examiner
happened to ask him a question on the one topic he knew well. He passed
and was admitted into the priesthood
For the
last 35 years of his life as a priest he was unable to celebrate Mass in public
because he would often, without being able to help it, be lifted up into the
air when he went into an ecstatic state, which happened at nearly every
Mass. It took only the slightest reference of anything having to do with
God in order for this state to be induced in him.
Despite
being moved from one friary to another, because of the disruption he caused by
his ecstasies he remained deeply filled by the joy of abandoning himself to
Divine Providence.
He died
on September 18, 1663 and was canonized in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII. He
is the patron of air travelers and students preparing for exams.
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