FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO CONFESSOR – 18 SEPTEMBER

FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO CONFESSOR
FEAST DAY – 18 SEPTEMBER

Joseph Desa (17 June 1603 – 18 September 1663), was born in the little city of Cupertino, near the Gulf of Tarento. It is said in the acts of the process of his canonization that at the age of five he already showed such signs of sanctity that if he had been an adult, he would have been venerated as a perfect man. Already in his youth he was ravished in ecstasies which literally tore him away from the earth; it has been calculated that perhaps half of his life for some sixty years was spent literally above the ground.

But much remains to be said of Saint Joseph, apart from his visible divine favors. He almost died at the age of seven from an interior abscess, which only his prayer to Our Lady cured. He learned to be a shoemaker to earn his living, but was often absent in spirit from his work. He treated his flesh with singular rigor. The Cardinal de Lauria, who knew him well for long years, said he wore a very rude hair shirt and never ate meat, contenting himself with fruits and bread.

He seasoned his soup, if he accepted any, with a dry and very bitter powder of wormwood. At the age of seventeen he desired to become a conventual Franciscan, but was refused because he had not studied. He entered the Capuchins as a lay brother, but the divine favors he received seemed everywhere to bring down contempt upon him. He was in continuous contemplation and dropped plates and cauldrons.

He would often stop and kneel down, and his long halts in places of discomfort brought on a tumor of the knee which was very painful. It was decided that he lacked both aptitude and health, and he was sent home. He was then regarded everywhere as a vagabond and a fool, and his mother in particular was harsh, as had been her custom for long years. She did, however, obtain permission for him to take charge of the stable for the conventual Franciscans, wearing the habit of the Third Order.

Saint Joseph proved himself many times to be perfectly obedient. His humility was heroic, and his mortification most exceptional. His words bore fruit and wakened the indifferent, warned against vice and in general were seen to come from a man who was very kind and very virtuous. He was finally granted the habit. He read with difficulty and wrote with still more difficulty, but the Mother of God was watching over him.

When by the intervention of the bishop he had been admitted to minor Orders, he desired to be a priest but knew well only one text of the Gospel. By a special Providence of God, that was the text he was asked to expound during the canonical examination for the diaconate. The bishop who was in charge of hearing candidates for the priesthood found that the first ones answered exceptionally well, and he decided to ordain them all without any further hearings, thus passing Joseph with the others. He was ordained in 1628.

He retired to a hermitage where he was apparently in nearly continuous ecstasy, or at least contemplation. He kept nothing for himself save the tunic he wore. Rejoicing to be totally poor, he felt entirely free also. He obeyed his Superiors and went wherever he was sent, wearing sandals and an old tunic which often came back with pieces missing; the people had begun to venerate him as a Saint, and had cut them off.

When he did not notice what was happening, he was reproached as failing in poverty. The humble Brother wanted to pass for a sinner; he asked for the lowest employments, and transported the building materials for a church on his shoulders. He begged for the community. At the church he was a priest; elsewhere, a poor Brother. Toward the end of his life all divine consolations were denied the Saint, including his ecstasies.

He fell victim to an aridity which was unceasing, and he could find no savor in any holy reading. Then the infernal spirits inspired terrible visions and dreams. He shed tears amid this darkness and prayed his Saviour to help him, but received no answer. When the General of the Order heard of this, he called him to Rome, and there he recovered from the fearful trial, and all his joy returned.

He still had combats with the enemy of God to bear just the same, when the demons took human form to attempt to injure him physically. Other afflictions were not spared him, but his soul overcame all barriers between himself and God. He died on September 18, 1663, at the age of 63, in the Franciscan convent of Osino. He had celebrated Holy Mass up to and including the day before his death, as he had foretold he would do. He is Patron of air travellers; astronauts; aviators; paratroopers; pilots; students; test takers.

– Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 11

CONTEMPLATING THE LIFE OF SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO: THE SAINT WHO COULD FLY

BORN IN POVERTY

In 1603, Joseph was born in Cupertino, Italy, into deep poverty. His father had died, creditors had taken their home, and his mother Francesca gave birth to him in a stable. From the beginning, Joseph’s life was marked by hardship and the Cross.

A CHILD LOST IN GOD

Joseph was sickly, absent minded and slow to learn. Yet he possessed a deep love for God. He would become absorbed in prayer and gaze at crucifixes with such intensity that he seemed unaware of everything around him. Though villagers mocked him, his mother recognized his goodness. He accepted poverty patiently and without complaint.

REJECTION AND HUMILITY

At seventeen, Joseph entered the Capuchin Franciscans, longing to serve God. His clumsiness and difficulty with ordinary tasks led to his dismissal. Deeply hurt, he responded with humility, accepting the rejection and trusting in God’s will.

THE STABLE BOY OF GROTTELLA

Joseph eventually found work with the Conventual Franciscans at Grottella. He served quietly by cleaning stables, carrying wood and helping in the kitchen. His humility, obedience, prayerfulness and charity eventually moved the friars to accept him as one of their own.

STRUGGLES WITH STUDY

Joseph struggled greatly with his studies and examinations. Yet, through what he understood as God’s providence, he succeeded in his final examination and was ordained a priest in 1628.

THE FLYING FRIAR

Joseph became known for extraordinary ecstasies in which he was reported to rise from the ground, especially during Mass or when hearing the name of Jesus. His unusual experiences attracted great crowds and eventually drew the attention of Church authorities. He was investigated but remained steadfast in his simplicity, humility and devotion.

HIDDEN IN SECLUSION

To protect Joseph from overwhelming attention, his superiors often kept him in seclusion. Even there, he continued to serve those who came to him with illness, discouragement and spiritual struggles. Through his prayer and peaceful presence, he became a source of hope and consolation.

HIS DEATH

During his final years, Joseph endured illness with serenity. On 18 September 1663, in Osimo, Italy, he died peacefully, his heart remaining fixed on Jesus and Mary. He returned to the God whom he had trusted throughout his life.

HIS LEGACY

Saint Joseph of Cupertino is remembered especially for his humility, simplicity and complete trust in God. Though he struggled with studies and ordinary tasks, he became the patron of students and examination candidates. His reported levitations also led to his association with aviators and travellers.

His life reminds us that God can lift up the humble, choose the rejected and fill the poor in spirit with abundant grace.

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO FOR SUCCESS IN EXAMINATIONS

O humble St. Joseph of Cupertino, singularly favored by God in overcoming the difficulties of study and the worries of examinations, implore the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind and strengthen my memory in the search of His truth and wisdom. Help me especially in the decisive moments of this examination, protecting me from that forgetfulness and disturbing anxiety which often affect me.

May I succeed in offering God my finest work and may I grow in knowledge, understanding, humility and charity. May everything that I attempt to learn in life be offered in faithful service to God, from whom flows that wisdom which leads to eternal life. Amen.