April 2: Saint Francis of Paola
A hermit - defender of the poor and oppressed
He is known as a great miracle worker. In fact, his life is studded with miracles which he performed, above all, in favor of the poor and oppressed, becoming widely known as their defender. He is Saint Francis of Paola, from the name of the Calabrian town where he was born on March 27, 1416, to a devout Catholic family of landowners. Advanced in age, his parents resorted to the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi to have children. When their firstborn arrived, in gratitude to the Saint, they named him Francis and from an early age, the presence of God burst into his life.
As a child, he was struck by a serious eye infection, risking total blindness. Saint Francis of Assisi was invoked by the family to regain his health. His mother vowed to send her son to a Franciscan convent as an oblate for a year if he recovered from the infection. He recovered from the disease at the age of 13, and to keep her promise, Francis was sent to live for a year in the convent of San Marco Argentano in the province of Cosenza. At the end of his stay, the friars wanted him to remain with them, but he felt called to a more radical and austere life in union with Christ.
In 1430, he and his family made pilgrimage to Assisi, Loreto, Rome, Monte Cassino and Monte Luco with its hermitages. He was impressed by the anchorite way of life, but was greatly disappointed by the pomp he saw in Rome. Upon returning to his hometown, he decided to live as a hermit on land owned by the family, arousing amazement among the inhabitants for his faithful austerity and fervor.
A group of men attracted by his way of life formed the first nucleus of the new Order, which obtained recognition from the Archbishop of Cosenza of the time, Monsignor Pirro Caracciolo. A great influx of pilgrims to Paola began, so much so that Pope Paul II, at the beginning of 1467, ordered an apostolic visitation to investigate Francis’ way of the life. The visitation resulted unanimously in a positive judgment.
Therefore, on May 17, 1474, the movement obtained official papal recognition with the name of the Congregation of Paolan Hermits of Saint Francis of Assisi. It was Pope Alexander VI, on February 26, 1493, who approved the Rule developed by Francis of Paola, which included - in addition to the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience - that of a perfect and perpetual Lenten life, with total abstinence from meat and its derivatives, except in cases of illness. The rule was permanently approved by Pope Julius II on 28 July 1506, whereby he also recognized the Second and Third Orders. The Congregation would later change its name to the Order of Minims.
The presence of Francis became for the town of Paola - at the time part of the Kingdom of Naples - not only a beacon of faith, but also provided a significant social service. In fact, Francis was considered the only effective defender of the people facing abuses by the powerful of the day.
Francis' fame spread more and more eventually reaching the royal court of France, where King Louis XI, very ill, asked Pope Sixtus IV to send him the hermit to heal him. The Pontiff and the King of Naples saw in this request an opportunity to diplomatically get closer to France. Francis, however, absolutely did not want to leave and accepted only out of obedience to the Pope.
He left Paola on 2 February 1483, and when he passed through Naples the population paid him a triumphal homage. In Rome he was received by Pope Sixtus IV, who entrusted him with sensitive missions. He set sail from Civitavecchia and arrived in Provence, at the time devastated by the Black Death. He healed the sick inhabitants of the city of Bormes with the laying of hands and then, upon his arrival in Fréjus in 1482, he also saved that town from the epidemic.
Upon his arrival at the castle of Plessis-les-Tours, King Louis XI knelt before him, asking for his blessing. The king did not recover, but Francis' presence at court favored an improvement in relations between France, the Pope, and the Kingdom of Naples and Spain.
Despite not knowing the language, Francis dispensed spiritual advice to all who turned to him: scholars, common people and nobles. His austere and radical style fascinated many men who entered his Order, which took on a cenobitic aspect. Francis died on 2 April 1507, in Plessis-les-Tours at the age of 91, and was buried in the church of the Minims.